Bio:
Meghan Butryn, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and a licensed clinical psychologist. She serves as Associate Head of the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Director of Research in the Center for Weight, Eating and Lifestyle Science (WELL Center) at Drexel. She received her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and her doctoral degree from Drexel University, and completed her APA-accredited internship at Brown University.
Her research interests and expertise lie in weight management, physical activity promotion, and dietary change. She specializes in developing and evaluating behavioral treatment and prevention programs for obesity. Recently, she has begun studying lifestyle modification for cancer prevention and survivorship, including through this NIH-funded clinical trial on which she is principal investigator. She also has developed one of the first patient navigator programs designed to promote uptake of evidence-based treatments for obesity (which include surgery, medications, and behavioral approaches), and is testing this program in another NIH-funded clinical trial.
Butryn has been a principal investigator or co-investigator on 18 NIH-funded clinical trials. She has published over 170 peer-reviewed manuscripts, co-authored two books, and edited one book. She has served as a standing member of an NIH study section, is currently a member of the Scientific Review Committee for the Obesity Society, and is an editorial board member for the journal Obesity Science & Practice. She created and coordinates the faculty/first-year-undergraduate-student mentorship program in Drexel’s Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. She has won numerous awards, including the Provost’s Award for Mid-Career Scholarly Achievement.
Butryn’s work on lifestyle modification is ultimately designed to improve the health of adults by reducing their risk for conditions such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. 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.