Congratulations to Dr. Kelly Klump, MSU Foundation Professor and clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychology, on receiving the 2026 Leadership Award in Mentoring by the Academy for Eating Disorders.
This important award recognizes individuals who have made, over a substantial period, significant contributions to the field through the mentorship of students, trainees, and colleagues.
“I would like to thank the Academy for Eating Disorders for honoring me with this important award,” said Dr. Klump. “The Academy has been an integral part of my professional development and my life for more than 25 years, so it is especially meaningful to receive this recognition from such an outstanding organization.”
Dr. Klump’s nomination was spearheaded by her former students and now colleagues in the field of eating disorder research, Drs. Melissa Munn-Chernoff of Texas Tech University and Kristen Culbert of Michigan State University.
“I cannot think of anyone who possesses the qualities of an effective and supportive mentor more than Kelly,” said Dr. Munn-Chernoff. “She has been a constant support system not only for me, but also for many of her other trainees. She has been my mentor for nearly 26 years and has been a sounding board as I have progressed throughout every stage of my professional journey.”
Dr. Munn-Chernoff worked directly in the Klump Lab as an undergraduate—one of the first students to work in Klump’s Lab in 2000. She has continued to collaborate on numerous papers with Dr. Klump since then.
“I am so grateful to Dr. Munn-Chernoff and Dr. Culbert for this nomination and for their years of collaboration and friendship. One of the beautiful things about mentorship is that you learn just as much—if not more—from your trainees than they learn from you," said Dr. Klump. “That is certainly the case with Dr. Munn-Chernoff and Dr. Culbert, and I would be remiss if I didn’t also recognize the many students and postdocs who have shaped me as both a scientist and a person.”
Her past graduate student and postdoctoral mentees include Drs. Jessica van Huysse, Sarah Racine, Britney Hildebrandt, Carolina Anaya, Megan Mikhail, Jessica Baker, Jennifer Slane, Alexia Spanos, Patrick Perkins, Janet Eggert, Ioanna Gisone, Natasha Fowler, Phuong Vo, Emily Rolan, Kyle Gobrogge, as well as her current trainees Sarah Jones, Cierra Guinn, and Ronan Scott.
“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have worked with all of these outstanding people, to have learned from them, and to continue carrying their talents and insights forward through the next generation of trainees,” said Klump.
Dr. Klump joined the Department of Psychology in 2000 and pioneered the initial development of the Michigan State University Twin Registry, a population-based twin registry that includes over 33,000 twins, that was officially founded in collaboration with Co-Director Dr. Alex Burt. Dr. Klump’s groundbreaking research has changed the field of how eating disorders are viewed and treated.
The Klump Lab has discovered that psychosocial risk factors that are often emphasized in models of eating disorders are only part of the story. Her research shows that genetics play a significant role in the development of eating disorders, particularly during periods of development marked by significant biological and hormonal changes, like puberty.
Dr. Klump was honored and recognized at an award ceremony in The Hague, Netherlands in early June.