TOPIC: Eating Disorders

Anorexia Nervosa.. Bulimia.. Binge Eating-- Eating Disorders affect the lives of millions of people and the results can be deadly. On the next Health Link we'll meet some folks who are struggling with the consequences of these devastating illnesses. Find out about the latest treatment options and what you can do to help yourself or someone you love overcome an eating disorder.

GUESTS:

Sharon Ann Alger-Mayer, MD.
Dr. Alger-Mayer is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Nutrition/Gastroenterology at Albany Medical College. She earned her medical degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1983. She is a member of the Academy of Eating Disorders and the Capital Region Association for Eating Disorders. She has written numerous professional articles on the topic of eating disorders.

Drew A. Anderson, Ph.D.
Dr. Anderson received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Louisiana State University in 1997 and was a predoctoral fellow and instructor at the Weight and Eating Disorders Program at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center from 1996 to 1998. He has been an assistant professor at the University at Albany since 1998. His research interests span the range of eating-related issues, from anorexia nervosa to obesity.

Gina Scarano-Osika, Ph.D.
Dr. Scarano-Osika is a licensed psychologist who practices psychology at her private practice in Glens Falls, NY. Dr. Scarano-Osika received her doctorate in counseling psychology from the University of Akron in 1993 and spent a year in a post doctoral fellowship studying college mental health at the University of Rochester, Strong Memorial Hospital. This was followed with work as a psychologist at Dr. Danser and Associates, Watertown, NY. She volunteers as the President of the Capital Region Association for Eating Disorders, a non-profit organization that provides education and information to persons associated with an eating disorder. She also recently completed a book chapter on the treatment of eating disorders among children and adolescents which will appear in a textbook for graduate programs in psychology.

Diane Pietrocarlo, RD.
Ms. Pietrocarlo is a registered dietitian who has a private practice in Glenville. She specializes in working with patients who are afflicted with eating disorders. She is able to relate to her patients because she herself is a recovered anorexic.