Denise E. Wilfley, PhD

Scott Rudolph University Professor of Psychiatry

Washington University in St. Louis (WU)

Dr. Wilfley’s program of research focuses on the causes, characterization, prevention, and treatment of eating disorders and obesity in a wide range of patient populations. Overarching research objectives include investigating the role of familial and social factors in the etiology, prevention, and treatment of eating and weight disorders; utilizing principles of basic behavioral science to inform eating disorders and obesity research; and determining intervention and prevention strategies aimed at preventing comorbidity, relapse, and disability in eating disorders and obesity. In ongoing studies, she aims to identify effective long-term weight maintenance treatments for obese children, to examine the efficacy of three psychological treatments (interpersonal psychotherapy, behavioral weight loss, and guided self-help) for obese adults with binge eating disorder, and to evaluate family-based and pharmacological treatments for anorexia nervosa and a multi-site trial of treatment of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents, examining the effectiveness of intensive lifestyle intervention and metformin.