Rena R. Wing

Rena R. Wing is recognized for her well-established research on behavioral treatments of obesity. Dr. Wing's research examined positive outcomes for long-term weight loss as well as halting weight gain in individuals who are currently overweight. This led to an important development in Wing's research which was the layout of a lifestyle intervention for those with diabetes, particularly type 2.

Wing graduated with a Ph.D. in Social Relations and later completed her postdoctoral fellowship by 1973. Dr. Wing was a professor at University of Pittsburgh for 25 years. During her time in Pittsburgh, she took part in various organizations working on different treatments for diabetes.

Currently, Wing is a professor at Brown University as well as the director of research focused on studying weight control. Not only has she dedicated her time to serving on different councils and panels, she has published over 250 peer-reviewed articles. She achieved this while simultaneously mentoring many junior faculty members on her topic of focus. All of these accomplishments have resulted in Wing receiving many awards. For example, in 2024, Brown University awarded Wing the Rosenberger Medal of Honor.

Research completed and in progress Rena Wing has been actively researching behavioral treatments of obesity for about forty years. She has examined many aspects of weight loss. Wing has completed research on four different questions examining the health benefits of modest weight loss, how behavioral treatment of obesity can be improved, whether it is possible to prevent weight gain and subsequent obesity, and the characteristics of successful weight loss maintainers. Wing is currently studying successful weight losers comparing those with normal weight controls versus obese weight controls. DPP was a trial which tested the effective differences between lifestyle interventions or metformin, a diabetes medication, and whether these differences were significantly variant on their ability to delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. During her research on the health benefits of modest weight loss, Wing recruited more than 3,000 overweight patients who suffered from impaired glucose tolerance. where she found that a self-regulation intervention through the internet or face-to-face had the ability to reduce the risk of weight regain. Knowing this, Wing created a study which compares successful weight losers with normal weight controls and obese controls in terms of behavioral measures and brain responses to food cues. Wing focused on whether successful weight losers who have reduced to normal weight now respond to food cues as always-normal weight controls, or if they continue to respond as if obese.

Career Dr. Rena Wing received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Connecticut College in 1967. In 1968, she earned her master's degree and doctorate degree in Social Psychology, graduating in 1971. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institute of Mental Health as well as at Harvard Medical School in the department of Psychiatry by 1973. Dr. Wing then spent the next 25 years as a teacher at the University of Pittsburgh. She lectured in psychiatry, psychology, and epidemiology. In between her work in Pittsburgh, Wing also spent a few years as a lecturer in psychology at Stanford University in California. During her years in Pittsburgh, she became the director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) in 1999. After she concluded her time in Pittsburgh, she continued her teaching at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Dr. Wing is currently a professor at Brown University, and also dedicates her time to many other research panels and councils.