Denise E. Wilfley, PhD

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.