Dr. Lisa Brownstone

What kind of research does the BEE Lab do? 

• The Bodies Eating and Emotions (BEE) Lab is led by Dr. Lisa Brownstone and is comprised of doctoral and master's students of Counseling Psychology, as well as interdisciplinary team members from other institutions (e.g., University of Michigan, University of Iowa, Denver Health Hospital Authority, Eating Disorder Foundation), and team members from the broader community. Broadly, we do research and advocacy related to disordered eating as a social justice issue. See our lab portfolio page for more information: http://portfolio.du.edu/beelab.

What would I be doing in the BEE Lab?

• In the BEE Lab, you would engage in increasing levels of responsibility as you demonstrate reliability and quality work with our team. Example work includes literature review, IRB application, survey development, transcription, and qualitative coding and analysis. We rely heavily on teamwork, and it is important that our team members reliably show up and engage fully in projects that they sign on for.

Examples of current or previous projects include:

• We Deserve Space (WDS): We have piloted and are refining an online group intervention for large-bodied individuals to engage in healing related to weight stigma. We are working to roll this out in a behavioral health setting at Denver Health’s Healthy Lifestyle Clinic as well. 

• Alternative Modes of Healing for Disordered Eating: 

  • We have collaborated with Eating Disorder Foundation (EDF) to better understand their online clinician-facilitated free support groups for disordered eating, and are broadly interested in ways to facilitate healing outside of the traditional healthcare treatment space for disordered eating.

  • We examine ways in which social media can be used to meet particular needs for those with disordered eating and other forms of body distress. 

• COVID-19 Bodies and Eating (CBE) Study: We completed interviews and surveys with individuals about the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on their experiences of their bodies and eating. 

Can I participate in her lab if I cannot attend the meetings? 

• New members of the BEE Lab must be able to attend our regular lab meetings in order to get started. If you are established on projects and have worked for at least two quarters in the lab, we may be able to consider continued involvement in the BEE Lab without attending the broader lab meeting.