Kara Christensen Pacella

Assistant Professor of Psychology
Expertise: Eating disorders, Digital health, Mobile applications, Sleep, Emotion regulation, Relationships

Biography

Kara A. Christensen Pacella, an assistant professor in UNLV's Department of Psychology, is an expert in eating disorders. Her research focuses on understanding how we can improve eating disorder treatments by addressing potentially modifiable factors such as sleep, relationship dynamics, and emotion dysregulation.

Another component of her research is developing mobile health applications to meet the quickly rising need for accessible eating disorder treatments. Christensen Pacella is the co-developer of two mobile apps to treat eating disorders that are currently being tested in university students and adolescents. She has also conducted research examining how specific types of social media content (e.g., fitspiration, thinspiration) may be associated with disordered eating behaviors in young women.

Christensen Pacella is a licensed psychologist and has worked in outpatient, intensive outpatient, and partial hospitalization programs for
adolescents and adults with eating disorders. She additionally is trained in providing evidence-based treatments for disorders that commonly co-occur with eating disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep disorders, anxiety disorders, and depressive disorders.

Education

  • Postdoctoral Fellowship (NIH-funded TL1), Eating Disorders, University of Kansas
  • Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, The Ohio State University
  • Doctoral Internship, Medical University of South Carolina
  • M.A., Psychology, The Ohio State University
  • B.A., Psychology, The University of Chicago

Kara Christensen Pacella In The News

Science Mag
Eating disorders represent a critical concern on college campuses, as they are increasingly recognized as one of the most pervasive mental health challenges among undergraduate students. Recent studies show a dramatic rise in the incidence of eating disorders, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, which exacerbated pre-existing mental health issues. Researchers at the University of Kansas have embarked on a groundbreaking initiative designed to address this urgent need. Their program, known as BEST-U, aims to leverage technology to improve the accessibility of treatments for students suffering from eating disorders, significantly increasing their chances of recovery.
News Medical
A new study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, published by Elsevier, finds that women experiencing food insecurity more frequently report symptoms of food addiction, such as compulsive eating of certain types of food, unsuccessful attempts to cut down and withdrawal symptoms. Further study of addictive mechanisms may be a valuable approach to understand the relationship between food insecurity and the overconsumption of processed foods.