Professor Gearhardt will share her groundbreaking research into the causes of obesity and addictive eating disorders, including how the U-M’s Food and Addiction Science and Treatment (FAST) lab evaluates foods most often associated with obesity and the influence of exposure to fast-food advertising on eating behavior. Gearhardt earned a B.A. in psychology at U-M, where she became interested in the possibility of certain foods triggering addictive processes. While working on her doctorate at Yale University, she developed the widely used Yale Food Addiction Scale to measure addictive-like eating behavior. Her research has been featured on ABC News, Good Morning America, the Today Show, The Wall Street Journal and NPR. Gearhardt joined the U-M faculty in 2012. She received the U-M’s Henry Russel Award in 2017 and Faculty Recognition Award in 2023.