Reed College
Reed College

Psychology Department

Headshot of Caroline Christian

Caroline Christian

Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology

Email

Clinical health psychology, perinatal health, eating and anxiety-based disorders, health disparities

Curriculum Vitae

Education and Professional Positions

2018 B.S. in Psychology and B.S. in Biology (Cellular-Physiology), University of Louisville
2024 Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, University of Louisville
2023-2024 Clinical Psychology Predoctoral Internship, UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital
2024-2026 T32 Postdoctoral Scholar in Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine, University of Pittsburgh
2026-present Visiting Assistant Professor, Reed College 

Teaching

I teach coursework related to clinical and health psychology topics, including Stress and Resilience, Health Psychology, Psychopathology, and Affective Science. My teaching approach draws from my experiences as a researcher and clinician, integrating scholarly research, group discussion, and experiential learning activities to explore the nuanced relationships across domains of physical and mental health. Informed by my training as a cognitive-behavioral therapist, I encourage students to step outside of their comfort zone in academic spaces to support both learning and personal growth. 

Research

My research takes a community-focused approach to promoting health behavior engagement and preventing eating disorders across critical risk periods, especially the perinatal period. A growing focus of my scholarship involves training and collaborating with healthcare providers to reduce medical weight stigma, improve screening for mental health concerns, and more effectively and equitably promote health behavior engagement. A central feature of my research program is the sustained involvement of undergraduate students as collaborators in the scientific process. I value forming mutually beneficial relationships, where student researchers benefit from hands-on research training and opportunities to present or publish this work, and my research benefits from students’ hard work and unique insights and the growing number of impassioned investigators who will go on to advance the field.

Selected Recent Publications

See Google Scholar for more complete list of publications

  1. Christian, C., Brown, L.B., Call, C.C., Donofry, S.D., Bridges-Curry, Z., Hawkins, M.S., Levine, M.D. (2026). Differential eating disorder symptom trajectories across the perinatal period and associated psychosocial factors. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 59(4), 778–789. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.70029
  2. Christian, C., Braynen, A.S., Clark, S.R., Donofry, S.D. (2025). Body image and eating habits during pregnancy and postpartum: Themes and suggestions for maternal healthcare. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology. 1–16. https://doi.org/1080/02646838.2025.2559964
  3. **Christian, C., **Nicholas, J.K., Penwell, T., Levinson, C.A. (2023). Profiles of experienced and internalized weight-based stigma in college students across the weight spectrum: Associations with eating disorder, depression, and anxiety symptoms. Eating Behaviors, 50, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2023.101772 (** indicates co-first authorship)
  4. Christian, C., Vanzhula, I.A., Ciotti, V., Levinson, C.A. (2023). Development and validation of a broad and fear-adaptable measure of fear approach and application to common eating disorder fears. Assessment, 31(3), 602-616. https://doi.org/10.1177/10731911231174469
  5. Christian, C., Levinson, C.A. (2022). An integrated review of fear and avoidance learning in anxiety disorders and application to eating disorders. New Ideas in Psychology, 67, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.newideapsych.2022.100964

Recent Conference Presentations

  1. Christian, C. (2025, August). Eating disorder symptoms during pregnancy and postpartum: A critical concern for maternal healthcare. Presented at the American Psychological Association’s Psychological Science in 3 (PS-3) competition. Denver, CO.
  2. Christian, C., Hudson, C.M., Bell, V.E., Goldschmidt A.B. (2025, April). Implicit approach-avoidance bias for body and food-related stimuli among individuals with anorexia nervosa in partial remission. Poster presented at the Annual University of Pittsburgh Postdoctoral Research Symposium, Pittsburgh, PA.
  3. Christian, C., Clark, S. (2023, November). "I hated being treated like I was broken”: Body image and perinatal healthcare experiences among postpartum women across the weight spectrum. In Goel, N. and Schueler, J. (chairs): Celebrating the Versatility, Utility, and Equitability of Qualitative Methods in Eating Disorders and Body Image Research. Paper presented at the 2023 Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Annual Convention, Seattle, WA.
  4. Christian, C., Hunt, R.A., Bridges-Curry, Z., Ortiz, A.M.L., Drake, J.E., Levinson, C.A. (2021, June). Patterns of impulsivity and perfectionism dimensions: Associations with eating disorder behaviors, cognitions, and expectancies. Paper presented at the Virtual International Conference of Eating Disorders.
  5. Christian, C., Cash, E., Trombley, C.M., Cohen D.A., Levinson, C.A. (2020, November). Electrodermal activity and heart rate variability during exposure fear scripts predict eating disorder symptoms. Paper presented as part of OED-SIG Graduate Student Research Award at the annual Obesity and Eating Disorders Special Interest Group (OED-SIG) Meeting at the Annual Conference for the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (Virtual).