About Us
Faculty
Dr. Lock is a Professor of Child Psychiatry and Pediatrics in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine where he also serves as Director of the Eating Disorder Program for Children and Adolescents. Dr Lock has published over 200 articles, abstracts, and book chapters. He is the co-author of Treatment Manual for Anorexia Nervosa: A Family-Based Approach, Help Your Teenager Beat an Eating Disorder and Treating Bulimia in Adolescents: A Family-Based Approach. He has lectured widely in the US, Canada, South America, Europe, and Australia. He has been funded by the NIH to conduct treatment research in eating disorders continuously since 1997. Click on Dr. Lock's name above to view his faculty bio and a list of representative publications.
Dr. Bohon received her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Oregon. She completed her predoctoral internship and postdoctoral research fellowship in child and adolescent psychology at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and UCLA. She joined Stanford’s faculty in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in 2012 and currently serves as Director of the Child and Adolescent Outpatient Eating Disorders Clinic. Additionally, she leads the Eating Disorder Research Program’s neuroscience studies. Her research bridges real-world patient experience with biology, and she is passionate about translational work that will improve mental health interventions and access to care. Dr. Bohon was awarded the Early Career Investigator Award from the Academy of Eating Disorders in 2012, and she has received grants from the National Institute of Mental Health, NARSAD Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, Stanford Child Health Research Institute, Stanford Center for Cognitive and Neurobiological Imaging, the Hilda and Preston Davis Foundation, and the Friends of Semel Institute. Her work on the neurobiology of unhealthy eating behaviors, including obesity, binge eating, and anorexia nervosa, has been widely published in top-tier peer-reviewed journals, such as Science and Journal of Abnormal Psychology.
Dr. Nandini Datta is a Faculty Scholar/Clinical Instructor at the Stanford School of Medicine. She previously completed graduate school at Duke University working with Dr. Nancy Zucker. Dr. Datta’s program of research and clinical work has focused on the phenomenology of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), a new psychiatric illness added to the DSM5 in 2013. Dr. Datta is certified in FBT and works as an outpatient clinician, supervising trainees and conducting diagnostic evaluations and treatment of adolescents with eating disorders. She also works as a study clinician for our ongoing clinical trials. She will submit a K-23 award this winter and is excited at the prospect of building an independent research program, investigating the biobehavioral mechanisms contributing to ARFID symptomology.
Dr. Derenne is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, and completed an internal medicine internship at Salem Hospital. She went on to pursue General Psychiatry residency and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry fellowship training at Harvard Medical School's Massachusetts General Hospital and McLean Hospital Program. She has expertise in treating anxiety, depression, and eating disorders across the lifespan, with particular interest in treating college age students. In addition to her clinical practice, she is active in medical education and serves on the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry College Mental Health Committee. She is currently the Psychiatric Director of the Comprehensive Care Unit for Eating Disorders at Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford.
Dr. Kristene Hossepian is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford's Inpatient Comprehensive Care Program. She earned her doctorate from the PGSP-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium and completed her pre-doctoral clinical internship at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford/Children’s Health Council. Kristene has worked on a number of projects exploring the protective and adaptive factors which aid in the adjustment, coping, and resilience of families with histories of adverse life events. Currently, Kristene is interested in exploring the physiological mechanisms underlying a wide variety of psychopathology as well as providing children and adolescents with novel emotion regulation strategies.
Dr. Kirz is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She graduated from the Yale University School of Medicine. She completed an internship in Pediatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital, residency in Psychiatry at Montefiore Hospital, and fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Cornell University/New York Hospital. She has worked treating eating disorders in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Stanford since 2005, in the inpatient Comprehensive Care Program until 2014 and in the outpatient clinic since then. She currently provides psychotherapy and medication management for patients with eating disorders in the outpatient clinic.
Brittany Matheson, PhD, is a clinical assistant professor and licensed clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. She completed her undergraduate degree at Duke University, doctorate from the Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology at San Diego State University and the University of California, San Diego, and APA clinical internship at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford/Children’s Health Council. Dr. Matheson is a certified family-based treatment (FBT) therapist and consultant. She is also the director of the Stanford Eating Disorder Research Program Data Coordination Center. Dr. Matheson's research interests include examining the psychosocial, neurocognitive, and familial factors related to disordered eating and excess weight gain in youth. She is interested in the development and implementation of evidence-based treatments for youth with disordered eating as well as better understanding factors that influence pediatric bariatric surgery outcomes. Dr. Matheson has specialized research and clinical expertise in the interplay among obesity, disordered eating, and autism spectrum disorder. Her recent research focuses on reducing access to care barriers by digitizing evidence-based treatments and utilizing technology to enhance treatment outcomes.
Dr. Cristin Runfola is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University Medical Center. She was previously an Assistant Professor and Global Foundation for Eating Disorders (GFED) Scholar with the UNC Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders, and completed her pre-doctoral clinical psychology internship and T32 post-doctoral research fellowship in eating disorders at UNC-Chapel Hill. She also had specialized training in eating disorders treatment and research at Stanford University and the University of San Diego, California (UCSD). She is trained in delivering manualized treatment protocols in the context of research studies, and has experience providing eating disorders treatment in the outpatient, partial hospitalization, and inpatient levels of care. She also has expertise in cognitive-behavioral couples therapy. Her research focuses on the epidemiology of dysregulated eating and weight concerns in undeserved populations and her primary interest is in developing and testing the efficacy of clinical interventions designed to improve outcome for eating disorders. Dr. Runfola also teaches graduate courses in the Stanford University and Palo Alto University PsyD Consortium.
Dr. Safer is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University Medical Center. She obtained her MD from the University of California, San Francisco and completed her residency as well as a post-doctoral fellowship in eating disorder intervention research here at Stanford. Her research and clinical work focus on treating eating and weight disorders in adults and adolescents, with an emphasis on adapting Dialectical Behavior Therapy for binge eating. She has conducted clinical trials investigating the use of psychotherapy as well as medication for eating disorders, including recent interest in innovative treatment options such as virtual reality. She has been a study therapist in several treatment research studies. More broadly, she is interested in helping efforts to address climate change mitigation with serial dramas (prosocial entertainment-education programs with methodology based on Dr. Albert Bandura's theories of self-efficacy and social modeling).
Dr. Eric Stice is Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Public Mental Health and Population Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Stice has devoted his career to identifying risk factors that predict future onset of various social and mental health problems, designing and evaluating prevention programs for these problems. and encouraging broad implementation of the most effective prevention programs. Dr. Stice has conducted 10 prospective studies investigating risk factors for future increases in eating pathology, body mass, and depression, including 3 that have involved brain imaging, genotypes, and their interactions. He has also conducted 11 randomized efficacy and effectiveness prevention trials and 2 treatment trials targeting eating disorders, obesity, and depression. In addition, he has conducted meta-analytic reviews of risk factor studies for eating disorders and prevention trials for eating disorders, obesity, and depression.
Dr. Aileen Whyte is a Clinical Associate Professor at Stanford School of Medicine where she also serves as Director of the Stanford Outpatient Eating Disorders Clinic. Dr. Whyte received a BA in Psychology from City College New York and a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the New School, New York. Dr. Whyte completed her pre-doctoral internship training at Mount Sinai Beth Israel New York and then completed postdoctoral training at the Trauma Recovery Centre in Cork, Ireland. Dr. Whyte has served as a study therapist on FBT trials and has significant experience in the provision of FBT to young people with eating disorders. Dr. Whyte has led multiple seminars and workshops in the treatment of eating disorders and provides ongoing supervision and consultation in the FBT approach. Dr. Whyte played a key role in the development of a national clinical strategy in Ireland to increase dissemination and implementation of evidence based treatments, including FBT, with the aim of improving treatment outcomes for those with eating disorders. Her research and clinical interests include the treatment of co-occurring trauma and eating disorder symptoms as well as the implementation and dissemination of evidence based treatments.
Post-Doctoral Fellows
Dr. Caroline West is a child psychology postdoctoral fellow within the Stanford Eating Disorders Program. Prior to beginning postdoctoral fellowship, she completed her PhD within the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program (Child and Adolescent Specialty) at Kent State University and her APA predoctoral psychology internship at The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School/Dell Children’s Medical Center. Dr. West's research has focused on understanding factors (e.g., food insecurity, weight stigma) related to disordered eating among youth from underrepresented backgrounds. She is interested in improving access to care for individuals with eating disorders and in informing culturally sensitive treatment methods for eating disorders among youth. Clinically, Dr. West provides evidence-based individual and family-based treatment for a range of eating disorders among youth at the outpatient level of care.
Dr. Grammer is a clinical child psychology postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. She completed her undergraduate training at Bryn Mawr College, and her doctoral training at Washington University in St. Louis. Her research interests include using technology to increase access to care for eating disorders and related conditions in young people. Clinically, she provides eating disorder treatment in the outpatient clinic and as a study therapist for ongoing treatment studies.
Research Staff
Hazal joined the lab in October of 2022 after graduating with two B.A. degrees in Psychological Sciences and Dance from the University of California, Irvine. She currently coordinates the Confirming the Effectiveness of Guided Self-Help Family Based Treatment for Adolescent Anorexia study. Prior to working in the lab, Hazal worked as a research coordinator with Dr. Jessica Borelli at the THRIVE Lab at UC Irvine, working on various projects related to attachment and savoring interventions. She has also worked in collaboration with community organizations to improve outreach strategies for community education initiatives. Hazal’s interests are in risk factors and preventative intervention research in community settings. She aims to earn her Ph.D. in Social/Developmental Psychology, and continue her research.
HaLi joined the lab in May 2024 and she currently coordinates the ARFID Study. She graduated from the University of California, Irvine with B.A. degrees in Psychological Science and English. Previously, she has worked on research projects looking at parent-child separation, adverse childhood experiences, family attachment, savoring interventions, and post memory trauma. She has also worked as an ABA Therapist for children with developmental disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder. Her research interests include the parent-child relationship and how evidence-based interventions can target that relationship to promote resiliency. She hopes to obtain a Ph.D. in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology and implement her research in her community.
Ainsley joined the lab in June 2024, where she currently coordinates the Refinement of an Emotion Regulation App research study. She holds a B.S. in Neuroscience from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As an undergraduate, Ainsley worked as a research assistant at the UNC Center of Excellence in Eating Disorders and participated in the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Summer Scholar Program. Her research interests are focused on adolescent mood and eating disorders, with an emphasis on developing accessible, effective treatment strategies. She aims to earn her Ph.D in clinical psychology.
Lab alumni
Kyra Citron (she/her/hers)
Kyra joined the lab in June 2020 and coordinated the Adaptive FBT, Adaptive fMRI, and Guided Self-Help Telemedicine FBT studies. She graduated from Duke University with a B.A. in Psychology and Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies. While an undergraduate, she conducted research in the Bass Connection’s Virtual Avatar Coaches and Duke’s Eating Disorder Research Lab. Her summers were spent at internships at Monmouth Medical Center, NYU CHIBPS, and Duke VIP in Psychology to begin her thesis research project on gender euphoria. Her research interests include the intersection of identity in the treatment of mental illness. Kyra aims to earn a PhD in clinical psychology.
Eliza Van Wye (she/her/hers)
Eliza joined the lab in October 2020, and coordinated the ARFID study (“Confirming the Efficacy/Mechanism of Family Therapy for Children with Low Weight Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder”). She graduated from Stanford University in 2020 with a degree in Psychology. As an undergraduate, Eliza worked as a research assistant in the Social Concepts Lab, where she spent many hours examining the social biases of preschoolers! Broadly, Eliza’s research interests lie in the intersections of cultural, social, and clinical psychology. She hopes to ultimately pursue a career in child and adolescent clinical psychology, while writing and illustrating children’s books.
Hannah Welch (she/her/hers)
Hannah is a doctoral student at the PGSP-Stanford PsyD Consortium and was involved with the lab since she started as a Research Coordinator in 2017. She served as an assessor on many studies in the lab and contributes to various manuscripts and projects. Her interests include the treatment of adolescent mood, anxiety, and eating disorders, as well as dissemination of evidence-based interventions. She graduated from Stanford University in 2016 with a degree in International Relations.
Avery Carter M. Walker, PsyD (He. Him. They. Them)
Dr. Avery Carter M. Walker was a child psychology postdoctoral fellow in the Stanford Eating Disorders Program. Dr. Walker is a graduate of Chatham University, Doctor of Psychology - Counseling Psychology program and completed his predoctoral internship in professional psychology with Iowa State University, Student Counseling Services. His research interest includes Men's Issues, Minority and Additive Stress, and Interpersonal conflicts and Intimacy concerns. Clinically, Dr. Walker is interested in the treatment of eating disorders across the lifespan with particular interest with boys and men, LGBTQ identities, and Culture, Identity, and individual differences.
Dorothy Pang, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)
Dr. Dorothy Pang was a child psychology postdoctoral fellow at the Inpatient Comprehensive Care Program at Lucile Parkard Children’s Hospital Stanford. She completed her PhD in School Psychology at Texas A&M University and her predoctoral internship in the Illinois School Psychology Internship Consortium program. Dr. Pang’s research interests focus on the acculturation, coping and psychological adaptations among Asian Americans. Clinically, she is interested in supporting racially- and ethnically-diverse families on the inpatient unit for eating disorders and assisting patient families to transition from inpatient care to outpatient treatment by increasing patients’ perceived self-efficacy and strengthening parent-child communication.
Nandini Datta, PhD (she/her/hers)
Dr. Nandini Datta was a post-doctoral fellow, familiar to the lab as a former research coordinator. She recently completed her PhD at Duke University in Clinical Psychology, and pre-doctoral internship at Stanford LPCH/CHC. Her research interests include investigations of interoceptive capabilities across eating disorder presentations. Of particular interest, she hopes to unpack interoceptive processes in children with ARFID across treatment settings to better understand causal mechanisms contributing to symptom maintenance. Clinically, she is interested in bridging care from inpatient programs to outpatient treatment, and works both as an outpatient therapist in the clinic and on treatment studies as well as on the inpatient unit for eating disorders.
Kate Arnow, MS
Kate joined the lab in June 2012 and coordinated the FBT/CRT study. She graduated from Rice University with a B.A. in psychology and history. Prior to joining the lab, she worked as the coordinator for the DSM-5 Field Trial at Stanford. Kate left the lab in 2017 to get her degree in epidemiology and has worked in both academic and public health settings. She currently is a biostatistician with the Stanford-Surgery Policy Improvement Research & Education Center (S-SPIRE).
Judy Beenhakker, MS
Judy was the lead research coordinator for the lab for over 7 years, and was responsible for coordinating several research trials related to adolescent and adult anorexia nervosa. She now works at the University of Virginia and resides in Charlottesville with her husband and two daughters. Her contributions to our lab are countless!
Alaina Critchlow, MD
Alaina worked in the lab for over three years, as the coordinator of a multi-site treatment trial investigating two types of family therapy for adolescent anorexia nervosa. She is also a Stanford alum and is a huge Stanford football fan. She is attended medical school at the University of Colorado, Denver. After completing her residency at Stanford, she now works as a Clinical Instructor in Stanford’s Pediatrics – Cardiology department.
Kelsey Hagan, PhD
Dr. Hagan was a postdoctoral research fellow in the Stanford Eating Disorders Research Program. She earned a B.A. in psychology and Spanish from Emory University and earned a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas in clinical psychology, with a minor in quantitative psychology. Dr. Hagan completed her predoctoral internship at the Stanford Children’s/Children’s Health Council consortium. Dr. Hagan’s research interests fall within two primary domains: 1) application of statistical approaches to improve the diagnosis and classification of eating disorders and related psychopathology; and 2) illuminating mechanisms of eating and mood disorders, with a specific focus on understanding neural mechanisms of these disorders.
Alexa L’Insalata
Alexa joined the lab in July 2017 and is currently coordinating the Adaptive FBT, Adaptive fMRI, and Guided Self-Help Telemedicine FBT studies. She graduated from Oberlin College with a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Hispanic Studies. While earning her undergraduate degree she conducted research in a substance use lab at Oberlin and held summer research assistant positions at both the Yale Parenting Center and the UCSD Eating Disorder Center for Treatment and Research. Alexa’s current career aspirations are to continue conducting eating disorder research while pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology.
Elizabeth LoTempio, PsyD
Liz worked in the lab for several conducting assessments for several of the research projects. Her research interests include prevention of eating problems in children and completed her dissertation on therapeutic alliance in the treatment of eating disorders. She is currently a Licensed Psychologist in the state of Washington and an expert in the treatment of suicidal and self-harming behaviors, borderline personality disorder, and eating disorders (including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder).
Stephanie Manasse, PhD
Stephanie joined the lab in June 2010 and worked as the coordinator for the adolescent bulimia treatment study and adaptive family treatment study for adolescents with AN. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.A. in psychology. Stephanie attended the clinical PhD program at Drexel University and now faculty at Drexel. She is the Director of the Child and Adolescent Program at the Center for Weight, Eating, and Lifestyle Sciences (WELL Center). She is interested in developing novel treatments for adolescents and adults with eating disorders and utilizing novel assessment methods to identify cognitive and affective maintenance factors of binge eating pathology.
Duncan Martin Dickson, PhD (he/him, they/them)
Dr. Duncan Dickson was a child psychology postdoctoral fellow in the Stanford Eating Disorders Program. He completed his PhD in school psychology at the University of Texas at Austin and his predoctoral internship in pediatric health psychology at Children’s Hospital Colorado. His research interests focus on the confluence of technology and intervention. Clinically, he is interested in the treatment of eating disorders and internalizing disorders in pediatric and adolescent populations.
Kat Nameth
Kat joined the lab in May 2017 and currently coordinates the EMA Bariatric Study, Virtual Reality for Binge-Eating Disorders study, Apple Watch study, Measurement Based Care study, Impacts of a Ketogenic Diet on Obesity and Psychiatric Symptoms study, and the Stanford Integrated Assessment of Bariatric Surgery Recipients study. She graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in Psychology and a concentration in Developmental Psychopathology. During her undergraduate studies, she worked as a research assistant in an Infant Cognition lab and Parent Behavior lab. She also was a group leader for Camp Chi, a non-profit camp for children with behavioral and developmental disabilities.
Ayotola Onipede (she/her/hers)
Ayotola joined the lab in July 2019 and coordinated the Food and Brain Study, Emotion Regulation Study, and Eating behavior Treatment Study. She completed her undergraduate degree at Tufts University and earned a B.S. in Clinical Psychology. During her undergraduate years she worked as a research assistant in a dissemination and implementation lab, Community Psychiatry PRIDE, at Mass. General Hospital. Her research interests lie at the intersection of trauma and eating pathology in adolescent populations. She hopes to eventually earn her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.
Linsey Utzinger, PsyD
Linsey first worked in the lab as a research coordinator from 2008 to 2012, receiving doctorate in clinical psychology from the PGSP – Stanford Consortium Program shortly after. Following which she then completed an internship at Children’s Hospital Colorado, a postdoctoral fellowship at Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, and then a 2-year government-funded T32 research fellowship focused on identifying and understanding mechanisms associated with the maintenance of eating disorders, with the goal of informing intervention efforts and targeting those mechanisms in treatment. She then returned as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Eating Disorders Program at Stanford University, where she was involved in eating disorders research, teaching and clinical work. She is certified in Family-Based Treatment (FBT) for adolescents and has served as a study therapist on NIMH- and NEDA-funded research studies examining FBT and related adaptations. She currently provides individual and family therapy for adolescents, young adults, and adults with eating disorders through Park Nicollet Health Services in Minnesota.
Kimberly Rosania, PhD (she, her, hers)
Dr. Kimberly Rosania is a licensed clinical psychologist and was a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University Medical Center. She specializes in the assessment and treatment of children, adolescents, and young adults with eating disorders. Dr. Rosania obtained her doctorate in clinical psychology from Loyola University Chicago. She completed a predoctoral internship at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital / Children’s Health Council consortium and a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University Medical Center’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Rosania enjoyed participating in the Eating Disorder Research Program as a therapist in several treatment studies for youth with eating disorders.
Heather Rosen, PhD (she/her)
Dr. Heather Rosen is a licensed clinical psychologist and was a Clinical Instructor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine. She has expertise in the evaluation and treatment of eating disorders in adolescents and young adults and is a certified therapist in Family Based Treatment (FBT) for anorexia nervosa. Dr. Rosen earned her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and completed her predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship at the Stanford University School of Medicine. She was a primary supervisor for psychology and psychiatry trainees in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and serves as a therapist on treatment studies for adolescents with eating disorders.
Fabiola Valenzuela
Fabiola joined the lab in December 2015 and coordinated the Food and Brain Study, which analyzed emotion and reward processing in Binge Eating. She graduated from Duke University with a B.S. in psychology, with concentrations in cognitive and abnormal psychology. She is currently attending medical school at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
Molly Vierhile
Molly joined the lab in January 2015 and coordinated the Family Aggregate study and the FBT for ARFID feasibility study. She graduated from SUNY Geneseo with a B.A. in psychology and French. Prior to joining the lab, she coordinated studies examining a variety of topics, including sleep and Alzheimer’s Disease, at the University of Rochester. Upon leaving the lab Molly went on to get her Master of Human-Computer Interaction at Carnegie Mellon University and is currently a Product Designer at WW (previously Weight Watchers) in NYC.