To provide health care professionals with valuable insight in treating children, men, those identifying as transgender, and those with severe and enduring eating disorders, the Center for Eating Disorders Care at University Medical Center of Princeton will hold a conference on “Treatment Strategies for Special Populations with Eating Disorders” on Friday, October 27 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at University Medical Center of Princeton.
“Eating disorders are challenging to begin with, but in certain populations there are even more complex body image, age, stigma, and gender factors to consider,” says Najeeb Riaz, MD, Medical Director of the Center for Eating Disorders Care. “As a treatment center with experience in treating a broad spectrum of special populations, we’re pleased to convene thought leaders to identify challenges in four of these areas and provide strategies that can help providers more effectively engage with patients, build trust, and tailor treatment.”
Providing case studies, current research, and experiences, distinguished speakers will offer both insight and therapeutic techniques for clinicians working with special populations. Conference topics and speakers include:
Using Contemporary Approaches to Weight, Feeding, and Health to Achieve Remission in Pediatric Eating Disorders
Rebecka Peebles, MD, Co-Director, Eating Disorder Assessment and Treatment Program, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Dr. Peebles will identify the pros and cons of different techniques used in determining goal weight in pediatric patients with eating disorders. She will define newer DSM-5 diagnoses such as atypical anorexia nervosa, and discuss various nutritional pathways used to achieve weight restoration and involve parents in refeeding.
It’s a Transgeneration: Eating Disorders and Transgender Medicine
Rachel L. Levine, MD, Physician General, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Dr. Levine will describe the incidence of eating disorders in transgender patients. She will explain the difference between gender identity and sexual orientation, describe the standard of care for transgender patients, and review current research findings on transgender patients with eating disorders.
Men, Midlife, and Eating Disorders: Gender and Developmentally Sensitive Psychotherapy
Douglas W. Bunnell, PhD, FAED, CEDS, Chief Clinical Officer, Monte Nido & Affiliates
Dr. Bunnell will explore some of the gendered aspects of eating disorders in men, with a focus on the ways male midlife development and identity adaptations affect symptom presentations, motivation, and treatment engagement. He will review steps clinicians can take to identify, monitor, and communicate their awareness of gender and developmental issues in their psychotherapy work.
The Disordered-est of Eating Disorders: Therapeutic Approaches for Adults with Severe and Enduring Eating Disorders
Melinda Parisi Cummings, PhD, Assistant Professor, Graduate Program in Counseling Psychology, Holy Family University (previously Program Director of the Center for Eating Disorders Care at University Medical Center of Princeton)
Dr. Parisi Cummings will describe an identifiable profile of patients with severe and enduring forms of eating disorders and present treatment paradigms and approaches to therapeutic engagement when working with this patient population. Case studies will be presented to explore the ethical and legal dilemmas that may arise over the course of this work.
