College of Arts and Sciences

Education:

• Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Center for Weight and Eating Disorders, Perelman School of Medicine at the University at the University of Pennsylvania
• PhD, Clinical Psychology, University of Michigan
• Pre-doctoral Clinical Internship, Medical University of South Carolina
• MS, Psychology, University of Michigan
• BS, Psychology, University of Kansas

Research Interests:

Clinical utility of food addiction as a unique phenotype of disordered eating, the addictive potentials of ultra-processed foods, overlapping mechanisms implicated in substance-use disorders and eating and weight disorders, assessment of addictive-like eating behaviors, treatment development for eating and weight disorders

Bio:

Erica LaFata's program of research applies a cutting-edge perspective to understanding overeating and obesity by examining 1) which foods or food attributes (e.g., sugar) may be reinforcing in a manner that directly drives overeating, 2) whether core mechanisms of addictive disorders (e.g., withdrawal) may contribute to eating-related problems for vulnerable individuals, and 3) how food addiction may be a useful construct for individualized interventions. LaFata has investigated these empirical questions using a multi-method approach, including neuroimaging, scale development, food consumption paradigms, and self-report.

LaFata earned her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the University of Michigan and a two-year postdoctoral research fellowship with the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders at the University of Pennsylvania. She completed a predoctoral internship at the Medical University of South Carolina and received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Kansas.

Selected Publications:

Please note that LaFata changed her name in 2022 and was formerly published under her prior surname, Schulte. 

• Schulte, E.M., Wadden, T.A., & Allison, K.A. (2020). An evaluation of food addiction as a distinct psychiatric disorder. International Journal of Eating Disorders, Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23350
• Schulte, E. M., Sonneville, K. R., & Gearhardt, A. N. (2019). Subjective experiences of highly processed food consumption in individuals with food addiction. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 33(2), 144.
• Schulte, E.M., Yokum, S., Jahn, A., & Gearhardt, A. N. (2019). Food cue reactivity in food addiction: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Physiology & Behavior, 208, 112574.
• Schulte, E. M., Smeal, J. K., Lewis, J., & Gearhardt, A. N. (2018). Development of the highly processed food withdrawal scale. Appetite, 131, 148-154.
• Schulte, E. M., Smeal, J. K., & Gearhardt, A. N. (2017). Foods are differentially associated with subjective effect report questions of abuse liability. PLoS One, 12(8), e0184220.
• Schulte, E.M., Joyner, M. A., Schiestl, E. T., & Gearhardt, A. N. (2017). Future directions in “food addiction”: Next steps and treatment implications. Current Addiction Reports, 4(2), 165-171.
• Schulte, E.M., Potenza, M. N., & Gearhardt, A. N. (2017). A commentary on the “eating addiction” versus “food addiction” perspectives on addictive-like food consumption. Appetite, 115, 9-15.
• Schulte, E.M., Grilo, C. M., & Gearhardt, A. N. (2016). Shared and unique mechanisms underlying binge eating disorder and addictive disorders. Clinical Psychology Review, 44, 125-139.
• Schulte, E. M., Avena, N. M., & Gearhardt, A. N. (2015). Which foods may be addictive? The roles of processing, fat content, and glycemic load. PloS One, 10(2), e0117959.
• Schulte, E.M., Joyner, M. A., Potenza, M. N., Grilo, C. M., & Gearhardt, A. N. (2015). Current considerations regarding food addiction. Current Psychiatry Reports, 17(4), 19.