About

Kelly C. Allison, Ph.D., is a Professor of Psychiatry at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and serves as the Director of the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders within the Department of Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on weight management, eating behaviors, and related psychological factors, with a particular emphasis on developing and evaluating behavioral and pharmacological interventions for weight loss and eating disorders. Dr. Allison's work includes studying the psychological predictors of weight loss success, the development of assessment tools for food addiction, and the application of telehealth programs to support weight management in specific populations such as breast cancer survivors.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Internal medicine
• Emergency medicine
• Optics
• Physics
• Earth science
• Virology
• Environmental science
• Geology

Selected publications

• The Physiology Of the WEight Reduced State (POWERS) study: design and rationale for assessment of food intake, physical activity and other behavioral constructs

  International Journal of Obesity · 2026-01-09

  articleOpen access

  Abstract The Physiology Of the WEight Reduced State (POWERS) study is a multi-center NIH-funded clinical trial designed to determine the physiological basis for variability in weight loss maintenance among adults with obesity following participation in a behavioral weight loss program. Two hundred and five healthy adults, aged 25–<60 years, with body mass index 30–<40 kg/m 2 complete up to four serial assessments (before weight loss; after ≥7% weight loss; and four and 12 months later). This report, one in a five-part series on the POWERS study design, provides the rationale for and description of behavioral measures. Standardized laboratory meals are used to measure energy intake and eating-related behaviors. Behavioral and neurocognitive factors related to eating (e.g., food-choice decision making, taste preferences, reward, self-control) are assessed via computer-based tasks and self-report questionnaires. Functional and structural neuroimaging augment the behavioral assessments by identifying underlying neural circuitry. Psychological factors related to weight regulation (e.g., self-monitoring, stigma, self-efficacy) are assessed via self-report questionnaires. Free-living physical activity and sleep are measured via accelerometry, polysomnography and self-report questionnaires. We will evaluate how changes, integrated values and patterns in these predictors and components of energy intake and energy expenditure contribute to individual variability in weight change during the 12 months following weight loss. We anticipate that extensive phenotyping using sophisticated eating behavior paradigms and assessments of critical components of energy expenditure before and after weight loss will lead to improved predictions of successful weight loss maintenance. This, in turn, will inform more effective treatments for long-term sustained weight loss.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Physiology Of the WEight Reduced State (POWERS) study: strategies for the analysis of biological specimens

  International Journal of Obesity · 2026-02-05

  articleOpen access

  Abstract The Physiology Of the WEight Reduced State (POWERS) study is a multi-center clinical trial designed to understand the physiological basis for observed variability in weight regain following intentional weight loss among US adults. The primary dependent variable is weight regain over one year following a 7% or greater supervised weight loss. The overarching design and study organization, along with rationale and history of the POWERS study and outcomes measures are described in accompanying papers. This paper provides the rationale for and description of biospecimens samples that will ultimately inform on the molecular and cellular basis of the physiological variability that contributes to the regulation of energy balance in the weight reduced state. Participants will be 205 healthy adults ( n = 205), aged 25–59 years, with body mass index (BMI) 30- ≤ 40 kg/m 2 . Biospecimens will be collected prior to weight loss (baseline, BL), immediately following weight loss via lifestyle intervention (T0), and then four (T4) and twelve (T12) months after weight loss. Blood will be collected in the fasting state and following a meal challenge designed to induce hormones related to satiety. Weight change from T0 to T12 will be the primary outcome variable. Biospecimens to be collected include plasma, serum, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), DNA, urine, feces, adipose and skeletal muscle tissue. All samples will be biobanked at each site. This manuscript describes the rationale for the biospecimens chosen to assess contributors to homeostatic mechanisms that drive observed variability of weight regain after weight loss.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• 4 Remote Field Instruction and Supervision

  University of Calgary Press eBooks · 2025-03-14

  book-chapter
  PublisherDOI

• 1 Tips for Starting a Field Practicum

  University of Calgary Press eBooks · 2025-03-14

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Brain activity associated with breakthrough food preoccupation in an individual on tirzepatide

  Nature Medicine · 2025-11-17 · 5 citations

  articleOpen access

  Obesity and related conditions are associated with distressing food preoccupation that often culminates in dysregulated eating behaviors. Incretin-based therapies can reduce excessive weight in obesity, but their impact on dysregulated eating behaviors remains largely unexamined. Understanding how these pharmacologics engage the brain's mesolimbic circuitry may inform the expansion of their therapeutic potential. We report a rare, first-in-human exploration of the physiological action of these therapies by examining the electrophysiology directly within the human nucleus accumbens. After a short-term course of tirzepatide, the patient-participant exhibited increased severe food preoccupation episodes, which were preceded by an increased delta-theta frequency (≤7 Hz) power in the nucleus accumbens region. We propose that the effects of an incretin-based therapy (tirzepatide) on food preoccupation may be associated with modulation of aberrant activity within this key hub of human mesolimbic circuitry.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Interprofessional Education and Practice in Social Work Field Education

  University of Calgary Press eBooks · 2025-02-28

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Parental grief following infant death in the NICU: a longitudinal mixed-methods exploration of parental experiences and influencing factors

  BMJ Open · 2025-07-01

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVES: To characterise neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) parents' grieving process across time and to identify their perspectives on the healthcare providers' actions that acted as facilitators or barriers to the grieving process in the short (3-9 months) and longer term (18-24 months). DESIGN: Longitudinal mixed-methods study combining standardised grief and care satisfaction scales with qualitative data collected through semistructured interviews. The qualitative component was guided by an interpretive description approach, which is well-suited for generating clinically relevant insights into complex human experiences such as parental grief. Triangulating quantitative and qualitative data enhanced insight into how parental grief and perceptions of care evolved between 3-9 months and 18-24 months post loss. SETTING: Tertiary-level NICU hospital in British Columbia, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: 13 parents participated in the study, including 10 mothers and three fathers. Among them were two couples who participated as individuals. Their median age was 35 years (IQR: 32-38). PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Quantitative data obtained through the application of the Perinatal Grief Scale (PGS) and care satisfaction scale and qualitative data collected through semistructured interviews. Data were collected at two points (3-9 months and 18-24 months post loss) to track parents' grief over time. RESULTS: The PGS scores indicated active grieving without complicated grief, while the Care Satisfaction Scale reflected high overall satisfaction with care. Thematic analysis identified two primary grieving stages: the initial traumatic event during NICU hospitalisation and the complex adjustment to life post loss. Key factors influencing parents' coping mechanisms included respecting the infant's dignity, enhancing communication and decision-making, preserving the bond between parents and the NICU team, nurturing enduring connections with the infant and aiding in finding meaning from the experience. CONCLUSION: The study outlined the stages parents experience during and after infant loss, offering practical steps for NICU professionals to aid families in their healing process.

  PublisherDOI

• The Physiology Of the WEight Reduced State (POWERS) study: overview and study design

  International Journal of Obesity · 2025-12-12 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Obesity is a multifactorial disease caused by physiological and environmental factors. Adults who have obesity are at increased risk for several additional chronic and infectious diseases, resulting in reduced life expectancy, compared to those with lower body mass indices. Weight loss (WL) has several clinical benefits to reducing these risks. However, among those who intentionally lose weight, it is common for some, or all, of the lost weight to be regained. There is evidence that changes affecting energy intake or expenditure, including metabolic adaptations in the weight-reduced state, work against maintaining WL. The Physiology Of the WEight Reduced State consortium (POWERS) designed a study to describe behavioral and metabolic adaptations to the weight reduced state and to examine their contributions to weight variability following WL. This is accomplished by quantifying physiological, psychosocial, behavioral and other factors before and after a behavioral intervention that induces WL. The primary goal of POWERS is to identify factors that explain the variability in weight change following intentional weight loss. This multi-center project includes a POWERS-designed WL intervention implemented at two clinical centers for 205 enrolled participants. Those losing at least 7% of their pre-intervention weight and attaining weight stability are followed in a 1-year observational phase that includes sequential physiological and behavioral phenotyping. It is anticipated that 70% of those enrolled in the WL program will enter the observational phase of the study and that 100 will complete the study. The primary outcome is weight change during the observational period with primary independent variables measuring energy intake and energy expenditure. Detailed endophenotypes of energy intake and energy expenditure are assessed using a combination of biospecimens, neuroimaging, objective measures (e.g., doubly labeled water, calorimetry, accelerometry, polysomnography), self-report questionnaires, and interviews to address their contributions to weight change variability up to 1 year following WL.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Physiology of the WEight-Reduced State (POWERS) study: environmental, psychological, and social determinants of health

  International Journal of Obesity · 2025-09-25 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Intentional weight loss is often followed by unintentional weight regain. The causes of weight regain are uncertain but may include a myriad of responses that result in increased hunger and decreased energy expenditure. An individual's psychological state and social and physical environments are also thought to influence weight regain in ways that can either support or derail weight loss maintenance. Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Physiology of the WEight Reduced State (POWERS) study is a multi-center clinical trial aimed at describing the molecular, cellular, physiological, behavioral, environmental and psychosocial factors that may be associated with an individual's ability to maintain their new weight after weight loss. This report provides the rationale for and describes the environmental, psychological and social determinants of health measures used in the POWERS study.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Physiotherapist-led weight management for people with osteoarthritis: A scoping review

  Osteoarthritis and Cartilage · 2025-11-21 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVE: To systematically identify the literature surrounding weight management (WM) integration into physiotherapist-led osteoarthritis (OA) care and understand the perceptions of physiotherapists, students and people with OA towards physiotherapist-led WM within OA care. METHOD: Eight electronic databases (CINAHL, Cochrane, MEDLINE, PEDro, PsycInfo, Scopus, SPORTDiscus and Web of Science) were searched from inception to 2nd August 2025 to include all forms of primary and secondary research alongside grey literature. Identified records were screened by two independent reviewers against eligibility criteria. Further potentially relevant records were found via hand searching and forward citing of included studies. Data were extracted to (1) descriptively analyse and (2) thematically synthesise the included records. RESULTS: The search strategy delivered 1806 unique records, of which 79 records met the eligibility criteria. Four key themes were identified: (a) current integration of WM in physiotherapist-led OA care is variable, (b) there are questions regarding scope of practice amongst physiotherapists and people with OA, (c) physiotherapists often lack the confidence and skills to discuss weight and (d) further education on the complexities and delivery of WM for physiotherapists is required. A variety of terms are used in existing literature when describing physiotherapist-led WM interventions. CONCLUSION: Available literature on physiotherapist-led WM for people with OA is highly heterogenous. The effectiveness of physiotherapist-led WM requires investigation in multiple settings. The feasibility of including WM education in pre-registration physiotherapy curricula should also be examined. A lack of standardised term describing WM support provided by physiotherapists should be addressed. REGISTRATION: https:doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/XSA2Z.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R21DK100787

  NIH · $440k · 2017

• Impact of Daytime vs. Delayed Eating Schedule on Weight and Metabolic Markers Among Obese Persons: An Examination of Circadian Mechanisms

  NIH · $3.0M · 2017–2024

Frequent coauthors

• David B. Sarwer

  Temple University

  89 shared

• Albert J. Stunkard

  47 shared

• Sindhu K. Srinivas

  University of Pennsylvania

  37 shared

• Masayuki Saito Advance

  University of Pennsylvania

  36 shared

• Harvey J. Grill

  University of Pennsylvania

  36 shared

• Marjorie C. Treadwell

  University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

  36 shared

• Thien T. Tran

  National Hospital

  36 shared

• Eric B. Hekler

  University of California, San Diego

  36 shared

Labs

• Center for Weight and Eating DisordersPI