Yale Child Study Center (YCSC) Assistant Professor Rebecca Kamody works with children and adolescents with eating disorders and high-
risk life-threatening behaviors, including clinical research and training, in collaboration with colleagues at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital.
In a newly recorded informational webinar, Kamody provides an overview and prevalence of various presentations of disordered eating that are found in patients across levels of care at the YCSC and YNHCH. She also provides some sobering statistics related to eating disorders and risk factors and discusses some of the work being done to address related critical needs.
“Receiving treatment for pediatric eating disorders often becomes quite siloed from other child and adolescent mental health services. Across different fields, eating disorders have become a niche area throughout training and program development,” says Kamody.
To address this, she recommends an interdisciplinary approach, as well as an emphasis on eating disorders in training programs. “It’s really crucial to prioritize training of fellows throughout departments, including the Child Study Center and YSM Pediatrics, to get away from this idea of it being a niche area, trying to focus on broadening exposure for trainees and professionals working with this patient population, as it's critically needed for care.”