Current Projects

Psychosocial Correlates of Bariatric Surgery Outcomes

This project is an ongoing study of bariatric surgery patients from Wood County Hospital’s Center for Weight Loss Surgery. The purpose of this study is to examine the psychological and social factors associated with weight outcomes following bariatric surgery.

Live FREE After Bariatric Surgery

We are in the early stages of conducting a pilot RCT in which we will compare a novel, DBT skills-based intervention to a standard intervention for adults who have received bariatric surgery and endorse emotional eating. The interventions are group-based and delivered virtually. We are recruiting adults from Wood County Hospital and Mayo Clinic. The primary aims of the study are to examine feasibility and acceptability. Initial efficacy will also be examined. 

Emotional Eating and Bariatric Surgery

Emotional eating tends to improve soon after bariatric surgery; but, these effects lessen with time, and emotional eating before surgery has been associated with negative future outcomes. In an effort to synthesize the large body of literature that addresses emotional eating in bariatric patients, we are conducting a systematic review on this topic.

Household Effects of Weight Loss

We are interested in what happens when someone in a household undergoes a weight loss attempt, in terms of possible positive and negative impacts on family members. In collaboration with colleagues from Mayo clinic, we are conducting a systematic review examining impacts of weight loss on members of a household.