Bio:
Meghan Butryn, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology and a licensed clinical psychologist. She serves as Director of Research in the Center for Weight, Eating and Lifestyle Science (WELL Center) at Drexel, and Program Leader for Survivorship Research at Thomas Jefferson University’s Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center. Her research interests and expertise lie in weight management, physical activity promotion and dietary change. She specializes in developing and evaluating treatments for obesity, including those that are rooted in traditional and acceptance-based behavioral principles, and also conducts dissemination work related to both eating disorder and obesity prevention. Butryn has been funded as a principal investigator or co-investigator on 10 NIH-funded clinical trials in the areas of eating and weight. She has authored over 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts, co-authored two books, and edited one book. She serves as a standing member of the NIH PRDP study section, a member of the Scientific Review Committee and Publications Board for the Obesity Society, and an editorial board member for the journal Obesity Science & Practice. She also coordinates the faculty/first-year-undergraduate-student mentorship program in Drexel’s Department of Psychology.
Butryn’s work on lifestyle modification is ultimately designed to improve the health of adults by reducing their risk for conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. The environment factors that promote unhealthy eating and activity habits are so powerful, in combination with innate biological drives, that the majority of adults in the U.S. are now overweight or obese and also engage in insufficient amounts of exercise. The Butryn lab uses behavioral principles to understand the challenges of eating a healthy diet and engaging in physical activity, and creates innovations in intervention programs by integrating the latest advances in scientific theory as well as technology.