Dr. Denise Wilfley is the Scott Rudolph University Professor of Psychiatry, Medicine, Pediatrics, Psychological & Brain Sciences, and Public Health, and Director of the Center for Healthy Weight and Wellness at Washington University in St. Louis. She is an internationally recognized expert on the causes, prevention, and treatment of obesity and eating disorders, with an integrative research approach that has led to transformative advances in both fields.

Dr. Wilfley has secured over $80 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other extramural sources and has authored more than 350 peer-reviewed publications. Her work has led to the development of effective, evidence-based interventions that improve eating and activity behaviors, psychosocial functioning, and weight outcomes in children and families. She has made pivotal contributions to the recognition and treatment of binge eating disorder, including the development of interpersonal psychotherapy and innovative, cost-effective approaches for early intervention and prevention including a comprehensive digital platform for individuals across the eating disorders risk and diagnostic spectrum.

Dr. Wilfley has held numerous leadership roles, including past President of the Eating Disorders Research Society. She currently serves as Chair of the American Psychological Association Guideline Update Panel for Behavioral Treatment of Childhood Obesity, Vice-Chair of the Missouri Eating Disorders Council, Scientific Advisor to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and a member of the AAP Workgroup for Screening and Monitoring of Eating Disorders in Primary Care.