Welcome to the EAT Lab's ABCT conference page! You may scan QR codes on any poster or talk from the EAT Lab to get directed to this page. To see our work from ABCT last year, scroll down to the ABCT 2019 presentations. Our ABCT 2020 virtual content is now being updated on a regular basis leading up to the conference.
For live updates, follow @uofleatlab on Twitter, and use the hashtag #WhyWeStudyEDs to gain visibility at the virtual conference for the Obesity and Eating Disorder Special Interest Group (Twitter: @ABCT_OED)
Click the PDF below for the FULL SCHEDULE of everything the EAT Lab has planned at ABCT this year!
For live updates, follow @uofleatlab on Twitter, and use the hashtag #WhyWeStudyEDs to gain visibility at the virtual conference for the Obesity and Eating Disorder Special Interest Group (Twitter: @ABCT_OED)
Click the PDF below for the FULL SCHEDULE of everything the EAT Lab has planned at ABCT this year!
| abct_eat_talks_2020.pdf |
Presenter: Dr. Cheri A. Levinson, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, University of Louisville Director, EAT Lab Clinical Director, Louisville Center for Eating Disorders Dr. Levinson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Louisville and Director of the EAT lab and clinic. Dr. Levinson’s research focuses on (a) understanding the high levels of comorbidity between eating and anxiety disorders and (b) applying empirically supported treatments for anxiety disorders, specifically exposure therapy, to the eating disorders. Dr. Levinson has published more than 95 peer-reviewed manuscripts and chapters and has been the primary investigator on several national grants and awards. She has received several awards for her work from the Academy for Eating Disorders, including the 2015 Outstanding Scientific Contribution Award. Dr. Levinson was also awarded the 2020 American Psychological Foundation Theodore Blau Award for an Early Investigator who has made an outstanding contribution to Clinical Psychology. Dr. Levinson’s clinical work focuses primarily on treating patients with eating disorders using CBT, DBT, and other empirically-based treatments. |
For correspondence, please email cheri.levinson@louisville.edu
Dr. Levinson's Twitter: @CheriLev Obesity & Eating Disorder (OED) SIG Twitter: @ABCT_OED Lab & Clinic Twitter: @uofleatlab @ced_louisville |
Presenter: Irina Vanzhula, M.S.
6th Year Graduate Student Pronouns: She/Her Irina Vanzhula (M.A. Saint-Petersburg State University; M.S. University of Louisville) is a 6th year graduate student. Irina is currently completing her predoctoral internship at the University of Chicago Medicine. Her research aims to improve eating disorder treatment outcomes by applying mindfulness and acceptance-based approaches to the treatment of eating disorders, and using novel applications of methodology (e.g., EMA, sensor technology) and statistical techniques (e.g., network analysis, machine learning) to identify intervention targets. |
Please send correspondence to Irina at irina.vanzhula@louisville.edu.
Twitter: @IrinaVanzhula |
Presenter: Brenna Williams, B.A.
3rd Year Graduate Student Pronouns: She/Her Brenna Williams (B.A. Southern Methodist University) is a 3rd year graduate student in the EAT Lab. Brenna is interested in researching self-relations in eating disorders, including self-criticism and self-perception. She is passionate about studying the impact of self-compassion on eating disorder symptoms and the integration of compassion-focused interventions for eating disorders. Brenna is currently studying the feasibility and impact of a mindful self-compassion group workshop for individuals with eating disorders. In her free time, Brenna enjoys yoga, reading, and (aggressively) dismantling diet culture. |
Please send correspondence to Brenna at brenna.williams.1@louisville.edu
Twitter: @brenwilli95 |
Presenter: Caroline Christian, B.S.
3rd Year Graduate Student Pronouns: She/Her Caroline Christian (B.S. University of Louisville) is a 3rd year graduate student in the EAT Lab. Caroline’s research interests include novel applications of technology and advanced statistical methods to better understand and develop treatments for eating disorders, especially across critical risk periods. Caroline's talk, "Electrodermal Activity and Heart Rate Variability During Exposure Fear Scripts Predict Eating Disorder Symptoms" won the Obesity and Eating Disorder (OED) Special Interest Group (SIG) Graduate Student Research Award! |
Please direct correspondence to Caroline at caroline.christian@louisville.edu
Twitter: @cbchri02 |
Presenter: Ani Keshishian, B.A.
2nd Year Graduate Student Pronouns: She/Her Ani Keshishian (B.A. Boston University) is a second year graduate student in the EAT lab. Ani is interested in conducting translational research using novel technology to capture the transdiagnostic mechanisms underlying comorbid psychopathology in eating disorders. Ani is also interested in improving treatment outcomes by adapting current evidence-based treatments as well as developing novel treatments while also taking into consideration the prevalence of comorbidity in eating disorders. |
Please send correspondence to Ani at ani.keshishian@louisville.edu
Twitter: @ACKeshishian |
Presenter: Rowan Hunt, B.A.
2nd Year Graduate Student Pronouns: She/Her Rowan (B.A. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) is a second year graduate student in the EAT lab. Rowan's research interests include the shared affective mechanisms underlying eating disordered behaviors and other impulsive behaviors, and how such shared mechanisms can be targeted through treatment. Additionally, she is also interested in trajectories of illness in EDs (e.g., predictors of recovery, remission, and relapse). |
Please send correspondence to Rowan at rowan.hunt@louisville.edu
Twitter: @rowanahunt |
Presenter: Sam Spoor, B.S.
Study Coordinator Pronouns: She/her Sam studied Psychology and Human Development at the University at Albany, with a concentration in Counseling Psychology. During her time as a Study Coordinator at the EAT Lab, Sam's research interests have evolved to focus on sociocultural risk factors (e.g., diet culture, weight stigma) of eating pathology, as well as barriers to accessing eating disorder treatment and recovery both broadly, and specifically for folks with marginalized sexual and gender identities. Sam intends to continue this work in a Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program.
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Please direct correspondence to samantha.spoor@louisville.edu
Twitter: @Samantha.Spoor |
Presenter: Sarah Ernst, B.S.
Lab Manager Pronouns: She/Her Sarah is a lab manager for the EAT Lab. She recently graduated from UofL, obtaining her B.S. in Psychology, with minors in Biology and Spanish. She plans to earn her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Due to her experiences with children with disabilities and in the EAT Lab, she has developed interests in pediatric eating behaviors, early prevention, and comorbidities between autism and eating pathology. |
Please direct all correspondence for Sarah's posters to sarah.ernst.1@louisville.edu
Twitter: @sarahe_16 |
Presenter: Claire Cusack, B.A.
Lab Manager Pronouns: They/Them Claire Cusack (B.A. Agnes Scott College) is a master's student at Towson University working with Dr. M. Paz Galupo. Claire is interested in researching eating disorders and body image concerns in sexual and gender minorities. They are also interested in studying comorbid diagnoses in LGBTQ+ individuals through the minority stress and emotion regulation frameworks to better understand transdiagnostic risk factors related to eating disorders and co-occurring problems, such as substance use and suicidality. After they complete their master's degree, they plan to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology to continue studying eating disorders in individuals with marginalized identities. |
Please send correspondence for this poster to Claire at claire.cusack@louisville.edu Twitter: @ClaireECusack |
Presenter: Jordan Drake
Undergraduate Research Assistant Pronouns: She/her Jordan is a senior at the University of Louisville and is majoring in Psychology with minors in Communication and Spanish. After graduating, she intends to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology. She is interested in how trauma in children leads to the development of eating disorders and other comorbid disorders later in life. She is also interested in how social factors, like social media, affect the development of eating disorders, especially in adolescents. |
Please direct correspondence to Jordan at jordan.drake.1@louisville.edu
Twitter: @jordannn_drake |
Presenter: Emma Roberts
Undergraduate Research Assistant Pronouns: She/her Emma is a junior psychology student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Louisville. After undergrad, she intends to obtain a doctoral degree in clinical psychology and continue working in the eating disorder field. Her research interests include the effects of social media on disordered eating, the relationship between trauma and disordered eating, and the comorbidity of eating disorders with other psychological disorders. |
Please direct correspondence to Emma at emma.roberts@louisville.edu
Twitter: @egcroberts |
EAT Lab at ABCT 2019 Schedule:
Keep Scrolling for more information about talks, posters, & presenters!
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Presenter: Dr. Cheri Levinson, Ph.D. Lab Director Dr. Levinson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Louisville and the Clinical Director of the Louisville Center for Eating Disorders. Dr. Levinson's research is focused on understanding the high levels of comorbidity between eating and anxiety disorders as well as on applying empirically supported treatments for anxiety disorders, such as exposure therapy. |
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Full Cite: Levinson, C. A., Christian, C., & Vanzhula, I. A. (2019). Manipulating the theoretical framing of exposure therapy for eating disorders impacts clinicians’ treatment preferences. Eating and Weight Disorders-Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, 1-8. Full Paper Below (click to download):
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Follow Dr. Levinson on Twitter: @CheriLev Follow the EAT Lab on Twitter: @uofleatlab |
Presenter: Irina Vanzhula, M.S.
5th Year Graduate Student Irina is interested in applying network analysis to the study of eating disorder psychopathology, and specifically comorbidities. Additionally, Irina is interested in mindfulness-based treatments for eating disorders and maladaptive eating behaviors. Irina is currently working to empirically evaluate the effectiveness of a 4-week mindful eating workshop that she conducted in collaboration with the UofL Heath Promotions Office, as well as working on developing and evaluating a brief treatment for self-criticism, guilt, and shame. For all correspondance, please email Irina at irina.vanzhula@louisville.edu Twitter: @IrinaVanzhula |
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Paper: Williams, B. M. & Levinson, C. A. (under review). Negative beliefs about the self prospectively predict eating disorder symptoms among undergraduate women.
For all correspondance regarding Brenna's work, please email her at brenna.williams.1@louisville.edu Twitter: @brenwilli95 |
Presenter: Brenna Williams, B.A.
2nd Year Graduate Student Brenna is a second-year graduate student in the EAT Lab who is interested in examining ways to improve eating disorder treatments. Specifically, Brenna is interested in therapeutic mechanisms that could reduce eating disorder thoughts. 
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Presenter: Caroline Christian, B.S. Second Year Graduate Student Caroline is interested in applying technology and advanced statistical methods to studying and treating eating disorders. For all correspondence, please email Caroline at caroline.christian@louisville.edu Twitter: @cbchri02 See below for the full text papers on 1) implementing an eating disorder prevention program in Southern, all-female high schools and 2) eating disorder age networks.
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Presenter: Rowan Hunt, B.A. First Year Graduate Student Rowan's research interests include the affective mechanisms underlying eating disorders, self-injury, and other impulsive behaviors, and how such mechanisms can be targeted through treatment. Additionally, she is interested in predictors of recovery, remission, and relapse in eating disorders. For all correspondence, email Rowan at: rowan.hunt@louisville.edu Twitter: @rowanahunt   
Presenter: Sarah Ernst
Lab Manager Sarah is graduating from the University of Louisville in December 2019 with a B.S. in Psychology and minors in Biology and Spanish. Sarah is interested in pediatric eating disorders and comorbidities between autism and eating pathology. In November, Sarah completed her senior theses examining the relationship between perfectionism and exercise dependency. During her time at U of L, Sarah has been actively involved with the Body Project and spent the Summer of 2019 completing independent research as a Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP) scholar. For all correspondence regarding her research, please email her at sarah.ernst.1@louisville.edu. Twitter: @sarahe_16 |
Presenter: Sam Spoor, B.S.
Study Coordinator Before joining the EAT Lab as the Study Coordinator, Sam worked as an undergraduate research assistant under the supervision of Dr. Julia Hormes and Dr. Drew Anderson at the University at Albany, State University of New York. Sam is interested in sociocultural factors that inform the development and maintenance of eating disorder symptomology, as well as barriers to eating disorder treatment. For all correspondence, please email spspoo01@louisville.edu. Twitter: @SamanthaSpoor |
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Presenter: Shruti Shankar Ram, B.S.
Former Lab Manager Shruti was the lab manager at the EAT Lab from 2017-2019. She is currently a first-year doctoral student at Miami University. She is interested in researching transdiagnostic risk factors in eating disorders and comorbid illnesses, with a particular interest in the shared vulnerabilities between eating disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). She is currently exploring the role of eating disorder-related intrusive thoughts in contributing towards eating disorder and OCD symptoms. For all correspondence, please email shankas@miamioh.edu. Twitter: @ShrutiShankRam |
