Nancy Lee Zucker

Nancy Lee Zucker is a Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University. She serves as Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and is affiliated with the Center for Brain Imaging and Analysis. Her research focuses on interoception, eating disorders, and psychosomatic conditions, particularly in children and adolescents.

• Duke Center for Eating Disorders
• Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
• Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center

Education

• Ph.D., Louisiana State University (2000)

Research Interests

Dr. Zucker investigates how disruptions in interoception (the ability to sense internal bodily states) contribute to eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). Her lab examines:

• Neurodevelopmental mechanisms underlying food avoidance
• Interoceptive awareness in psychosomatic disorders
• Behavioral interventions for pediatric functional abdominal pain
• Social cognition in anorexia nervosa and autism
• Maternal weight impacts on child neurodevelopment
• Eating disorder prevention and treatment models

Recent Publications

Her 2025-2024 work spans peer support systems, mind-body interventions for ARFID, and neuroimaging studies on interoception. Key collaborations include research on social reward valuation, trauma-eating disorder links, and pandemic-related behavioral shifts.

Grants

Active funding includes NIH grants for adolescent obesity medication trials, ARFID interventions, and neurodevelopmental studies. Past projects include KAN-DO (family-based obesity prevention) and FBI-ARFID (interoceptive exposure treatment).

Teaching

She teaches courses like PSY 756: Research Practicum and BRAINSOC 795T: Bass Connections in Brain & Society, emphasizing hands-on research and interdisciplinary approaches.