About/ Staff & Board

Staff and Board

Board of Directors

Lisa Erlanger

President

MD, University of Washington School of Medicine
Seattle

Dr. Lisa Erlanger is a board-certified family physician and Clinical Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine. She is Co-Founder and President of AWSIM.

Lisa Erlanger

President

MD, Washington University School of Medicine
Seattle

Family Physician and Clinical Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Washington

Dr. Lisa Erlanger is a board-certified family physician and Clinical Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine. She is Co-Founder and President of AWSIM. Her clinical work focuses on marginalized populations, particularly larger-bodied patients and people with eating disorders. Through teaching and advocacy, she advances trauma-informed, anti-bias, evidence-based, and patient-centered care. Dr. Erlanger is also a certified Body Trust® Provider and supports physicians exploring anti-diet approaches in their personal and professional lives. Outside of work, she enjoys horseback riding in the woods and sharing great meals with her family.

Katarina Wind

Vice President

MD, CCFP
Vancouver, BC

Dr. Wind is the Vice President of AWSIM. She started this work while still in her family medicine residency, at which time she developed and taught a workshop on weight-inclusive care to medical students.

Katarina Wind

Vice President

MD, CCFP
Vancouver, BC

Family Physician and Hospitalist at the University of British Columbia (Canada).

Dr. Wind is the Vice President of AWSIM. She started this work while still in her family medicine residency, at which time she developed and taught a workshop on weight-inclusive care to medical students. Co-founding AWSIM was the next step to support providers in learning and practicing weight-inclusive care. She is passionate about helping providers learn why weight-centric medicine is so harmful, and showing them how they can start undoing those harms. She currently practices as a hospitalist and family physician in Vancouver, BC.

Stephanie Hart

AWSIM Treasurer

Stephanie Hart

AWSIM Treasurer

MD, CCFP University of Calgary
Okotoks, Alberta, Canada

Dr. Hart is a family physician in Okotoks, Alberta, Canada. She specializes in sexual medicine, which means taking care of sexual function concerns across all genders. She teaches at the Cumming school of medicine in Calgary, and is the lead for the "Diverse Minds and Bodies" portfolio in curriculum development. She gives talks and conferences on menopause, sexual function, and weight stigma in medicine. She is an avid reader and writer, and widowed mother of one teenager.

Julie Phillips

AWSIM Secretary

MD, MPH
Chair of Department of Family Medicine

Julie Phillips, MD, MPH is Professor & Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine,

Julie Phillips

AWSIM Secretary

MD, MPH
Chair of Department of Family Medicine

Julie Phillips, MD, MPH is Professor & Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, where she cares for patients and teaches medical students and residents. She serves as a founding Associate Editor for Peer Reviewed Reports in Medical Education Research (PRiMER) and as an Associate Editor for Family Medicine. She studies medical education and ways it shapes the physician workforce, and is a national leader in research about the consequences of medical student debt. Publications: Search Julie Phillips, MD, at PubMed at the National Library of Medicine.

Anna R Whelan MD FACOG

Education Co-Chair

Anna R Whelan MD FACOG

Education Co-Chair

MD, Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UMass Chan Medical School
Worcester, MA

Dr. Anna R Whelan MD FACOG is a double board certified Obstetrician Gynecologist and Maternal-Fetal Medicine subspecialist. She is dedicated to improving maternal health through comprehensive high risk pregnancy care which focuses on the impact of mental health on reproductive care. Specifically, her research focuses on improving the experience of perinatal health care, particularly for individuals who experience weight stigma when interacting with the medical system. She is dedicated to using evidence as a tool to advocate for access to equitable care for all individuals. As the Education Committee Chair, she is dedicated to growing AWSIM's library of resources and continuing the available CME activities to increase the knowledge and skill sets of our members.

Dr. Erin Knopf

Education Co-Chair

MD, CEDS-C, FAAP, DBPN
Bowling Green, KY

Dr. Erin Knopf is a physician, educator, and advocate advancing weight- and size-inclusive medicine and challenging weight-centric models of healthcare. Triple-boarded in pediatrics, adult psychiatry

Dr. Erin Knopf

Education Co-Chair

MD, CEDS-C, FAAP, DBPN
Bowling Green, KY

Pediatrician, Adult and Child/Adolescent Psychiatrist with VERY | Virtual Eating Recovery for You

Dr. Erin Knopf is a physician, educator, and advocate advancing weight- and size-inclusive medicine and challenging weight-centric models of healthcare. Triple-boarded in pediatrics, adult psychiatry, and child & adolescent psychiatry, she is also an iaedp-Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and Consultant with expertise in complex medical and psychiatric care. Dr. Knopf founded VERY (Virtual Eating Recovery for You) to expand access to expert, multidisciplinary, weight-inclusive outpatient eating disorder treatment. Her work focuses on clinician education, systems change, and evidence-based care that improves outcomes across body sizes. She is an advisor for MSSI and scientific advisor for ANAD.

Debra Deere

Newsletter Support

MD
Fayetteville, Arkansas

Debbie Deere, MD, is a staff physician in primary care at the University of Arkansas Pat Walker Health Center and serves as Medical Director of its outpatient eating disorder treatment team.

Debra Deere

Newsletter Support

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Fayetteville, Arkansas

Family Medicine, University of Vermont

Debbie Deere, MD, is a staff physician in primary care at the University of Arkansas Pat Walker Health Center and serves as Medical Director of its outpatient eating disorder treatment team. She also volunteers as Medical Director for the Northwest Arkansas Center for Sexual Assault. Dr. Deere is a Certified Eating Disorders Specialist and a dedicated advocate for weight-inclusive care and the reduction of weight stigma in healthcare. As a founding member of AWSIM, she is committed to advancing evidence-based medical education, fostering inclusive healthcare environments, and promoting systemic change through advocacy, research, and professional collaboration.

Jessica Rosenblum

Forum/Member Engagement

MD/MPH
Boston, MA

Jessica Rosenblum is an MD/MPH candidate at Tufts University School of Medicine (class of 2027). She received her B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis

Jessica Rosenblum

Forum/Member Engagement

MD/MPH candidate at Tufts University School of Medicine (Class of 2027)
Boston, MA

Jessica Rosenblum is an MD/MPH candidate at Tufts University School of Medicine (class of 2027). She received her B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis, where she studied Anthropology/Global Health and French. Prior to medical school, Jessica worked as a health policy research associate at Mathematica in Washington, DC, where her work focused on reproductive health, Medicaid, and health equity.

Jessica currently serves as the Director of Medical Students for Size Inclusivity (MSSI) and previously co-founded the Tufts chapter of MSSI. She has contributed to several size-inclusive initiatives in medical education, research, and advocacy. Currently, Jessica is applying to family medicine residency programs.

Dr. Wendy Oliver-Pyatt

Board Member

M.D., FAED, CEDS, F.IAEDP

Dr. Wendy Oliver-Pyatt is an entrepreneur, world-renowned speaker, author, philanthropist, and leading expert in treating eating disorders with over 20 years of experience.

Dr. Wendy Oliver-Pyatt

Board Member

M.D., FAED, CEDS, F.IAEDP

Dr. Wendy Oliver-Pyatt is an entrepreneur, world-renowned speaker, author, philanthropist, and leading expert in treating eating disorders with over 20 years of experience. She is the co-founder and CEO of several esteemed institutions, most recently Within Health and Galen Hope Treatment Center.

Staff

Don S. Doering, Interim Executive Director

Ph.D. (he/him)

With a career dedicated to building organizations and fostering innovations, Dr. Doering’s expertise lies in philanthropic strategies designed to create change. Over the past 20 years, he has developed and executed strategies in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors (see links below). He has served on governing boards, advisory boards, and task forces. He has a degree in Biophysics from Johns Hopkins University and a Ph.D. in Biology from M.I.T.

Mónica Peralta Tijerino , Program Director

MD, IEDS

Managua, Nicaragua

Mónica Peralta Tijerino, MD, is a physician with postgraduate training in Clinical Nutrition and Diabetes and serves as Program Director for the Association for Weight and Size Inclusive Medicine. Based in Managua, Nicaragua, she provides weight-inclusive, eating disorder-informed care grounded in body autonomy, patient-defined goals, and respect for lived experience. Her work focuses on advancing weight-inclusive clinical education, strengthening healthcare professionals’ capacity to recognize and address weight stigma, and translating these principles into practical changes in patient care. She is also a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor and Body Trust Certified Provider.

Volunteer With AWSIM

AWSIM runs entirely on the dedication of volunteers, clinicians, researchers, educators, and advocates who believe this work matters and show up to make it happen. Whether you’re interested in serving on the Board, contributing to a committee, or lending your expertise to a specific project or task force, we’d love to hear from you.

Get In Touch