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Rhonda M Merwin

Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Adult Psychiatry & Psychology
Box 3320 Med Ctr, Durham, NC 27710
2400 Pratt Street, Durham, NC 27705

Overview


Rhonda M. Merwin, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Merwin has expertise in eating disorders, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and psychological concerns in the management of Type 1 diabetes. She a Fellow and the current President of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science, and 1 of 116 peer-reviewed ACT trainers worldwide. Dr. Merwin is leading work to address eating disorders in type 1 diabetes, a dangerous comorbidity that disproportionately affects women, and studies on the mechanisms of eating disorder development, maintenance and processes of change, and digital early interventions. Her research is funded by the National Institutes of Health (e.g., NIDDK, NIMH) and Breakthrough T1D (formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, JDRF), among other sponsors. Dr. Merwin is the author of ACT for Anorexia: A Guide for Clinicians. Her lab focuses on problematic eating and weight control, or more broadly, problems that arise from an adversarial relationship with the body or the body's cues, and/or difficulty reading and responding to internal cues to meet one's physical and emotional needs. Her treatment development work integrates digital and mobile technologies to increase treatment access and for momentary assessment and intervention. Dr. Merwin directs the ACT Clinic at Duke which provides clinical services in ACT and in-depth training in ACT for psychiatry residents, clinical psychology graduate students, interns and fellows. She also teaches a psychotherapy course for psychiatry residents in the School of Medicine and conducts continuing education events/workshops locally, nationally and internationally. For more information about Dr. Merwin's research, education and clinical activities, see ACTatDuke.org.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences · 2025 - Present Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Adult Psychiatry & Psychology, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

Recent Publications


A Scoping Review of the Relationship Between Psychological (In)flexibility and Living with and Managing Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes.

Journal Article Behav Sci (Basel) · June 9, 2025 Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is highly prevalent and carries a significant self-management burden and elevated risk of biopsychosocial sequelae. Psychological flexibility (PF) has been shown to benefit living with and managing chronic health conditions. The pres ... Full text Link to item Cite

Correspondence between the Diabetes Eating Problems Survey-Revised and eating disorder diagnosis: Examining the current cut-off for clinically significant eating disorder symptoms.

Journal Article Diabet Med · May 2025 AIMS: Eating disorders (EDs) are associated with severe health complications and early death in individuals with type 1 diabetes, making the accurate detection of EDs crucial so that treatment can be initiated. The Diabetes Eating Problems Survey-Revised ( ... Full text Link to item Cite

Acceptability and feasibility of acceptance and commitment therapy for improving outcomes in hematopoietic stem cell transplant.

Journal Article PLoS One · 2025 INTRODUCTION: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT) has the potential to cure patients with hematologic malignancies, but treatment-related morbidity and mortality is high. Transplant outcomes are optimized by patients maintaining physical ac ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


FlexED: A Digital, Gamified Early Intervention for Eating Disorders based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2022 - 2026

A randomized controlled trial of iACT, a novel mHealth intervention for eating disorders in type 1 diabetes

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation · 2022 - 2026

North Carolina Diabetes Research Center Alzheimer's Supplement

ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by Wake Forest University School Of Medicine · 2021 - 2022

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Education, Training & Certifications


University of Mississippi · 2006 Ph.D.

External Links


ACT at Duke