For Patients and Visitors
For Medical Professionals
Welcome to the Penn State Hershey Eating Disorders Program

The professionals at the Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital in Hershey, Pennsylvania offer a full range of treatment options for children, adolescents and adults with eating disorders. Conditions treated include Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and Other Non-Specific Eating Disorders. Who should be referred to these programs? Warning signs and symptoms include: preoccupation with food and weight, distortion of body image, restriction of food intake, vomiting after eating and loss of menstrual periods. While criteria for Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa are well established, it is increasingly evident that many patients especially adolescents may present with symptoms of an eating disorders, that do not fulfill the complete criteria.  More...

Research currently being conducted at the Penn State Hershey Eating Disorders Program:

  • Eating Disorders, Self-Esteem, and Sports Involvement in Female Adolescents: A Comparison Between the General Pediatric Population and the Eating Disorders/Adolescent Medicine Clinic
  • The Effects of Written Emotional Disclosure on Eating Disorder Pathology in a Clinical Eating Disordered Population
  • Frequency of diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders in patients who are of the Anabaptist faith (such as Amish or Mennonite, for example)
  • The Problem-Solving Approach of Adolescent Girls Diagnosed with an Eating Disorder: Toward a Greater Understanding of Control
  • The Utility of Human Figure Drawing in the Characterization of Cognitive and Emotional Features of Eating Disorders

    PRESENTATIONS

    Dr. Richard Levine

    • Academy for Eating Disorders International Conference in Salzburg, Austria, June 10-12, 2010
      • Meet the Experts Panel on Medical Complications of Eating Disorders

    Dr. Martha Peaslee Levine

    • Annual Meeting for the Society for Adolescent Medicine in Toronto, Canada, April 7-10, 2010
      • Poster Presentation - Eating Disorders in Anabaptist Patients: Insights in the Etiology of Eating Disorders and the Role of Trauma
      • Eating Disorders Special Interest Group Presentation - Creative Arts and Healing for Treatment of Patients with Eating Disorders
    • Academy for Eating Disorders International Conference in Salzburg, Austria, June 10-12, 2010
      • Poster Presentation - Eating Disorders in Anabaptist Patients: Offering Further Insights into the Etiology of Eating Disorders

    Dr. Rollyn Ornstein

    • Annual Meeting for the Society for Adolescent Medicine in Toronto, Canada, April 7-10, 2010
      • Eating Disorders Special Interest Group Co-director
      • Poster Presentation - Triiodothyronine (T3) and Metabolic Rate in Adolescents with Eating Disorders: Is There a Correlation?

     

     

    We would like to highlight two of our programs:

    First is the child and young adolescent partial hospitalization/day treatment program for eating disorders.  Patients ages 8 through 15 are treated in a supportive, family-based environment with a multi-disciplinary team.  Our staff is experienced in the care of these challenging children and teens.  A school component is included during the school year and families have the opportunity to stay at Ronald McDonald House which is nearby.  We are currently accepting referrals for this innovative program.  Please call 717-531-7230 for referrals and more information.

    Second is our intensive outpatient program and partial hospitalization program for older adolescents and adults at our treatment facility in Hershey.  These multi-disciplinary programs offer treatment for patients with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and other eating disorders in a supportive and nurturing environment. 

    Our Commitment to Quality Patient Care

    As one of the premier academic medical centers in the northeast, Penn State Hershey Medical Center is committed to a bold new vision of health care, and to the people, partnerships and progressive technologies that bring this vision to life.

    But don't take our word for it - our leadership in providing the finest state-of-the-art care for our patients has been widely recognized in numerous national and regional rankings for quality, patients safety, physician and nursing excellence.

    So what does this mean for you?  Learn more.

     

     

    PRESENTATIONS

    Dr. Richard Levine

    • Academy for Eating Disorders International Conference in Salzburg, Austria, June 10-12, 2010
      • Meet the Experts Panel on Medical Complications of Eating Disorders

    Dr. Martha Peaslee Levine

    • Annual Meeting for the Society for Adolescent Medicine in Toronto, Canada, April 7-10, 2010
      • Poster Presentation - Eating Disorders in Anabaptist Patients: Insights in the Etiology of Eating Disorders and the Role of Trauma
      • Eating Disorders Special Interest Group Presentation - Creative Arts and Healing for Treatment of Patients with Eating Disorders
    • Academy for Eating Disorders International Conference in Salzburg, Austria, June 10-12, 2010
      • Poster Pressentation - Eating Disorders in Anabaptist Patients: Offering Furth Insights into the Etiology of Eating Disorders

    Dr. Rollyn Ornstein

    • Annual Meeting for the Society for Adolescent Medicine in Toronto, Canada, April 7-10, 2010
      • Eating Disorders Special Interest Group Co-director