Thomas A. Wadden, Ph.D.
Former Director, Center for Weight and Eating Disorders, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market St., Suite 3027, Philadelphia, PA 19104-3309
(215) 746-5046
Thomas A. Wadden, Ph.D. is Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He served as director of the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders from 1993 to 2017 and was appointed in 2011 (through 2021) as the inaugural Albert J. Stunkard Professor in Psychiatry. He received his A.B. in 1975 from Brown University and his doctorate in clinical psychology in 1981 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Dr. Wadden’s principal research is on the treatment of obesity by interventions that have included lifestyle modification, very-low-calorie diets, physical activity, medication, and surgery, including approaches to improve the management of obesity in primary care practice. He has also investigated the metabolic and psychosocial consequences of obesity and of intentional weight loss, the latter as represented by findings from the 16-year long Look AHEAD study. He is currently assessing the psychiatric safety of new second-generation anti-obesity medications (e.g., semaglutide and tirzepatide), as well as the most important components of lifestyle modification to provide with these medications. He has published over 630 peer-reviewed scientific papers and abstracts and co-edited seven books, the most recent of which is the Handbook of Obesity Treatment (with George A. Bray). His research has been supported for more than 40 years by grants from the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Wadden has served on expert panels for the National Institutes of Health, the Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine). He served as president of the Obesity Society in 2005-2006 and as associate editor of Obesity (the Society’s journal) from 2008-2012 and again from 2020 to the present.
Recent publications include:
Wadden TA, Bray GA (eds). Handbook of Obesity Treatment (second edition). New York, NY. Guilford Press, 2018.
Wadden TA, Bailey TS, Billings LK, Davies M, Frias JP, Koroleva A, Lingvay I, O'Neil PM, Rubino DM, Skovgaard D, Wallenstein SOR, Garvey WT; STEP 3 Investigators. Effect of subcutaneous semaglutide vs placebo as an adjunct to intensive behavioral therapy on body weight in adults with overweight or obesity: The STEP 3 randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2021;325(14):1403-1413. doi: 10.1001/jama.2021.1831. PMID: 33625476; PMCID: PMC7905697.
Wadden TA, Chao AM, Machineni S, Kushner R, Ard J, Srivastava G, Halpern B, Zhang S, Chen J, Bunck MC, Ahmad NN, Forrester T. Tirzepatide after intensive lifestyle intervention in adults with overweight or obesity: the SURMOUNT-3 phase 3 trial. Nat Med 2023;29(11):2909-2918. doi: 10.1038/s41591-023-02597. PMID: 37840095; PMCID: PMC10667099
Wadden TA, Chao AM, Moore M, Tronieri JS, Gilden A, Amaro A, Leonard S, Jakicic JM. The role of lifestyle modification with second-generation anti-obesity medications: Comparisons, questions, and clinical opportunities. Curr Obes Rep 2023;12(4):453-473. doi: 10.1007/s13679-023-00534-z. Epub 2023 Dec 2. PMID: 38041774; PMCID: PMC10748770.
Wadden TA, Brown GK, Egebjerg C, Frenkel O, Goldman B, Kushner RF, McGowan B, Overvad M, Fink-Jensen A. Psychiatric safety of semaglutide for weight management in people without known major psychopathology: Post hoc analysis of the STEP 1, 2, 3, and 5 trials. JAMA Intern Med. 2024;184(11):1290-1300. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2024.4346. PMID: 39226070; PMCID: PMC11372653.
Assessment and Treatment Tools
Back to Top