Center for the Advancement of Research on Eating Behaviors staff, faculty, and students.

Center for the Advancement of Research on Eating Behaviors (CARE)

The Center for the Advancement of Research on Eating Behaviors, or CARE, is directed by Dr. Kelsie Forbush. CARE is a designated research center within the Life Span Institute at the University of Kansas.


Sunset behind the campanile.

We Are Hiring

The Center for the Advancement of Research on Eating Behaviors (CARE) has an opening for an Assistant Researcher to help coordinate clinical trials and basic science research in eating disorders.

Assistant Researcher job listing

CARE & COPE Updates

Fall 2025 Clinical Psychology Graduate Applicants

Dr. Forbush intends to recruit graduate students for Fall 2025. Prospective applicants are encouraged to review our website for further information on our center and our research.

Dr. Forbush receives a high volume of requests and inquiries regarding graduate student applications. As she works to focus her time on current students in the program, please understand that if you do inquire about information that is already available online, she likely will not be able to respond. We kindly ask that you refrain from reaching out to Dr. Forbush to ask if she is taking students or to inquire about the status of your application.

Our website will serve as a helpful resource for questions you may have—if you have reviewed it thoroughly and cannot find the answer you're searching for, please reach out to the center's Administrative Associate, Wulfe Wulfemeyer, at wulfe[at]ku[dot]com.

Undergraduate Research Assistant Opportunities

There are ample opportunities for undergraduate students to become involved in our research center! Currently, research internships are for credit through PSYCH 480. Interns can expect to devote three semester hours per week (9 hours of lab work plus 1-hour lab meeting, a total of 10 hours per week).

Please visit the following link for more information on responsibilities and to apply to be an undergraduate research assistant in our center.

Center for Overcoming Problem Eating (COPE Lab)

The Center for Overcoming Problem Eating, or COPE Lab, is composed of a skilled team of clinical psychologists, graduate and post-doctoral researchers, and research assistants who are dedicated to providing treatment that is efficient, engaging, convenient, and efficacious.

Center Support

CARE has been supported through generous donations, industry-sponsored awards, and research grants, including the M. Erik Wright Endowment, Clifford B. Kinley Trust, National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), Healthy Weight Research Network, National Institute of Health (NIH), and University of Kansas (KU) New Faculty General Research Fund and Strategic Initiatives Grant.

CARE News

Eating Behaviors journal cover.

New article co-authored by CARE collaborators and directors examines interactions between sleep habits and eating disorders

A new article entitled “Associations between intraindividual variability in weekday-weekend sleep timing and duration and eating disorder pathology” is in press with the April 2025 issue of Eating Behaviors and is currently available online. As the field of research examining the interaction of sleep health and eating disorders expands, this...

Stock photo of woman using phone in library setting

CARE's successful mobile phone intervention for eating disorders on college campuses will expand

The BEST-U program, an 11-week treatment underpinned by guided self-help cognitive behavioral therapy, has shown “most participants were fully recovered from their eating disorder” during a pilot program at the University of Kansas.
CARE research coordinators Emily Like

CARE coordinators present research on assessing eating disorders across gender and weight category, preferred body terminology for college students

CARE project coordinators Anjali Sharma and Emily Like presented findings from their personal research projects at 2024's Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) Convention in Philadelphia this November.
A woman with long dark hair tied back in a ponytail and a brown sweater prepares food in a kitchen

Study examines how culture, family and identity shape body image challenges for Hispanic women

Better understanding of eating disorders is necessary to both identification and development of effective treatment, but the Latina demographic has historically been underrepresented in research.

CARE's 2024 Impact

23
scientific papers published by CARE researchers between 2023 and 2024
18
first author posters and presentations from CARE researchers at both national and international conferences
$7.7M
in grant funding for active studies and projects that wrapped up in 2024

Support Our Mission

With your contribution, CARE can continue our mission to positively impact the lives of those struggling with an eating disorder.
How to Contribute to CARE