I am a fourth year student in the Joiner lab. My current research involves two lines of study: 1) investigating eating disorders in minorities and other cultures, 2) examining the link between AN and suicide. With regard to this first line of research, I have begun examining factors within certain minorities (e.g., gay men and lesbian women) that may contribute to or protect against the development of eating disorders. I am also interested in examining similarities and differences in the topographic presentation of eating disorders in Western and Eastern countries. I have just begun work on the second line of research, which will examine the interface between AN and suicide. AN is the most deadly psychological disorder, and contrary to popular belief, the majority of these deaths are by suicide and not from complications of the disorder. I am currently in the process of developing studies utilizing social cognition methodologies to study cognitive risk factors that may be contributing to the high suicide rate in people with AN.
