by Cynthia Bulik, PhD, Founding Director of CEED
It’s hard to believe that 20 years ago we cut the ribbon to launch what was then called the UNC Eating Disorders Program. When I look back on what is now the UNC Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders, I see a series of “firsts” that have truly allowed us to make a difference in our State, in our country, and around the world.
CEED members and friends reunion at the first in person conference since COVID-19
Let’s review just a few of those firsts.
Ms. Rita Robbins, a dedicated mother who tried desperately to find treatment for her daughter’s anorexia nervosa, was the powerful engine behind starting the program. She launched a non-profit, fundraised, lobbied the State legislature, and ignited the UNC Department of Psychiatry under the leadership of Dr. Robert Golden to establish the first endowed professorship in eating disorders in the United States. That plus the combination of Carolina blue skies, a campus in bloom, and the potential of working with amazingly collaborative colleagues, was enough to lure me away from Virginia Commonwealth University to establish the first university-based comprehensive treatment program for eating disorders in North Carolina. In fact, when we had inpatient, partial hospitalization, and outpatient programs, we were not only the first, but the only such program in the Southeast. We pioneered the way for many additional programs to open in the region, yet remain steadfast in our determination to deliver evidence-based care to the citizens of North Carolina and beyond.
Ms. Rita Robbins and beloved daughter Jennifer McLamb cutting the ribbon at opening ceremony.
When I arrived at UNC, my first hire was Dr Maureen Dymek-Valentine—a clinical psychologist who had trained at the University of Chicago and had the right combination of skills and dedication to help me build a treatment program from scratch. Twenty years later, she’s still here! Dr Dymek-Valentine has been a pillar of CEED from the very beginning providing treatment to countless patients and families and supervision to trainees at all levels as they developed expertise in the treatment of eating disorders.
“As I think about the first twenty years of our program, I’m struck by the amazing growth we have seen. We have provided treatment to thousands of individuals suffering from eating disorders across three levels of care, trained hundreds of students and community-based providers, all while developing a world-renowned research program.
I’m most moved by the people of CEED, ranging from the many wonderful patients and families we’ve had the privilege of working with, to the dedicated colleagues and bright learners from multiple disciplines who have rotated through CEED over the years. It’s amazing to have been a part of this, and I eagerly look forward to the next twenty years!”
—Dr. Maureen Dymek-Valentine, Professor of Psychiatry
In 2004, I met Dr Mae Lynn Reyes-Rodríguez at a conference in Florida. If you have ever been to Puerto Rico, you know that it is not a place that is easy to leave! But leave she did, and has remained at CEED and has consistently worked toward delivering culturally informed care to the Latino community. CEED was the first place where Spanish-speaking individuals with eating disorders and their families could find culturally competent care. We have much more to do to meet the needs of the community, especially training more Spanish-speaking clinicians. In another first, in 2021, Dr Reyes-Rodriguez was named Editor in Chief of the Puerto Rican Journal of Psychology.
“Although there is still a sense of grieving after leaving my Island, I have learned to transform it into a learning opportunity. Serving a larger Latino community on the mainland has opened my mind to different levels of complexity that I hadn’t imagined. I have learned so much from my community, and am very grateful. Listening to their stories with an open heart continues to guide my work. I am grateful to CEED and to my community for welcoming me, and hope that my work In North Carolina will inspire other eating disorder programs”.
—Professor Mae Lynn Reyes-Rodríguez, Professor of Psychiatry
One of the engines of CEED research and training has been our VHP program or Very Helpful People! The VHP program is a selective process for undergraduates from all departments who are interested in research experience. Our VHPs are valuable team members and work on everything from data entry and checking to helping write manuscripts for publication. CEED VHPs get an up-close experience working with a high-powered multidisciplinary team.
“Being a VHP at CEED is an incredible opportunity. Every meeting I am able to sit in on, I feel lucky for being in this position. Every meeting I learn something new; a new word, exciting ideas, new research, something about a diagnosis, the internal workings of large-scale studies, or how complications in the research process are solved. I feel like I’m a lucky fly on the wall that tries to absorb every detail. Since I started at CEED, I feel even more inspired to further my education and skills, so that one day I am able to truly join and complete my own research studies. Still, although I’m “just a VHP”, the team has included from the get-go. I have an amazing supervisor who I can share my opinion and ideas with, and who I meet with to work on things CEED needs but also strengthens my learning. Again, I’m very grateful for my role as VHP. It is preparing me for the future in the best possible way.”
—Elisabeth Orlandini CEED VHP, 2023
In 2011, we started the first Summer Research Fellowship in Eating Disorders which has evolved into one of the most sought-after summer experiences for trainees from all disciplines who are hopping to build research careers in eating disorders. From medicine to psychology to nutrition to journalism, we have been privileged to host junior scientists from all over the world, many of whom have gone on to be the rising research stars in the eating disorders field.
2023 Summer Fellows hit the ice with UNC trainees and faculty.
“Each of my mentors were so sincere in their goal to improve my skills as a researcher and scientist. I also want to acknowledge what it means for someone such as myself, a first-generation, Queer student from a lesser-known eating disorder program, to work alongside the megawatt talent at CEED. It has validated and proven to me that I belong in such spaces, and I hold immeasurable pride and fond memories of the experience. I sincerely hope that I can come back and work with this brilliant team in the future. Thank you all for giving me this incredible opportunity.”
–Wesley Barnhart, Summer Fellow 2023, PhD candidate Bowling Green State University
In 2007 and for 12 consecutive years, we were awarded the first T32 (National Institute of Mental Health training grant) “Postdoctoral Training in Eating Disorders.” We invited 2 to 4 post-docs each year for a two- or three-year fellowship to train intensively alongside research and clinical mentors. Our post-docs hailed from all over the United States and learned from mentors in psychology, psychiatry, neuroscience, nutrition, genetics, pharmacology, and statistics. Several fellows went on to stellar academic careers further advancing the science of eating disorders. Others have opted to dedicate their careers to the treatment of individuals with eating disorders and their families, applying the evidence-based skills that they learned at CEED to care for individuals in the community and in private practice.
T32 fellows, interns, PhD students, MD/PhD students, faculty and staff have a food truck party!
“The T32 was truly life changing for me—professionally and personally. I experienced the most rapid growth professionally during that time, both as a scientist and a practitioner. The collaborative nature of the research team enabled me to build an incredible network of peers and mentors who share the same passion for driving change in the eating disorder field. These people continue to motivate me, inspire me, and help me be a better person in and outside of work. On an emotional level, I liken the experience to being a little kid in a candy shop. There were so many interesting, important projects on a range of topics in eating disorders—from genetics to treatment—that made it hard to leave. Talk about a dopamine rush. We put in hard work but had so much fun doing it.”
—Cristin Runfola, PhD, Clinical Associate Professor Stanford University School of Medicine
On the research side, the CEED team led the way in identifying the first regions on the human genome that influence risk for anorexia nervosa and we were the first to demonstrate that anorexia nervosa has both psychiatric and metabolic underpinnings. We were also the first to develop and disseminate a couple-based treatment for eating disorders. Even though youth with eating disorders are routinely treated with family based treatment (FBT), adults were typically expected to go it alone! By joining with UNC experts in couple therapy, Drs. Don Baucom and Jennifer Kirby, we developed a suite of couple-based treatment for eating disorders (UNITE: Uniting Couples in the Treatment of Eating Disorders) that will soon be available as an online training to clinicians worldwide. With Dr. Ian Carroll, we were also the first to explore the role of the intestinal microbiota in eating disorders and continue to work towards developing treatments that harness the bugs that we harbor in our intestines to improve treatment and outcome of eating disorders. None of this work could have happened without our analytic engines—the brilliant biostatisticians, methodologists, and global coordinators including Drs. Laura Thornton, Hunna Watson, Ann Von Holle, and the late Robert Hamer.
Drs. Bulik and Baucom training clinicians in couple-based therapy for eating disorders (UNITE).
We had another massive first. Dr Christine Peat, who had been a post-doctoral fellow at CEED, remained at UNC and is now an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry. In 2018, Dr Peat was awarded a grant by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to create the first and only National Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders (NCEED). She now serves as Director along with Deputy Director Dr. Jean Doak (who is also Clinical Director of CEED’s treatment program). NCEED’s mission is to advance education and training of healthcare providers and to promote public awareness of eating disorders and eating disorder treatment.
“The 20th anniversary of CEED is remarkable. It’s been an honor to have been here for the last 12 years in all parts of the enterprise: as a trainee, in the clinic, and as part of the research program. I can’t imagine having been any other place for the duration of my professional career, and I’m thrilled that NCEED was awarded here at UNC so that there is a full complement of eating disorder resources at Carolina!”
—Dr Christine Peat, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Director, National Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders
We were the first eating disorders program at UNC to forge an enduring relationship with the UNC Panhellenic Council. The annual Greek Groove showcases the incredible dance and choreography skills of UNC sorority members and proceeds from the event started off small but have grown to support salaries for our clinical trainees every year. Greek Groove has ensured that we have funds to support clinical as well as research trainees.
CEED and the UNC Panhellenic Council team up to raise funds to support training of clinicians.
This is just a snapshot of some of the incredible firsts that UNC CEED has experienced over the past 20 years. But,what has always made CEED special is its people. From the youngest VHP to the most seasoned clinicians and researchers, CEED has heart. In 2003 we chose as our symbol the koru—a New Zealand Māori symbol of a new unfurling silver fern frond. The koru symbolizes new life, growth, strength, and peace—all of which we hope to have imparted to our patients, families, trainees, faculty, and staff and to continue doing so for the next 20 years.
A koru. New Zealand Māori symbol of a new unfurling silver fern frond, symbolizing new life, growth, strength, and peace.
