The UCSF Eating Disorders Program is led by Drs. Daniel Le Grange, Sara Buckelew, Amanda Downey, Erin Accurso, Sarah Forsberg and Andrea Garber. Together, they bring decades of expertise to the psychological, medical, and nutritional management of young people with eating disorders.
Daniel Le Grange, PhD
Director and Benioff UCSF Professor in Children's Health
Daniel Le Grange, PhD, FAED, holds a Distinguished Professorship at the University of California, San Francisco, where he is a Benioff UCSF Professor in Children’s Health and Director of the Eating Disorders Program in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences as well as the Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Le Grange also is Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at The University of Chicago. He received his doctoral education at the Institute of Psychiatry and the Maudsley Hospital, the University of London, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University School of Medicine, California. Dr. Le Grange’s research interest focuses primarily on treatment development through randomized controlled trials for adolescents with eating disorders. He has authored or co-authored more than 680 manuscripts, books, book chapters, and abstracts and his focused scholarship has been translated into more than 10 languages. He is a well-known figure on the international lecture circuit and has on numerous occasions presented his work across North America, Europe, Australasia, Asia, and Africa. In recognition of his achievements, Dr. Le Grange was elected Fellow of the Academy for Eating Disorders in 2002. He also is the recipient of several prestigious awards, perhaps most notably the 2014 Academy for Eating Disorders Leadership in Research Award. Dr. Le Grange is a Member of the Eating Disorders Research Society, Associate Editor for the European Eating Disorders Review, and past Associate Editor for the Journal of Eating Disorders as well as BMC Psychiatry. Over the past 20+ years, Dr. Le Grange has been a lead investigator on numerous randomized clinical trials funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (United States), the National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia), as well as private foundations and other funding organizations in the United States, Australia, and Europe.
Click here to view Dr. Daniel Le Grange's Curriculum Vitae.
Sara Buckelew, MD, MPH
Medical Director and Professor of Pediatrics
Dr. Sara Buckelew (she/her/hers) started the UCSF Eating Disorders Program in 2007. She specializes in treating children, adolescents, and transitional-age youth with eating disorders. Dr. Buckelew earned a medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in public health at UC Berkeley. She is a member of the American College of Preventive Medicine, American Teachers of Preventive Medicine, and Society for Adolescent Medicine.
Amanda Downey, MD, FAAP
Assistant Medical Director and Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and Psychiatry
Dr. Amanda Downey (she/her/hers) is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and Psychiatry, and the Assistant Medical Director of the UCSF Eating Disorders Program. She earned a medical degree at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and completed a triple board residency (pediatrics, adult psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry) at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Dr. Downey is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Academy for Eating Disorders.
Erin C. Accurso, PhD
Clinical Director and Associate Professor
Dr. Erin Accurso (she/her/ella) is Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Clinical Director of the UCSF Eating Disorders Program. Dr. Accurso obtained her B.A. in psychology from Dartmouth College and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the San Diego State University / University of California, San Diego Joint Doctoral Program, after which she completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Chicago specializing in eating disorders treatment and research. In addition to providing outpatient care at UCSF, Dr. Accurso also consults with mental health providers in the community who are advancing their skills in treating eating disorders. She is interested in mental health service delivery and improving access to effective care, particularly improving the accessibility of evidence-based treatments for underserved minority populations. Her research primarily focuses on the assessment and treatment of youth with eating disorders, as well effective dissemination and implementation of evidence-based practices in community-based settings. To date, she has authored and co-authored over 80 publications, advancing knowledge in the treatment of eating disorders and mental health service delivery.
Sarah Forsberg, PsyD
Inpatient Psychology Services Director and Associate Clinical Professor
Dr. Sarah Forsberg (she/her/hers) came to the UCSF Eating Disorders program from Stanford University, where she was involved in research and treatment for child and adolescent eating disorders for 10 years. Dr. Forsberg completed her doctoral training at the PGSP-Stanford Consortium and her pre-doctoral internship at the University of North Carolina, School of Medicine. At UNC, she worked with individuals across the developmental spectrum on an inpatient, partial hospital and outpatient unit for the treatment of eating disorders. Dr. Forsberg enjoys integrating clinical and research interests, and she focuses on the development, dissemination, and implementation of novel treatments for childhood eating disorders, with a specific focus on family-based treatment (FBT). She's the attending psychologist on the Benioff's Children's Hospital Adolescent Medicine Unit where she provides care for individuals hospitalized for treatment of the medical consequences of eating disorders, and their families.
Andrea K. Garber, PhD, RD
Chief Nutritionist and Professor of Pediatrics
Dr. Andrea Garber (she/her/hers) is a Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Adolescent & Young Adult Medicine and Chief Nutritionist for the Eating Disorders Program. Dr. Garber earned her PhD in Human and Clinical Nutrition at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and RD (Registered Dietitian) from UCSF. She teaches in the UCSF School of Medicine, where she is the Nutrition Theme Director, and the School of Public Health at UC Berkeley, where she holds a joint faculty appointment. Dr. Garber's research focuses on eating disorders. She is the Principal Investigator on an NIH-funded study of refeeding in adolescents with anorexia nervosa. In the community, Dr. Garber has been a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Childhood Obesity Task Force, co-Chair of the Mayor’s Shape Up initiative, and an invited participant to Governor Schwarzenegger’s Obesity Summit.