# Balanced and Empowered EaTing (BEET) in Diabetes: A feasibility trial

> **NIH NIH K23** · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · 2024 · $168,222

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Up to 20% - or nearly 7,000,000 – adults with diabetes (T2DM) concurrently experience disordered eating
behaviors (DEBs, e.g., significant overeating with loss of control), resulting in higher body mass index and lower
adherence to diet and exercise recommendations. DEBs are often disregarded by medical providers and
patients, and therefore undertreated in clinical settings. Research is limited on whether treatment for DEBs
impacts diabetes self-management and glycemic functioning. To address this, we developed the Balanced and
Empowered EaTing (BEET) in Diabetes, or the BEET Diabetes Program, a novel cognitive-behavioral therapy-
based program to designed to specifically treat DEBs in T2DM and improve diabetes self-management. By
designing with implementation science methods and engaging integrated behavioral health providers (BHPs) in
real clinical settings, we aim to 1) address an important treatment need for people with T2DM and concurrent
DEBs, and 2) improve the integration of BHPs in collaborative diabetes care in clinical settings.
Candidate and Mentors: I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of
Colorado. As a clinical health psychologist with training in implementation science methods, my program of
research aims to implement and evaluate evidence-based programs for mental health conditions that could
worsen diabetes and other endocrinopathies. I have built a strong mentorship team to guide my training including
primary mentor, Dr. C. Neill Epperson (neuroendocrinology of risk and resilience), and co-mentor, Dr. Bethany
Kwan (dissemination & implementation science).
Research and Training: I propose short term scientific, educational, and training goals that will build upon my
prior research training through three research aims: 1) engage BHPs to refine the BEET Diabetes Program for
implementation in clinical settings, 2) evaluate the feasibility of the BEET Diabetes Program, and 3) determine
the reach and estimate the effectiveness of the BEET Diabetes Program on patient-reported and clinical
outcomes. The complementary training goals to establish scientific independence through training in: 1)
advanced mixed-methods analytical skills by learning configurational comparative methods for implementation
science, 2) clinical trial design for behavioral research and longitudinal data analysis, and 3) methods for
biological data collection, analysis, and interpretation in T2DM.
Summary: DEBs in T2DM are a serious yet under-recognized clinical problem. There is a significant dearth of
research examining associated risk factors and treatments of DEBs in T2DM. My ultimate career goal is to
transform our approach to the prevention of endocrine- and metabolic-conditions by developing and
implementing evidence-based mental/behavioral programs in clinical settings. Completion of this career
development award will accelerate my path towards becoming a national expert in the biobehavioral
managemen...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10892863
- **Project number:** 5K23DK134758-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER
- **Principal Investigator:** Phoutdavone Phimphasone-Brady
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $168,222
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-08-01 → 2026-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10892863

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10892863, Balanced and Empowered EaTing (BEET) in Diabetes: A feasibility trial (5K23DK134758-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10892863. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*