If you are seeking treatment for yourself or a loved one, participating in a research study can offer assistance, particularly for those with limited funds. Studies can be an excellent opportunity to further the understanding of eating disorders and to improve the quality of care. Please carefully examine the criteria and other research protocols to make sure a particular research study is right for you.
Research into eating disorders focuses on causes, prevention and cures.
Committed to promoting study into the causes, cures and prevention of eating disorders, NEDA first established the Young Investigator Research Grants Program in 2002 in partnership with the Academy for Eating Disorders (AED). The aim of these grants is to expand eating disorders research while drawing promising new scientists into the field.
“NEDA and the Academy of Eating Disorders (AED) partnership began in 2002 and it is exhilarating to support so many young researchers in the field. Together, with your support, we are living up to NEDA’s mission to be a catalyst for prevention, cures and access to quality care. By investing in the lives of these promising researchers we can make the difference we hope to see in the lives of everyone impacted by an eating disorder.”
– Jim Mitchell, Research Committee Chair
Dr. Cynthia Bulik is the Jordan Distinguished Professor of Eating Disorders in the Department of Psychiatry in the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is also Professor of Nutrition in the School of Public Health and the Director of the UNC Eating Disorders Program. A clinical psychologist by training, Dr. Bulik has been conducting research and treating individuals with eating disorders since 1982, and is NEDA's 2008 recipient of the Price Family Award for Research Excellence.
Dr. Walter Kaye is a member of the NEDA Board of Directors and of the NEDA Research Committee. His current research at UC San Diego is focused on exploring the relationship between brain and behavior using brain imaging and genetics, and developing and applying new treatments for anorexia and bulimia nervosa. He is the principal investigator for an international, multi-site collaboration on the genetics of anorexia and bulimia nervosa. He has an international reputation in the field of eating disorders and is the author of more than 300 articles and publications.
Dr. le Grange serves on the clinical and scientific advisory council of the National Eating Disorders Association and is a Professor of Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry, Section for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Director of the Eating Disorders Program at The University of Chicago. He was a member of the team who developed the "Maudsley Approach" as a treatment for early onset anorexia nervosa and is the author or co-author of more than 150 research and clinical articles, books, book chapters, and abstracts.
James Lock, MD, PhD serves on NEDA's Clinical and Scientific Advisory Council and is 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 more than 150 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.
