Center for Biobehavioral Mechanisms of Eating Behavior CoBRE
Researching Eating Behavior
The Center for Biobehavioral Mechanisms of Eating Behavior (CBM-EB) allows Sanford Research, along with its partners, North Dakota State University and the University of North Dakota, to develop a unique and comprehensive clinical research center focused on identifying the factors and mechanisms that promote the development of serious eating disorders and related conditions.
The fundamental objective of this center is to develop the research and clinical infrastructure to support cutting-edge research on the processes that lead to serious eating behaviors. In addition, the center develops a comprehensive training and education plan for early-career scientists to empower them to develop research expertise in factors related to disordered eating. The center also conducts critical scientific studies on the mechanisms of eating behaviors, which hopefully will advance the field and lead to more effective treatments and better care for individuals with eating disorders and their families.
How We Are Funded
The NIH National Institute of General Medical Sciences’ Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (CoBRE) are awarded to establish and develop innovative, state-of-the-art biomedical and behavioral research centers. The Sanford Center for Biobehavioral Research received a CoBRE award to support the establishment of the CBM-EB.
What We Research
We research the mechanisms that perpetuate problematic eating behaviors. These behaviors are typically seen in psychiatric syndromes such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder. Additionally, our researchers are interested in mechanisms that increase the risk or perpetuation of obesity.
Publications
To learn more about the research center, see published research since the CBM-EB CoBRE inception.
How We Support the Scientific Community
The CBM-EB supports the scientific community in our health system and local universities. We offer a Clinical Research Training Program, provide funds for Pilot Projects in the area of maladaptive eating behaviors and support a variety of research Cores emphasizing biostatistics, biobehavioral assessment laboratories and human subject research.
To consult with one of the research Cores or to learn more about our programs, contact Research Project Manager Kathryn Bentley, RN, at kathryn.bentley@sanfordhealth.org or call (701) 365-4916.
The Cores are:
Research Assessment Services Core (RASC)
The RASC provides a wide range of scientific measurement methodologies for the study of eating behavior, eating disorders and related mechanistic constructs, which can be utilized by Project Directors and other collaborating scientists and trainees in their proposed projects.
Our services:
Eating Behavior and Assessment Lab
- Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA)
- Feeding laboratory
- Dietary intake
Neuroimaging and Neurobiological Assessment
- Neuroimaging
- Electroencephalogram (EEG)
- Physiological assessment
- Bioassay services
Psychopathology Assessment
- Self-report instruments
- Semi-structured clinical interviews
Cognitive Assessment
- Laboratory cognitive assessment
- Momentary cognitive assessment
- Visual perception tasks
Other
- Microbiome
- Genetics
Biomedical Statistics Core (BSC)
The purpose of the BSC is to create a methodological and statistical infrastructure supporting clinical and translational research and education focused on the mechanisms related to the onset and maintenance of eating disorders and eating behaviors.
This Core promotes efficient access to methodological and biostatistical support by providing consultation, methodological and statistical support services, educational activities and methodological and statistical mentoring and training opportunities.
The BSC works with the CoBRE Project Directors during the pre-grant, grant and post-grant periods, assisting in study design, sample size calculation, power analysis, data collection methods, data storage and management, ongoing study monitoring, statistical analysis, interpretations of results and assistance in the preparation of presentations and publications.
The BSC works with the Administrative Core and Human Subjects Core to provide relevant training opportunities in the areas of the ethical conduct of research, research design, mechanistic data analytic approaches, grant writing and professional development. In addition to these training opportunities, the BSC provides more intensive training in the form of ongoing mentoring or regular hands-on training for Project Directors who are interested in expanding their analytic capabilities.
Human Subjects Core (HSC)
The HSC is a resource for CoBRE Project Directors and other researchers conducting research with human subjects. The goals of the HSC are:
- To ensure researchers are adequately supported in executing research projects in compliance with regulatory requirements
- To coordinate operational components of a research project
- To assist in recruiting participants in a culturally sensitive and representative manner
Areas that the HSC provides support include:
- Facilitating institutional review board submissions
- Coordinating the development of data safety monitoring plans
- Assisting with recruitment and retention plans that consider variables such as gender, race and ethnicity, developmental stage, disadvantaged status and other important sampling variables
- Assisting with developing study operational design and execution plans
Additionally, the HSC provides education for the CoBRE Project Directors, researchers and study teams about the NIH’s regulatory aspects and best practices for conducting research with human subjects.
The HSC also assists Project Directors in terms of identifying possible collaborations with IDeA state research sites (e.g., CoBREs, CTRs, etc.) that are relevant to eating disorders and eating behavior, as well as facilitating interactions with the eating disorder research centers broadly.
Our Programs
Clinical Research Training Program
The CBM-EB hosts a Clinical Research Training Program (CRTP) to utilize ongoing instruction, mentoring and scientific consultation to assist our Project Directors in becoming independent investigators.
This program includes a monthly seminar series and a quarterly colloquium series. These talks invite distinguished scientists in the field of eating disorder research to present a lecture and meet with our center’s scientists and discuss shared research interests and potential collaborations. Finally, the CRTP sponsors an annual half-day research grant writing workshop. All training activities are focused on clinical research associated with eating disorders and eating behavior and many are open to interested colleagues across the country.
For more information on the CRTP, contact:
Kathryn Bentley, BSN, RN
(701) 365-4916
kathryn.bentley@sanfordhealth.org
Pilot Projects Program
Each year, the CBM-EB invites proposals for pilot projects to support promising research that fits the scientific theme of the center. We anticipate awarding 1-3 new Pilot Projects per year. The goal of this program is to engage early career investigators in the research of eating disorders and eating behavior.
Research areas eligible for funding within this CoBRE include, but are not limited to, the following topics:
- Risk factors or predictors of eating disorder behavior
- Illness-related mechanisms for the onset and maintenance of eating disorders
- Intervention-related mechanisms regarding treatment or prevention of eating disorders
- Factors that moderate the influence of risk factors or mechanisms of eating disorder behavior
- The prevalence of eating disordered behaviors in different populations
- The association between eating behaviors and other health-related behaviors
For more information about the Pilot Projects program, contact:
Kathryn Bentley, BSN, RN
Research Project Manager for Pilot Projects
(701) 365-4916
cbm-ebcobrepilotprojects@sanfordhealth.org
Events
Upcoming Events
Register Here
Seminar Series Events
Bariatric Surgery 101
Scott Engel, PhD
Kristine Steffen, PharmD, PhD
Gail Kerver, PhD
July 14, 2022
Theories of Obesity
Leslie Heinberg, Ph.D.
August 11, 2022
Theories of Eating Disorders
Stephen Wonderlich, PhD
Gail Kerver, PhD
September 8, 2022
Open Science Jeff Johnson, PhD
Ross Crosby, PhD
October 13, 2022
Networking Ross Crosby, PhD
Kathryn Gordon, PhD
November 10, 2022
Professional Organizations
Stephen Wonderlich, PhD
December 8, 2022
Colloquium Series
TBD
Guido Frank, MD
Professor in Residence, Psychiatry
University of California San Diego
November 3, 2022
Past Events
For more information about past events or to access the recordings, contact:
Kara Woodbury Fladland, MEd, LPCC
kara.woodburyfladland@sanfordhealth.org
Past Seminar Series Events
Eating Disorders 101
Stephen Wonderlich, PhD
Lauren Schaefer, PhD
May 12, 2022
Latent Structure Analysis in Eating Disorder Research
Ross Crosby, PhD
April 14, 2022
Moderators and Mediators in the Research of Eating Disorders
Ross Crosby, PhD
March 10, 2022
Longitudinal Mixed-Effects Regression
Models in ED Research
Ross Crosby, PhD
Jan. 13, 2022
The Regulatory Side of Human Subjects Research
Kathy Lancaster, Director of Research Operations at the Center for Biobehavioral Research
Kristine Steffen, PharmD, PhD
Dec. 9, 2021
Recruitment of Research Participants
Emily Sargent, PhD, LP
Kathryn Bentley, BSN, RN
Nov. 11, 2021
Transforming a Team of Neighbors into a Team of Colleagues: Integrating a Research Team
Stephen Wonderlich, PhD
Oct. 14, 2021
Past Colloquium Series Events
Developments, Challenges and Recent Advancements in the Treatment of Binge-Eating Disorder
Carlos Grilo, PhD, Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at Yale University
Jan. 18, 2022
Why People Die by Suicide
Thomas Joiner, PhD
May 10, 2022
Noon CST – virtual
Meet Our Team
Leadership
Stephen Wonderlich, PhD
Principal Investigator
Ross Crosby, PhD
Biomedical Statistics Core Co-Director
Daniel Friesner, PhD
Biomedical Statistics Core Co-Director
Scott Engel, PhD
Research Assessment Services Core Co-Director
Kristine Steffen, PhD
Research Assessment Services Core Co-Director
Kathryn Lancaster
Human Subjects Core Director
External Advisory Committee
John Sladek, Jr., M.S., Ph.D., FAAA
Professor Emeritus -Neurology, Pediatrics & Neuroscience
University of Colorado School of Medicine
Founding Vice Chancellor for Research (ret.)
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center
Kelly Allison, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Director of the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders
Dale Bond, Ph.D.
Director of Research Integration, Hartford Hospital
Kyle De Young, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychology at University of Wyoming