W. Stewart Agras, MD, FRCP(C) - Psychiatry

Dr. Stewart Agras reviews medical content for Healthwise, a nonprofit organization with a mission to help people make better health decisions. Dr. Agras has focused his career on teaching and research in the field of psychiatry. His primary research interest is the area of behavior change, including compliance, essential hypertension and other cardiovascular risk factors, and eating and anxiety disorders

He joined the Psychiatry Department at Stanford University School of Medicine in 1973, where he is now professor and associate chair. In 1974, he began one of the first U.S. programs in behavioral medicine at Stanford University.

From 1961 to 1969, he was on the faculty of the University of Vermont College of Medicine. In 1969, he was appointed professor and chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where he served until 1973.

Dr. Agras serves on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Eating Disorders, Behavior Therapy, Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry and is editor for eating disorders for the journal Treatment.

Board Certifications

Canadian Boards of Psychiatry and Internal Medicine–1962

Healthwise Knowledgebase Topics Reviewed

Anorexia Nervosa

Bulimia Nervosa

Binge Eating Disorder

Education

MD: Middlesex Hospital Medical School, University of London, London, England–1955

Residency in Psychiatry: McGill University, Montreal, QC, 1960–1961

Academic Appointments

Instructor to Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT, 1961–1969

Professor and Chairman, Dept. of Psychiatry, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, 1969–1973

Professor of Psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 1973–present

Fellow, Stanford University School of Medicine, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, CA, 1976–1977 and 1990–1991

Professional Affiliations

• Society for Behavioral Medicine
• Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy
• Safety and Data Monitoring Board
• Health Behavior and Prevention Review Committee

Selected Publications

1. Agras WS, Rossiter EM, Arnow B, Telch CF, Raeburn SD, Bruce B, Koran LM (1994). One year follow-up of psychosocial and pharmacologic treatments for bulimia. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 55: 179–183.
2. Agras WS, Berkowitz RI, Arnow BA, Telch CF, Arnell M, Henderson J, Morris Y, Wilfley D (1996). Maintenance following a very-low-calorie diet (for obesity). Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64: 610–613.
3. Agras WS, Telch CF, Arnow B, Eldredge K, Marnell M (1997). One year follow-up of cognitive-behavioral therapy for obese individuals with binge eating disorder. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 65: 343–347.
4. Whittal ML, Agras WS, Gould RA (1999). Bulimia Nervosa: A meta-analysis of psychosocial and pharmacological treatments. Behavior Therapy, 30: 117–135.

Financial Disclosure

This reviewer reported no financial conflicts.