Eric Stice, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University

Research Description: : Our lab aims to identify risk factors for unhealthy weight gain and eating disorders, informing prevention and treatment strategies in nutrition and obesity. Through five prospective fMRI studies, we revealed that healthy-weight adolescents with a family history of obesity have altered neural responses to highcalorie foods, which increase their risk for future weight gain after overeating. We have developed an obesity prevention program aimed at reducing the reward valuation of high-calorie food cues. This intervention, which uses dissonance induction and response training to shift attention from high-calorie foods to healthier options, resulted in a 42% to 53% reduction in future overweight or obesity over two to three years. fMRI confirmed its effectiveness in lowering the reward valuation of high-calorie foods. Additionally, the program led to a 75% reduction in type 2 diabetes onset among individuals with prediabetes. We successfully created an eating disorder prevention program that achieved a 77% reduction in future eating disorder onset over two years compared to a placebo group. This program has reached 8 million adolescent girls and young women across 140 countries and is now offered at over 250 U.S. universities. His work has been supported by 36 grants from NIH, non-profit foundations, and industry, and he has collaborated with numerous scientists across various fields. Our lab collaborates extensively with members of the NORC.