Continuing Education

Alyssa Kalata is a Licensed Psychologist in the State of North Carolina. After receiving both her Master’s and Doctoral Degrees in Clinical Psychology from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI, and her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Women’s Studies from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI, she completed her predoctoral internship at Duke University Medical Center with a focus on cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Alyssa has served in various roles during her professional career, including Clinical Supervisor, Research and Program Development Associate, Associate Clinical Director, Clinical Director, and Clinical Trainer working with patients diagnosed with primary eating disorders and primary substance use disorders in settings that provide services at a variety of levels of care.  Alyssa currently serves as the Clinical Training Coordinator for Accanto Health, with brands The Emily Program and Veritas Collaborative. 

Alyssa has a passion for the dissemination and implementation of empirically-supported treatments, particularly third-wave cognitive-behavioral therapies, with an emphasis on Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Her areas of expertise include the treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder, Eating Disorders, Substance Use Disorders, Mood Disorders, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and other trauma-related concerns and symptoms. Alyssa firmly believes that all individuals and their families and supports have the right to competent, compassionate care and her approach to treatment is one that balances understanding and validation with a focus on cultivating change.

Dr. Anna B. Tanner is Vice President for the Department of Child and Adolescent Medicine. She is a board-certified Pediatrician who has specialized in the care of complicated adolescent patients, in particular patients with eating disorders, for over 20 years. Dr. Tanner completed medical school and residency at Vanderbilt University, and then remained there to serve on the Pediatrics faculty in the Division of Young Adult and Adolescent Medicine. Dr. Tanner has been very involved in advocacy and education efforts and serves on national and international committees for eating disorders education. She speaks frequently across the United States on the Medical Complications of Eating Disorders, especially as they affect children and young adolescents. Dr. Tanner currently serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pediatrics for Emory University School of Medicine and as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pediatrics for Morehouse School of Medicine. She is on the Academy of Eating Disorders (AED) Medical Care Standards Committee and the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (IAEDP) Certification Committee Task Force. Dr. Tanner is a Fellow in the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM), a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and a Certified Eating Disorders Supervisor. She has been named by Atlanta magazine as a “Top Doctor” every year from 2013 to 2020 and named by Castle Connelly as an Exceptional Woman in Medicine and one of America’s Most Honored Doctors.

Chase Bannister, Founder of Veritas Collaborative, is Senior Vice President of Community Engagement for Accanto Health, the parent company of newly merged Veritas Collaborative and The Emily Program. Chase attained his concurrent graduate degrees in Clinical Social Work & Divinity from The University of  North Carolina at Chapel Hill School and Duke University. Chase is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and is credentialed as a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist. Chase is Immediate Past President of the Board of Directors for the Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy & Action. He is also an active member of the Academy of Eating Disorders and the Eating Disorders Leadership Summit, as well as the REDC  Consortium. Chase’s career is marked by achievements in many areas, including federal legislative initiatives, standards-of-care creation, clinical program innovation, healthcare entrepreneurship,  professional education, advocacy, and public awareness campaigns. We are ecstatic to have him join us at Accanto Health and also as today’s speaker.

Dee Myers is the Site Director of The Emily Program in Spokane. She is a multi- decade leader in the Eastern Washington eating disorders community, with over 25 years of experience, and is proud to be at the helm of the Spokane Emily Program treatment team. She graduated with her Masters in Clinical Psychology from Eastern Washington University. Increasing access to care and creating a collaborative provider network has always been a passion for Dee. With extremely limited eating disorder resources in Spokane, in the early part of her career, Dee ran eating disorder support groups and worked to meet other eating disorder professionals in the area. She specialized in treating clients in private practice for over 15 years and ran an eating disorder professional coalition to unite the community and help provide resources and education to our area. Dee has proudly worked at The Emily Program for 9 years and was a part of a small group of providers who encouraged the company to open a location in Spokane to help the growing need throughout the pacific northwest. She has had a lifelong passion for this work and has treated clients individually, in groups, and at all outpatient levels of care. Outside of work, Dee enjoys many outdoor activities around the beautiful city of Spokane and loves spending time with her husband and two young adult daughters.

Hilmar Wagner is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist (RDN), Licensed Nutritionist in the State of Minnesota and Certified Dietitian (CD) in the state of Washington. Hilmar joined the Emily Program in 2006, and currently serves as the Training Coordinator for Nutrition Services, Dietetic Internship Coordinator and Clinical Education Specialist. In this role he assists in internal nutrition-related education and training, coordinates dietetic intern experiences across all locations and provides external continuing education on eating disorders and nutrition for community providers professional organizations. He regularly presents on eating disorder and nutrition topics at local, regional and national conferences. Hilmar received his Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition/Dietetics and Master’s in Public Health Nutrition from the University of Minnesota. He has worked in the field of eating disorders for the past 15 years. Hilmar has extensive experience working with clients of all eating disorder diagnoses in both individual and group settings. He has a particular interest in mindfulness and body-centered approaches to eating disorder recovery.

Dr. Lampert is the Chief Strategy Officer of Accanto Health, the parent company of The Emily Program and Veritas Collaborative.

Additionally, Dr. Lampert is Co-Founder and President of the REDC, the national consortium representing eating disorders care focused on treatment standards, best practices, access to care, and collaborative research. She is also a Board Member of the Eating Disorders Coalition, a DC- based national organization for eating disorders policy and advocacy, and a Board Member of WithAll, a Minnesota-based organization that empowers eating disorder prevention and strengthens support for recovery. She holds an adjunct graduate faculty position in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Lampert completed her doctorate degree in Nutrition and Epidemiology and Master of Public Health degree in Public Health Nutrition at the University of Minnesota. She earned a Master of Science degree in Nutrition at the University of Vermont and completed her dietetic internship at the University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinics. She has an expansive range of policy, clinical, research, education, teaching, and program development experience in the area of eating disorders.

Dr. Lampert has served on the Board of Directors of the Academy for Eating Disorders as the Electronic Media Portfolio Director and co-chair of the Academy for Eating Disorders Nutrition Special Interest Group. She is a Fellow of the Academy for Eating Disorders (FAED) and a member of the Academy for Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association), and BHN (Behavioral Health Nutrition) dietetic practice group. Dr. Lampert is the author of numerous book chapters and articles addressing the nutritional treatment of eating disorders, body image, sports participation, adolescent health, and disordered eating and she regularly speaks regionally and nationally on numerous eating disorder-related topics.

One of her primary goals in life is to have the kids in her house (and everywhere!) have confident, loving relationships with their bodies and themselves.

Kelly Pertzsch is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) in the state of Minnesota. She began working at The Emily Program in 2015, and has worked in a variety of clinical positions since then, she is currently a Clinical Education Specialist. Kelly received her Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Richmond, the American International University in London and her Master’s in Counseling Psychology with a certificate in Eating Disorder Studies from the Lewis and Clark College. She has treated eating disorders her entire career and has worked in community mental health, private practice, and a college counseling center. Kelly has a particular interest in the intersection of eating disorder treatment and social justice, as well as Health at Every Size.

Krista is the National Director of Brain Based Therapies and Director of Clinical Outreach Education. Clinically she draws from a variety of methods including TBT-S, EMDR, cognitive behavioral therapy, FBT, and acceptance and commitment therapy and often incorporates the use of the creative process in conjunction with the more traditional therapeutic process. She earned her Master’s of Science from Fuller Theological Seminary, School of Psychology and her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in family and pediatrics from Azusa Pacific University. She trained at Harbor UCLA medical center and Loma Linda Children’s Hospital in neuropsych. Away from work, Krista loves being a mom to her three boys, playing outside, going on adventures with her family, skiing, hiking, biking, and camping.

Leah Graves is the Vice President of Nutrition and Culinary Services of Accanto Health, the parent company of The Emily Program and Veritas Collaborative.

Leah has been treating patients with eating disorders for over 30 years. Prior to joining Veritas, Leah was the Manager of Eating Disorders Nutrition Therapy for the Laureate Eating Disorders Program in Tulsa, OK. She graduated with the highest distinction from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in 1985 and then began her work with individuals with eating disorders.

Leah is a founding member of the Academy for Eating Disorders where she has served on the Academy’s Executive Team, Board of Directors and Chaired the North American Teaching Days for the International Conference on Eating Disorders in addition to serving the Academy on the Nominating, Fellowship Selection, and Membership Recruitment and Retention Committees. She has also been honored with the distinction of Fellow of the Academy for Eating Disorders.

Leah has been involved in eating disorders advocacy with the National Eating Disorders Association as a member of the Conference Planning Committee and with the Oklahoma Eating Disorders Association where she served as President and Governance Committee Chair. She currently serves on the Clinical Advisory Board for Rock Recovery.

Leah has been invited faculty at many eating disorders conferences including the International Conference on Eating Disorders, Hispano-Latin American Congress on Eating Disorders, International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals Symposium, Renfrew Foundation Conference, Multi-service Eating Disorders Association Conference, and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Food and Nutrition Conference, as well as numerous regional and local conferences. Leah has written several publications pertaining to nutrition and eating disorders and is highly respected within the eating disorders field for her expertise in medical nutrition therapy, nutrition counseling, clinical supervision, and research.

Dr. Preeti Matkins is a board-certified pediatrician with 27 years of experience, more than 10 of which have been spent providing care for children and young adults impacted by eating disorders, and currently serves as the Medical Director of the Veritas Charlotte Center. Dr. Matkins earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed medical school at UNC School of Medicine. She is a member of the Academic Pediatric Association and a fellow of the Society of Adolescent Health and Medicine and the American Academy of Pediatrics. She also served as a professor of pediatrics at Carolinas Medical Center and remains on staff as a clinical associate professor of pediatrics at the UNC School of Medicine. 

When Dr. Matkins is not at Veritas, you may find this book-loving Charlotte native rooting for the Carolina Tar Heels or the Davidson Wildcats (her husband’s alma mater) with her two adult (and one canine) children or planning her next travel adventure.

Shena Washburn is the Director of Nutrition and Culinary Services at Accanto Health. She has over 10 years’ experience supporting individuals who are in recovery from an eating disorder, in various levels of care and healthcare settings, and is an IAEDP Certified Eating Disorder Registered Dietitian. In addition to her experience in the field of eating disorders, Shena holds a special interest in sports nutrition, mindfulness, gut health, Exposure Response Prevention, and building strong collaborative multi-disciplinary teams!

Dr. Sydney Brodeur-Johnson’s passion is providing best-practice, research-informed and multiculturally competent treatment to patients and their families suffering with eating disorders. She is committed to increasing access to effective treatment, training professionals to deliver gold-standard care, and empowering them to be the best providers and people they can be.

Dr. Brodeur received her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in 2005 and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a concentration in the interdisciplinary treatment of adolescents with eating disorders. She assisted with the opening of Carolina House, a residential eating disorder treatment facility in Durham, NC, and was the first Center Director there. From 2008 – 2019 Sydney served as the eating disorder specialist and Associate Director for Training at University Counseling Services at VCU. In that role, she maintained APA accreditation of the psychology internship program and was the administrator for the training program for students in psychology, social work, and counselor education. She also served as a member of the center’s executive team.

In her free time, Sydney enjoys spending time with her children and partner, being outdoors, listening to music, and traveling.

Taylor Rae is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from Richmont Graduate University. Prior to attending Richmont, she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in childhood and family development from the University of Georgia. She is a Georgia approved supervisor and Certified Eating Disorder Specialist Approved Supervisor. Taylor Rae has been working with patients with eating disorders since 2012 across multiple levels of care including inpatient/residential, partial hospitalization and outpatient treatment settings. She is currently the Clinical Director at Veritas Collaboratives’ Child, Adolescent, and Young Adult Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. Taylor Rae has served on the board of the local Atlanta iadep Chapter sine 2017 and is currently the Chapter President. Taylor Rae has a strong passion for providing evidence-based treatment while collaborating within a multidisciplinary team to provide the best care possible to patients and their families.