Erica LaFata

Erica LaFata is an Assistant Research Professor at Drexel University's WELL Center within the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. She holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Michigan, completed a postdoctoral fellowship at University of Pennsylvania's Center for Weight and Eating Disorders, and a clinical internship at Medical University of South Carolina.

Her research examines:

• Neurobehavioral mechanisms of ultra-processed food addiction
• Development of diagnostic tools for addictive-like eating
• Phenotypic characterization of food addiction

Recent work includes validating the Food Addiction Symptom Inventory (2024) and analyzing epidemiological patterns. Publications demonstrate consistent focus on measurement innovation (55% of works) and mechanistic exploration (35%), with translational emphasis on obesity interventions.