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.
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 listingCARE & 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.
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.
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
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...
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 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.
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