Recently, our program was designated by the UNC Department of Psychiatry as the UNC Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders. This designation draws attention to the fact that we have grown from a small grassroots program into a world leader in treatment and research in eating disorders. The program has developed and implemented evidence-based practices and procedures for treatment development and delivery and provided patients and their families with the tools they need to maintain their hard-earned treatment gains. Being designated as a Center of Excellence is also a testament to our cohesive, collaborative team of clinicians, researchers, and administrators—a group of individuals working together and leveraging its collective experience and knowledge to achieve optimal patient outcomes. Drs. Bulik and Baucom’s “Uniting Couples in the Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa (UCAN)” project is just one example of our program’s comprehensive approach to eating disorders from bench to bedside and back. Our clinical observations inform and inspire new research discoveries, which, in turn, help us to continuously improve clinical practice.

According to Dr. David Rubinow, Distinguished Professor and Chair of the UNC Department of Psychiatry, “the designation of the UNC Eating Disorders Program as a Center of Excellence formally acknowledges the sustained, outstanding performance of Dr. Bulik and the program she created. There are few if any academic medical centers in the world with eating disorders programs that can rival our new Center’s track record for high quality, innovative patient care and research excellence.” As a Center of Excellence, we are committed to helping patients with eating disorders and their families overcome the challenges they face, to unlocking the causes of these devastating illnesses, and to optimizing treatment for individuals who suffer from them. We are proud of this designation and eager to fulfill the promise of being a Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders.

By: Dr. Kim Brownley