Eric Stice, Oregon Research Institute, examines factors that increase risk for onset of eating disorders and obesity, as well as the development and evaluation of prevention programs for these conditions. Series: "UCSF Consortium for Obesity Assessment, Study and Treatment" [Health and Medicine] [Education] [Professional Medical Education] [Show ID: 21691]

Panel of experts reflects on the current state of research into food and addiction and local initiatives that attempt to address the problem. Series: "UCSF Consortium for Obesity Assessment, Study and Treatment" [Health and Medicine] [Education] [Professional Medical Education] [Show ID: 18569]

Susana Hennessey Lavery and Marianne Szeto, of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, discuss policy and community strategies to change the food environment in San Francisco including the Mayor's Healthy and Sustainable Food Directive, citywide initiatives such as, Soda Free Summer and the Southeast Food Access (SEFA) Working Group's work to promote a robust food system in BVHP. Series: "UCSF Consortium for Obesity Assessment, Study and Treatment" [Health and Medicine] [Education] [Professional Medical Education] [Show ID: 18567]

Jean Kristeller, Co-founder of the Center for Mindful Eating, explains that mindful eating has the powerful potential to transform people’s relationship to food and eating, to improve overall health, body image, relationships and self-esteem. Series: "UCSF Consortium for Obesity Assessment, Study and Treatment" [Health and Medicine] [Education] [Professional Medical Education] [Show ID: 18564]

UCSF’s Laurel Mellin is the founder of emotional brain training (EBT), a method of treating obesity and stress symptoms that equips individuals with tools based on an integration of neuroscience and developmental theory to decrease the frequency and duration of the stress response and to favor high-level well-being. Emotional brain training has been applied to pediatric obesity prevention and treatment and to adults to improve psychological, metabolic and physical contributors to stress and a range of health-related indices. Series: "UCSF Consortium for Obesity Assessment, Study and Treatment" [Health and Medicine] [Professional Medical Education] [Show ID: 18565]

Mary Boggiano of the University of Alabama at Birmingham explores the psychobiology of non-regulatory eating which characterizes binge-eating disorders and obesity. Series: "UCSF Consortium for Obesity Assessment, Study and Treatment" [Health and Medicine] [Professional Medical Education] [Show ID: 18568]

Nicole Avena of the University of Florida researches abnormal eating behaviors to understand brain mechanisms that contribute to overeating of sugars and fats. She and her colleagues find that rats maintained on a diet schedule that induces binge eating of sugar can result in several behaviors and changes in the dopamine and opioid brain systems that resemble an “addiction.” Series: "UCSF Consortium for Obesity Assessment, Study and Treatment" [Health and Medicine] [Education] [Professional Medical Education] [Show ID: 18563]

Paul McGlothin practices and researches calorie restriction (CR). Proponents of CR observe that restricting calories in lab animals appears to reduce the risk of various chronic diseases and appears to slow the aging process, leading to a longer life. The studies in humans mirror these results. Series: "UCSF Consortium for Obesity Assessment, Study and Treatment" [Health and Medicine] [Education] [Professional Medical Education] [Show ID: 18566]

Ashley Gearhardt is a clinical psychology doctoral student at Yale University exploring the possibility that certain foods may be capable of triggering an addictive process. She examines cognitive and neural processes associated with symptoms of food addiction. Series: "UCSF Consortium for Obesity Assessment, Study and Treatment" [Health and Medicine] [Education] [Professional Medical Education] [Show ID: 18562]

What environmental factors contribute to obesity? Kelly Brownell of Yale University is the Public Health Director at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. He explores causes and prevention of obesity and other nutrition problems. He integrates information from many disciplines and specialties ranging from the basic physiology of body weight regulation to world politics and legislation affecting issues such as agriculture subsidies and international trade policies. Series: "UCSF Consortium for Obesity Assessment, Study and Treatment" [Health and Medicine] [Professional Medical Education] [Show ID: 18340]