Eating Anxiety Treatment Lab

About 

The Eating Anxiety Treatment (EAT) Laboratory has a six-pronged mission, all of which center on improving the lives of those with eating disorders. Our mission is to (a) conduct cutting-edge research to develop novel treatments for eating disorders, (b) provide high-quality, evidence-based treatment for eating disorders, (c) train the next generation of eating disorder researchers and clinicians, (d) distribute scientifically-based prevention programs across the community, (e) advocate for more awareness, better treatment and services for eating disorders and (f) work toward a  future that alleviates barriers to accessing high-quality treatment, prevention and research for underserved populations.​

Key Research Areas

• Developing novel treatments for eating disorders
• Personalizing treatment for eating disorders
• Understanding eating disorder & anxiety disorder comorbidity
• Applying exposure therapy to eating disorder treatment
• Using technology to improve eating disorder treatment

Current Projects

• Personalized Interventions and Outcomes: Navigating Eating Disorder Experiences and Recovery (PIONEER) Study
• Evidence-Based Personalized Treatment for Depression Study (EBPT-MDD) 
• Tracking Restriction, Affect and Cognitions (TRAC) Study
• Youth Eating Study (YES)
• Prescription Weight Loss Drug Misuse 
• Self-Guided Healing and Overcoming Patterns of Eating Disorders (HOPE)  

Recent Publications

• Levinson, C. A., Christian, C., & Becker, C. B. (2025). How idiographic methodologies can move the clinical-science field forward to integrate personalized treatment into everyday clinical care and improve treatment outcomes. Clinical Psychological Science, 13(1), 69–82. https://doi.org/10.1177/21677026231217316
• Levinson, C. A., Osborn, K., Hooper, M., Vanzhula, I., & Ralph-Nearman, C. (2024). Evidence-Based Assessments for Transdiagnostic Eating Disorder Symptoms: Guidelines for Current Use and Future Directions. Assessment, 31(1), 145–167. https://doi.org/10.1177/10731911231201150
• Levinson, C.A., Christian, C., Becker, C. B. (2024). How idiographic methodologies can move the clinical science field forward to integrate personalized treatment into every-day clinical care and improve treatment outcomes. Clinical Psychological Science.
•  Levinson, C.A., Williams, B. M., Christian, C., Hunt, R.A., Keshishian, A.C., Brosof, L.C., Vanzhula, I.A., Davis, G.D., Brown, M.L., Bridges-Curry, Z., Sandoval-Araujo, L.E., & Ralph-Nearman, C. (2023). Personalizing eating disorder treatment using idiographic models: An open series trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 91(1), 14-28.
• Levinson, C.A., Slipetz, L., Henry, T., Crumby, E., & Pennesi, J.L. (2025). What makes personalized treatment work? Mechanisms of change in personalized treatment for eating disorders: A proof-of-concept study. Behavior Therapy. 

Team 

Faculty

Dr. Cheri Levinson, Lab Director, Professor

Departments of Psychological & Brain Sciences and Pediatrics
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Dr. Irina Vanzhula, Assistant Research Professor

Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences

View Research Profile
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Dr. Nicholas C. Peiper, Associate Professor of Epidemiology & Population Health, Principal Scientist 

Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences
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Executive Assistant

• Christina Barragan

Postdoctoral Fellows

• Rachel Torres
• Amara Tanweer
• Aubrey Hoffer
• Amy Jordan
• Juan Hernandez
• Lauren Harris
• Madison Hooper
• Kimberly Osborn 

Graduate Students

• Rowan Hunt
• Claire Cusack
• Loie Faulkner
• Luis Sandoval-Araujo
• Savannah Hooper
• Avantika Kapadia
• Zoe Hynes
• Zoe Hopewell
• Sara Buseman

Lead Study Coordinators

• Kefan “Cathy” Wu
• Morgan Johnson, M.S.

Coordinators

• Anna Jane Anderson
• Jaelin Isquith
• Maggie Tillquist
• Thu Nguyen 

Grants Manager

• Sally Phan

Senior Data Manager

• Jayson Stancil