Rate My Professor Kara Christensen

Pacella conducts translational research to enhance eating disorder interventions by identifying modifiable mechanisms such as sleep and interpersonal relationships, and by pioneering accessible delivery methods like mobile health applications. She co-developed apps including the Building Healthy Eating and Self-Esteem Together for University Students (BEST-U), tested among university students and adolescents. Her methodological toolkit encompasses cross-sectional surveys, ecological momentary assessments, qualitative studies, randomized controlled trials, and single-case designs. With over 60 peer-reviewed publications cited more than 1,500 times, notable works include "Eating-disorder psychopathology in female athletes and non-athletes: A meta-analysis" (International Journal of Eating Disorders, 2022; 143 citations), "Recent innovations in the field of interpersonal emotion regulation" (Current Opinion in Psychology, 2015; 292 citations), "Food insecurity associated with elevated eating disorder symptoms, impairment, and eating disorder diagnoses in an American university student sample" (International Journal of Eating Disorders, 2021; 115 citations), and "A theoretical review of interpersonal emotion regulation in eating disorders" (Journal of Eating Disorders, 2020). Pacella was recognized as a 2025 Association for Psychological Science Rising Star and appointed associate editor of the Journal of Clinical Psychology in 2024. Her contributions extend to measure development, such as the Eating Pathology Symptoms Inventory (EPSI).