The David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics at Syracuse University will be presenting a lecture on understanding eating disorders on Thursday.

The lecture, titled “Food and Fear: How Therapists and Dietitians Collaborate in Understanding and Treating Eating Disorders,” is the highlighted topic of the Inaugural Ann Selkowitz Litt ’75 Distinguished Speaker Series lecture. The event will take place at 7 p.m. in Grant Auditorium in the Falk Complex.

Every year, the topic switches between eating disorders and sports nutrition. This year’s lecture will address the difference between normal and problematic eating habits as well as the importance of collaborating with a therapist and a dietitian for recovery from an eating disorder, said Tanya Horacek, a professor in the department of public health, food studies and nutrition at Falk College.

The speakers for the event are Laura Ratner and Sandra Pinney.

Ratner is a psychotherapist who specializes in the treatment of eating disorders. She works with children, teenagers, individuals, couples and families using family-based psychotherapy in addition to evidence-based individual approaches, according to a Falk College release.

Pinney is a registered dietitian nutritionist who also specializes in the treatment of eating disorders as well as weight management. She works with teens and young adults and was part of the team that developed the first comprehensive, inpatient eating disorders unit in New York City, according to the release.

Horacek said the collaboration between a mental health professional and a registered dietitian nutritionist is based on the approach of Ann Selkowitz Litt, who died in 2007. She is an alumna of Falk College and was partners with Ratner in a private practice, according to Falk’s website.

“It all goes back to Ann Selkowitz Litt and what she did in her life. She was a really exceptional (registered dietitian) with eating disorders, outreach for prevention and in her practice, she wrote a few books,” Horacek said.

Eating disorders are potentially life-threatening conditions that can affect a person’s emotional and physical well being, according to the National Eating Disorders Association.

In the United States, 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from a significant eating disorder at some point in their life, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. The rate of development of new cases of eating disorders has been increasing since 1950, according to the NEDA.

The event is being targeted at the entire Syracuse community — students, athletes, professionals and high school faculty, among others — has been invited to attend the lecture, according to the release.

“It is geared toward everybody. We want to get the word out because it is an important topic,” Horacek said. “Pay attention to the signs and symptoms and how you approach treatment.”

Harriet Brown, a magazine journalism professor in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications who has written extensively about eating disorders and body image, said eating disorders impact a diverse group of people.

“We are used to thinking of them as diseases that only affect rich young white women, but they affect people of all races, ethnicities, classes, etcetera,” she said.

Brown said it is important for college students to be informed about eating disorders because they are in one of the age groups that has the highest risk.

“Most people don’t talk about it because it’s highly stigmatized, so it’s great that Falk is bringing these speakers and they’re actually going to raise the issue in some way … I think we need to talk about it more,” Brown said.

Published on November 4, 2015 at 9:22 pm

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