Leila Azarbad

Leila Azarbad is a Professor of Psychology at North Central College and a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in health psychology/behavioral medicine. Her clinical expertise encompasses psychological assessment and treatment of mood/anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and obesity. She actively mentors undergraduate researchers in her food cravings laboratory and serves as faculty mentor for the NCC women's basketball team while leading Naperville's youth suicide bystander intervention programs.

Her educational background includes:

• B.A. from Illinois Wesleyan University (2001)
• M.Ed. from University of Virginia (2002)
• Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from University of Virginia (2006)

Dr. Azarbad's research centers on eating behaviors, body image, and strategies to reduce food cravings, with clinical applications for obesity and eating disorders. Her work bridges experimental psychology and community health interventions, particularly through suicide prevention training for Naperville youth.

Her scholarly output demonstrates consistent focus on eating pathology across diverse populations including college athletes and women with depressive symptoms, utilizing both conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications in behavioral medicine.

Teaching excellence defines her career:

• Clarence F. Dissinger Award for Distinguished Teaching (2013)
• Ruge Fellow Award for Excellence in Teaching (2018)

She teaches core psychology courses including Stress and Coping, Adult Psychopathology, and Health Psychology while directing undergraduate research. Her community engagement extends beyond campus through development of evidence-based suicide intervention programs for Naperville high schools.

Dr. Azarbad maintains an active undergraduate research laboratory investigating food craving mechanisms while balancing clinical practice, teaching, and community service initiatives focused on mental health literacy.