Faculty, Department of Psychology
EMail
Office Address
319 Williams Hall
Research Center/Lab
Web Link
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Short Bio
Dr. Heather Davis conducts research to understand the overlap between disordered eating, depression, anxiety, substance use, and suicidality. In particular, Dr. Davis investigates shame as a transdiagnostic mechanism underlying the overlap between multiple mental health problems. Dr. Davis also studies individuals at high risk for mental health problems, but underrepresented in the research literature.
Dr. Davis and her team are currently working to address mental health disparities among Virginians - especially in rural communities - experiencing financial hardship by adapting an evidence-based mental health intervention that will be integrated - in the future - with federal nutrition promotion interventions to address both problems simultaneously. She is also developing a single-session intervention to reduce shame following binge eating.
Dr. Davis’s research has been funded by the National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH) in the National Institutes of Health, the Lipman Foundation, and the Philanthropic Educational Organization.
Dr. Davis and her team are currently working to address mental health disparities among Virginians - especially in rural communities - experiencing financial hardship by adapting an evidence-based mental health intervention that will be integrated - in the future - with federal nutrition promotion interventions to address both problems simultaneously. She is also developing a single-session intervention to reduce shame following binge eating.
Dr. Davis’s research has been funded by the National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH) in the National Institutes of Health, the Lipman Foundation, and the Philanthropic Educational Organization.
Select Publications
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Selected publications
- Hahn, S. L., Baras Rojas, G., Rubinovich, U., Rose, K., Martin-Wagar, C., & Davis, H. A. (accepted). “Everyone knows everyone”: A Qualitative Examination of Influences of Eating Disorder Risk Among Rural US Adolescents. Journal of Eating Disorders.
- *Roske, C., Ragnini, K., Zhhu, S. Palmer, A., Kells, M., Davis, H.A., Nock, M.K. (accepted). Why do people conceal mental health problems? A qualitative analysis of TikTok posts. Journal of Medical Internet Research
- *Laboe, A. A., Pictor, L.E., Gavuji, M., Temucin, S., Kreynin, A., Sheil, E., Jourdan, B., Schaumberg, K., Davis, H. A,b, & Harrop, E.N.b (2025). Assessing preclinical eating disorder education in United States medical schools: A directed qualitative content analysis of lecture slides. Eating and Weight Disorders, 30(1), 91.
- Davis, H.A., Myers, E., Serrano, E., Misyak, S. (2025). Detecting and addressing eating disorders among individuals experiencing food insecurity: Considerations for dietetic practice. Frontiers in Nutrition, 12, 1668349.
- Liebe, R. A., Khan, T., Azad, R., Adams, L. A., Braun, A., Davis, H. A., Misyak, S. (in press) Experienced poverty stigma is associated with food insecurity, mental health, and resource utilization among southern US mothers with low income. BMC Public Health, 25(1), 2469.
- *aPatarinski, A. G. G., *aAthanasaw, K., *Garban, A., Hahn, S., Davis, H. A. (2025). Weight self-stigma, but not body dissatisfaction, predicts binge eating across one academic year. Body Image, 53, 101902.
- Davis, H. A., *Patarinski, A. G. G., *Kosmas, J.A., *Roske, C., Kells, M. (2025). Does watching short-form #whatieatinaday videos impact eating disorder cognitions and urges to engage in eating disorder behaviors? An Experimental Investigation of Tiktok. Appetite, 211, 108002.
- *aKosmas, J. A., *aGarza, M., Kells, M., Hahn, S. L., Davis, H. A. (2025). Food insecurity predicts excessive exercise, dietary restriction, cognitive restraint, and purging but not binge eating among college students across 3 months. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 58(5), 952–963.
- Davis, H. A., Misyak, S., Serrano, E. (in press). Promoting comprehensive approaches and wrap-around services to address stigma and shame among nutrition education participants. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 57(3), 258–259.
- *aPatarinski, A. G. G., *aGarban, A., *Athanasaw, K., Murray, M. F., Davis, H. A. (2025). Cognitive restraint and body dissatisfaction are more strongly related to muscle building behaviors for men than women. Eating Behaviors, 56, 101941.
- Burnette, C. B. & Davis, H. A. (2024). A case for integrating self-compassion interventions targeting shame and self-criticism into eating disorder treatment. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 57(8), 1642–1645.
- Kells, M. R., Davis, H. A., *Roske, C., *Holzman, S., Wildes, J. E. (2024). The experience of treatment for eating disorders as told on TikToK. Eating Disorders: Journal of Treatment and Prevention, 1-19.
- Kells, M. R., Davis, H. A., *Patarinski, A. G. G., & Wildes, J. E. (2024). Trauma exposure proximity associated with eating disorder diagnosis in women with food insecurity. Appetite, 203, 107653.
- *Murray, M. F., Davis, H. A., & Wildes, J. E. (2024). LGBT+ outpatients present to eating disorder earlier and with more severe depressive symptoms than their cisgender heterosexual peers. Eating Disorders: Journal of Treatment and Prevention, 1-15.
- *Patarinski, A. G. G., Smith, G. T., Davis, H. A. (2024). Eating disorder-related functional impairment predicts greater depressive symptoms across one semester of college. Eating Behaviors, 53, 101873.
- Davis H. A., Kells, M., *Patarinski, A. G. G., Wildes, J. E. (2024). Preliminary associations of weight history, weight bias, and eating disorder diagnosis in women with current food insecurity. Eating Disorders: Journal of Treatment and Prevention, 1-20.
- Davis, H. A., Smith, Z. R. & Smith, G. T. (2024). Longitudinal transactions between fasting and negative urgency predict binge eating. Appetite, 192. 107113.
- Davis, H. A., *Patarinski, A. G. G., Hahn, S. L., *Kesselring-Dacey, D., Smith, G. T. (2024). A longitudinal test of problematic alcohol use and binge eating among college women: The moderating role of shame. Alcohol, 118, 65-73.
- Davis, H. A., Kells, M., *Roske, C., *Holzman, S., Wildes, J. E. (2023). A reflexive thematic analysis of #WhatIEatInADay on TikTok. Eating Behaviors, 50, 101759.
- Davis, H. A. & Smith, G. T. (2023). Examining the role of urgency in predicting binge size in bulimia nervosa. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1166119.
- Kells, M., Davis, H. A., *Todorov, S., Wildes, J. E. (2023). Health literacy and eating disorder pathology in women with food insecurity: A preliminary cross-sectional study. Eating Behaviors, 49, 101727.
- Davis, H. A., Kells, M., *Todorov, S., *Kosmas, J., Wildes, J. E. (2023). Comorbid eating, depressive, and anxiety psychopathology is associated with elevated shame in women with food insecurity. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 56(6), 1087 - 1097
- Davis, H. A., Keel, P. K., Tangney, J., & Smith, G. T. (2022). Increases in shame following binge eating among women: Laboratory and longitudinal findings. Appetite, 178, 106276.
- Davis, H. A., *Rush, M., & Smith, G. T. (2022). Reciprocal relations between body image disturbance and driven exercise. Journal of American College Health, 1–7. Advance online publication.
Degrees
- T32 Postdoctoral fellowship in Eating Disorders Research, University of Chicago (2021)
- Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, University of Kentucky (2020)
- B.S. in Psychology, Florida State University (2012)