Jerica Berge
,
Credentials
PhD, MPH, LMFT, CFLE

Professor
Vice Chair for Research
Biography

Bio

Dr. Berge is a professor and vice chair for research in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health as well as the inaugural holder of the Carole J. Bland, PhD Endowed Chair at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Dr. Berge is both a researcher and behavioral medicine clinician. She is a licensed mental health therapist and supervisor who specializes in integrated care and community-based partnerships to address family health issues. Her NIH research agenda focuses on conducting both childhood obesity prevention and treatment studies within primary care settings with the ultimate goal of decreasing childhood obesity disparities in low-income and minority households. She is also the director of the Healthy Eating and Activity across the Lifespan (HEAL) Center and the Principal Investigator of the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) K-12 grant. Additionally, she is the director of the Center for Women in Medicine and Science (CWIMS) at the University of Minnesota Medical School.

Research Summary

Dr. Berge's NIH research agenda focuses on weight and weight-related health behaviors across the lifespan, families and health, women's health, and integrated care. She conducts both childhood obesity prevention and treatment studies within primary care settings with the ultimate goal of decreasing childhood obesity disparities in low-income and minority households. Dr. Berge has expertise in conducting mixed methods studies that include observational methods such as, ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and video-recorded family tasks, as well as quantitative survey data to more fully understand the complex family dynamics and processes related to physical activity and dietary behaviors in children and adolescents. Dr. Berge is one of the most cited authors on family dynamics and childhood obesity with over 125 publications, 300 presentations and 20 book chapters on related topics. She has an impressive funding trajectory including NIH K12, R03, R13, R21, R56, and R01 grants funded across several different institutes including NHLBI, NIDDK, and NICHD. Dr. Berge also serves on several NIH study sections including the Psychosocial Risk and Disease Prevention study section at NIH and several special interest study sections.

Research Interests
Obesity treatment and prevention
Integrated care
Behavioral medicine
Women's health
Health disparities
Mixed methods

Clinical Summary

Depression, anxiety, PTSD/stress response, and weight-related behaviors.

Education

MPH, Magna cum laude, University of Minnesota School of Public Health
Major: Epidemiology
Minor: Nutrition
PhD, Magna cum laude, University of Minnesota
Major: Family Social Science/Marriage and Family Therapy
Minor: Behavioral Medicine in Primary Care
MS, Magna cum laude, Brigham Young University
Major: Marriage and Family Therapy
BS, Magna cum laude, Brigham Young University
Major: Family Social Science/Psychology

Fellowships, Residencies, and Visiting Engagements

Leadership and Mentoring Fellow, Fellowship
National Council on Family Relations
Mid-Career Leadership Training Fellow, Fellowship
Danone Institute
Behavioral Medicine Clinician/Research Post-doc, Fellowship
Ramsey Family Medicine/Regions Hospital Residency Program
Doctoral Family Therapy Internship, Internship
Human Services, Inc.

Licensures and Certifications

Certification in Behavioral Medicine, University of Massachusetts
Trauma Response (individual and group interventions), International Critical Incident Stress Foundation
Certified Field Traumatologist ,
Approved Supervisor , American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists, AAMFT
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT),
Licensure/Certification Number: 1218
Trauma Response and Ambiguous Loss, GreenCross Foundation/Traumatology Institute
Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) ,

Professional Memberships

Families and Health Section of the National Council on Family Relations , Chair-elect
2014-2016
Certified Family Life Educators; National Council on Family Relations, Advisory Board Member
2005-2010
Families and Health Section of the National Council on Family Relations , Student/New Professional Representative
2008-2010
American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy , Clinical Member/Approved Supervisor
Collaborative Family Health Care Association
National Council on Family Relations
Families and Health Section of the National Council on Family Relations
Society of Teachers of Family Medicine
Minnesota Association for Hypnotherapy
Family Therapy Section of the National Council on Family Relations
The Obesity Society
Family Theory and Research Section of the National Council on Family Relations
University of Minnesota Obesity Prevention Center
International Society for Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity
American Society for Nutrition
Families and Health Section of the National Council on Family Relations , Chair
Selected Presentations

Selected Presentations

Harris, S. M., Berge, J. M., Maclehose, R. F., Neumark-Sztainer, D. R. "Exploring family discord and adolescents with disordered eating", Annual Meeting, American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, Austin, Texas, United States. September 04, 2015.
Berge, J. M., (Presenter), Mendenhall, T. J. "Using community-based participatory research to target childhood obesity", Annual Conference / American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, Milwakee, Wisconsin, United States. October 01, 2014.
Contact

Contact

Address

717 Delaware St SE, Room 420
Minneapolis, MN 55414-2959