Thomas A. Wadden, PhD, is the Albert J. Stunkard Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and former director of the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders. He received his A.B. in 1975 from Brown University and his doctorate in clinical psychology in 1981 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Dr Wadden’s principal research is on the treatment of obesity by methods that have included lifestyle modification, physical activity, low-calorie diets, medication, and bariatric surgery. He also has investigated the metabolic and behavioral consequences of obesity and its associated eating disorders. He has published over 450 scientific papers and book chapters, and co-edited seven books. His research has been supported for more than 35 years by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Dr Wadden is past President of the Obesity Society and an associate editor of the journal, Obesity (published by the Obesity Society). He has served on several NIH panels, including study sections, the Task Force on the Prevention and Treatment of Obesity, and the Obesity Clinical Guidelines Committee. He also has served as a consultant to the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, the Federal Trade Commission, and the National Academy of Medicine.
Dr Wadden’s research has been recognized by several awards, including the George Bray Founders Award and the TOPS Research Award, both from The Obesity Society, the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Department of Psychology), and mentoring awards from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the Obesity Society. He has discussed his research in the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and Wall Street Journal, as well as on the Today Show, Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, and CBS Evening News.