Janet Treasure

Janet Treasure (born 1952) is a British psychiatrist, who specialises in research and treatment of eating disorders.

She is currently the Director of the Eating Disorder Unit and Professor of Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London. In early-2013, she was awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for Services to People with Eating Disorders.

Academic career Treasure began her medical and academic careers at the University of London in 1970, gaining her Bachelor of Science in Physiology (BSc; 1st Class) in 1973, her doctorate in Physiology (PhD) in 1975 and her Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MB, BS) in 1978. She then joined the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP) in 1980, and the Royal College of Psychiatrists (MRCPsych) in 1984. In 1995 she was awarded a fellowship of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (FRCPsych), and in 1999 a fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP). She was awarded a professorship in Psychiatry at KCL in 2000, which she continues to hold today, alongside her position as director of the Eating Disorder Unit in SLaM.

Other positions held Treasure holds, or has held, the following posts: having made great headway in both research and treatment, and publishing around 300 peer-reviewed research articles. Her research mainly focusses on the relationship between disorder behaviour and the brain, with the overall aim of developing new treatments. This work has been carried out with patient input, often inspired by patients and their families, whilst also working with various international teams. Her current research unit is investigating and developing all aspects of eating disorders treatment, biology, and clinical problems. She has previously been a co-coordinator of a multicentre European-wide study that examined the genetic and environmental factors associated with the management of eating disorders, and was also vice-chairman of a European project examining the effectiveness of treatment of eating disorders in over 20 countries.

Diabetes research Treasure has also been very involved in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and motivational interviewing treatment trials for patients with type 1 diabetes.