Biographies of Speakers

Jeanine C. Cogan, PhD is the SPSSI Public Policy Scholar at the American Psychological Association. As a social psychologist, examining the social conditions and environmental factors that contribute to the development of negative body image and eating disorders is central to her work. She has had extensive speaking engagements on this topic, at professional conferences, for educational and professional organizations, and community groups. Her research has been published in scholarly journals with her most recent publication (1996), in the Journal of Cross Cultural Psychology, identifying the important role of culture in defining thinness as beautiful and in the development of eating disorders (the study compared individuals in Ghana, Africa to those in Vermont, U.S.). In 1992, she published a critical review of 50 weight-loss studies conducted by psychologists and other health professionals over the last decade (from 1980 to 1989). In this review she and her co-author, Esther Rothblum Ph.D., found that overall weight-loss programs were not successful in producing significant weight loss maintained at the follow-up assessment and that weight loss programs had not become more efficacious over time. In addition to conducting research, Dr. Cogan has taught at four year research-oriented institutions including the University of Vermont and the University of California at Davis.

Naomi Wolf is a well known author and journalist. She is author of a number of books including, the Beauty Myth, Fire with Fire, and the newly published Promiscuities. She graduated from Yale University and was a Rhoades Scholar at New College, Oxford, England. Her journalism, poetry, and book reviews have widely appeared in the United States and Britain. She publishes regularly in the New York Times, the Washington Post and the New Republican.

Dr. Ruth Striegel-Moore received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of South Carolina in 1985. She is professor and chair at Wesleyan University. She has written numerous scholarly articles on the causes of eating disorders and how to develop effective prevention programs. She is a founding member and past president of the Academy for Eating Disorders, an interdisciplinary organization for professionals devoted to advancing research, treatment, and prevention of eating disorders.

Dr. David Herzog is a board certified pediatrition and general psychiatrist. He is the executive director of the Harvard Eating Disorders Center, director of the Eating Disorders Program of the Massachusetts General Hospital. In addition Dr. Herzog is a professor of psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School. He has published extensively on the topic of eating disorders and has received grant monies from the National Institute of Health to support his research. Currently he is completing a long-term longitudinal study of more than 10 years.

Lisa Berzins received her PhD from the University of Kentucky (1982). Her professional positions have included being Director of Psychological Services at Charter Ridge Hospital (Lexington, KY) and Director of Eating Disorders Programs at the Institute of Living (Hartford, CT) and the Elmcrest Psychiatric Institute (Portland, CT). She has lectured and written widely in the areas of eating disorders, female development, sex roles and self-esteem. She has been featured in newspaper articles and has appeared on local and national radio and television shows. She received the 1996 Award for Distinguished Psychological Contribution in the Public Interest from the Connecticut Psychological Association. She has also held several supervisory, consulting and adjunct academic appointments. In partnership with her husband, she maintains a private practice in West Harford, CT and orchestrates the activities and programs of VITALITY.

Diana Zuckerman, PhD is the Director of Research and Policy Analysis at the Institute for Women's Policy Research. From 1983-94, she worked on health and social policy issues in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and she was a senior policy analyst at the White House from 1995-1996. She initiated many nationally-recognized policy investigations, including the Congressional investigation of silicone breast implants and the Senate investigation of the symptoms and potential causes of Gulf War Syndrome. Dr. Zuckerman has a Ph.D. in psychology from Ohio State University, and was on the faculty at Vassar, Yale, and Harvard before coming to Capital Hill. She is the co-author of 4 books and 30 articles in the areas of health and social policy, including eating disorders.

Cheryl Raczon was a board Member for the National Association for Anorexia Nervosa & Associated Disorders (ANAD) for three years. She has earned a masters degree of business administration from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. She is a former Miss America Titleholder.

Return to Congressional Briefing Page

Back to Top^