معرفی
K. Jean Forney is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Ohio University’s College of Arts and Sciences. She leads the Body Image, Weight, and Eating Laboratory (B-WEL) and is actively mentoring graduate students for Fall 2025. Dr. Forney has been recognized as a 2025-26 Emerging Presidential Research Scholar for her outstanding research in eating disorders.
- Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, Florida State University, 2018
- B.A., Psychology, Miami University, 2011
Dr. Forney’s research focuses on understanding the risk factors, classification, and maintenance mechanisms of eating disorders. Her work emphasizes elucidating who is most at risk, validating diagnostic categories, and identifying causal mechanisms such as dietary restriction and gastrointestinal distress. She integrates clinical psychology with psychopathology and behavioral assessment to inform prevention and treatment strategies.
Her recent publications span topics including weight suppression, interoception, 'feeling fat,' and purging disorders. Collectively, her research demonstrates a strong trend toward transdiagnostic approaches, physiological mechanisms, and validation of clinical constructs in both community and clinical samples.
Scientific awards include:
- Emerging Presidential Research Scholar Award (2025-26)
- Young Investigator Award, Academy for Eating Disorders (2018)
- Glee Ross Hollander Dissertation Award (2019)
- P.E.O. Scholar Award (2016)
- American Psychological Association Dissertation Research Award (2016)
- 18 of the Last 9, Miami University Alumni Association (2019)
Dr. Forney has served as Principal Investigator on a $450,656 National Institute of Mental Health grant to study fear, gastrointestinal distress, and interoception in eating disorders. She has published over 23 peer-reviewed articles and two book chapters. She actively advises students, as seen in numerous publications with student co-authors. She is a member of the Academy of Eating Disorders, Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, American Psychological Association, and the Eating Disorders Research Society.
She directs the Body Image, Weight, and Eating Laboratory (B-WEL), which conducts empirical research on eating pathology, risk factors, and treatment mechanisms.
