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Reception, Program and Conversation with David B. Herzog, M.D.
On December 6, 2011, Helena Durst, Wendy Durst Kreeger & Doug Kreeger hosted a reception for the Harris Center at the Bank of America Tower in New York City. Attended by 70 plus guests, the event introduced and educated new friends to the important work of the Center, highlighted the Center’s collaboration with the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America), and brought together current supporters and friends.
Helena Durst opened the program with an eloquent account of her recovery from anorexia and bulimia during her early twenties, explaining that she has come to identify her eating disordered thoughts as "the chatter monkey on [her] back." She also discussed the importance of "advancing public and professional knowledge of eating disorders" and ending the "silence" that has kept many individuals who struggle with these conditions from receiving the help they desperately need.
After highlighting the Center's groundbreaking research and training programs, Harris Center Founder David B. Herzog, M.D. pointed to the Annual Public Forum and the Teen Mentor Program, as well as the collaboration with the CFDA on the Health Initiative, as examples of the Center’s outreach programs that are working to create young leaders and women with healthy lifestyles, strong sense of self, and tomorrow’s leaders.
Elizabeth A. Lawson, M.D. gave a wonderful presentation about MGH's research on the biology of appetite regulation in anorexia nervosa. The team is examining the intersection between hormones, appetite and brain circuitry in anorexia with the goal of identifying the genes that are involved in the disorder. Accomplishing this goal will lay the groundwork for more targeted treatment strategies.
Next, fashion models and CFDA representatives Doutzen Kroes and Coco Rocha spoke about the pressures to be ultra-thin that they encountered early in their careers and about the positive changes that are taking place within the industry, such as the CFDA's new Ambassador Program, which allows very well-known models to serve as mentors to their younger peers.
The final speakers were two members of the Harris Center's Teen Mentor Program, Laura Jacobs and Callie McLaughlin, who illuminated how the program brings together girls from diverse high schools around the area to address negative social pressures that can lead to eating disorders and poor self-image. The program helps the teens strengthen their leadership skills and provides them with tools to go back to their schools and create mini-programs and focus groups.
Reviews of the event by media outlets such as Vogue Daily and Celebrity Health & Fitness were highly positive.
The evening was very special, not only because it was educational and inspiring, but also because it held the promise of improved lives for all who suffer from eating disorders.
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| Doutzen Kroes (left) and Coco Rocha |
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Dr. David Herzog with Doutzen Kroes and members of the Teen Mentor Program Laura Jacobs and Callie McLaughlin
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This page was posted 12/29/11.
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