Eating Disorders Coalition (EDC) announces Board Leadership for 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact:
David Jaffe
Executive Director, EDC
202-543-9570
manager@eatingdisorderscoalition.org
(Washington, DC – January 14, 2011) The Eating Disorders Coalition (EDC) announced today that it has chosen Lisa Lilenfeld, Ph.D., a Fellow at the Academy for Eating Disorders, as President of the EDC, effective January 1, 2011 for a two year term. Lilenfeld had served on the EDC Board of Directors for two years.
On her election to Chair of the Board Lilenfeld commented, “After dedicating my career to the treatment and research of eating disorders for the past 20 years, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to make a much greater impact than I ever thought possible as an individual clinician, researcher or educator. I am fortunate to have come on board with the EDC after many years of their hard work creating the Federal Response to Eliminate Eating Disorders (FREED) Act, which is now steadily gaining support in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.”
Also elected as Officers of the 2011-2012 Board were Jillian Lampert, Ph.D., M.P.H. R.D. of The Emily Program as Vice Chair & Secretary and Gail R. Schoenbach of The Gail R. Schoenbach/F.R.E.E.D. Foundation as Treasurer.
The EDC Board additionally welcomes two new Board Members, Seham El-Diwany, M.D. who also serves on the Board of the Eating Disorders Resources Center and is a Pediatrician in California as well as Johanna Kandel, Executive Director and Founder of the Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness, author of Life Beyond Your Eating Disorder and a former EDC Junior Board for the past two years. Commenting on their appointments, Lilenfeld said, “ Dr. Seham El-Diwany and Ms. Johanna Kandel both offer tremendous dedication and enthusiasm, each with unique experience to further our mission. Dr. El-Diwany, a pediatrician, has educated practitioners on the west coast on the front-lines about eating disorders. Ms. Kandel is a successful author and grass roots leader in educating the public about eating disorders, having conducted successful state-level lobbying efforts to improve education, prevention and treatment of those with eating disorders.”
Re-elected to the Board were Sam Menaged, J.D., of the Renfrew Center, Kitty Westin, M.A. from The Emily Program Foundation, and Ted Weltzin, M.D. from Rogers Memorial Hospital.
Anticipating a successful upcoming year as Chair of the EDC, Lilenfeld has hope for the FREED Act, “With sustained effort, I believe that we will be successful in passing this legislation, which will have enormous impact in improving access to appropriate care, training professionals in our field, and funding research that is so badly needed. It has been too far too long that patients and their families needlessly suffer due to treatment denial, inadequate treatment or inability to find treatment, and researchers are allocated a tiny fraction of the funding designated for the study of diseases that are no more prevalent and no more devastating than eating disorders. I am honored to serve in a role where I can work side-by-side with tireless board members who have long been committed to making FREED a reality.
About the EDC
The Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy & Action is working in Washington, D.C., to increase awareness, educate policymakers, and promote understanding about the disabling and life-threatening effects of eating disorders. Our mission is to advance the federal recognition of eating disorders as a public health priority. www.eatingdisorderscoalition.org
No comments:
Post a Comment