Kelly Costello Allison, PhD
Psychiatry
Accepting new patients
Sees patients age 18 and up
Penn Psychiatry Market Street 2nd Floor
Penn Medicine Provider
About me
- Director, Center for Weight and Eating Disorders
- Professor of Psychiatry at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
I provide cognitive behavioral therapy for disordered eating, weight management, and post-bariatric surgery issues in an outpatient therapy setting at the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders. Presenting problems that I treat typically include binge-eating, night-eating, bulimia nervosa, and emotional eating. These issues often are coupled with anxiety, mood, or other psychiatric issues that would also be addressed. I also provide pre-bariatric surgery psychological evaluations at Penn Medicine's Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program.
My education and training
- Graduate School: Miami University
- Residency: UMass Memorial Medical Center
Spoken languages
English
English
Insurance accepted
Please contact the practice and/or the member services department of your insurance company for specific details before receiving services. Providers may participate in some, but not all, products offered by a health plan; providers may also accept plans at some practice locations but not others.
- Aetna Advantra Cares D-SNP
- Aetna Advantra Credit Value
- Aetna Advantra Eagle HMO
- Aetna Advantra Eagle POS
- Aetna Advantra Premier Plus PPO
- Aetna Advantra Value
- Aetna Advantra Value Plus
- Aetna APCN Plus (Multi-Tier)
- Aetna Better Health Kids (CHIP) - DH Only
- Aetna Flexible Five
- Aetna Freedom Core
- Aetna Gold
- Aetna HMO
- Aetna Philly Prime
- Aetna POS
- Aetna PPO APCN
- Aetna Premier
- Aetna Premier Plus
- Aetna Savings Plus
- Aetna Signature Administrators
- Aetna Student Health Plan PPO
- Aetna Upfront Advantage
- First Health HMO
- First Health POS
- First Health PPO
- Meritain - Aramark (Other)
- Meritain - Aramark (Pennsylvania Premier Medical Plan)
- Centivo EPO
- Claim Watcher (Homestead/ INDECs) Open Access
- Clover Health Choice
- Clover Health Choice Value PPO
- Clover Health Classic HMO
- Clover Health Value
- Highmark Blue Shield BlueCare Custom PPO
- Highmark Blue Shield Complete Blue PPO Choice Deluxe
- Highmark Blue Shield Complete Blue PPO Premier
- Highmark Blue Shield First Priority Life (FPLIC) - AffordaBlue PPO
- Highmark Blue Shield Freedom Blue PPO
- Highmark Blue Shield My Blue Access PPO
- Highmark Blue Shield My Direct Blue EPO
- Highmark Blue Shield PPO
Locations
Penn Medicine hospital privileges
- Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania: Advanced Practice Provider
- Penn Presbyterian Medical Center: Advanced Practice Provider
Dr. Allison is a Penn Medicine provider.
Qualifications and experience
- Academy for Eating Disorders, International
- Data Safety Monitory Board for OT2 HL158287 Louisiana Community Engagement Alliance (LA-CEAL), MultiPIs: Krousel-Wood (Tulane University), Williams (Xavier University of LA), Wiltz (Teche Action Clinic)., National
- Nutrition Obesity Research Center, Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO., National
- OT2 HL158287 Louisiana Community Engagement Alliance (LA-CEAL), MultiPIs: Krousel-Wood (Tulane University), Williams (Xavier University of LA), Wiltz (Teche Action Clinic)., National
- R01 DK124806: Promoting Fat Loss During Pregnancy in Women with Grade 2 and 3 Obesity, PIs: Redman (Pennington Biomedical Research Center) and Phelan (California Polytechnic University), National
- R01DK129936 PROJECT-BARI Study, PI: Kishore Gadde, University of California, Irvine., National
- Sanford Health, NIH, National
- Special Emphasis Panel, NIH High Impact, Interdisciplinary Science in NIDDK Research Areas on Endocrinology and Metabolism [ZRG1 EMS-G(55)], National
- The Obesity Society (formerly NAASO), International
Treatments and conditions
Research
Publications
Tronieri JS, Allison KC, DeRouen K, Amaro A, Collins KG, Roy A, Watts S, Ananna T, Wadden TA. Short- and long-term effects of semaglutide 2.4 mg on energy intake, appetite, and food reward: a 60-week, double-blind randomized controlled trial. , American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 124(2): 2026,101403
Vizthum D, Cash H, Earthman C, Melough M, Patterson F, Allison K, Pacanowski C. Four-week time restricted eating intervention is associated with improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors and dysregulated eating among emerging adult women: a single-armed trial. , Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, 31(1): 2026,71
Allotey J, Coomar D, Ensor J, Ogwulu CO, Calvo GR, Monahan M, Kabeya V, McNeill R, Boath A, Mahmoud G, Harrison C, Khomami MB, Teede H, Heslehurst N, Hitman GA, Simpson SA, Nirantharakumar K, Dodds J, Allison KC, Shen G, Petrella E, Facchinetti F, Vinter C, Pelaez M, Jensen DM, Motahari-Tabari NS, Kinnunen TI, Ruiz JR, Bogaerts A, Renault KM, Kothari A, Cecatti JG, McAuliffe FM, Phelan S, Poston L, Betrán AP, Moss N, Iliodromiti S, Austin F, de la Torre NG, Pascual ALC, Zamora J, Roberts T, Riley RD, Thangaratinam S; International Weight Management in Pregnancy (i-WIP) Collaborative Group. Effects of physical activity and diet in pregnancy to prevent gestational diabetes: an individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis on the differential effects of interventions with economic evaluation. , Health Technology Assessment, 30(39): 2026,1-252
Choi W, Nho Y-H, Qiu L, Chang A, Campos G, Seilheimer R, Wilent W, Bakalov D, Firdous N, Kerr M, Joshi D, Maze G, Topalovic U, Batista D, Suthana N, Amaro A, Hayes M, Cajigas I, Cristancho M, Allison K, Pesaran B, Scangos K, Gold J, Wadden T, Halpern C. Brain activity associated with breakthrough food preoccupation in an individual on tirzepatide. , Nature Medicine, 31(12): 2025,4038-4043
LaFata EM, Worwag K, Derrigo K, Hessler C, Allison KC, Juarascio AS, Gearhardt AN. Development of the Food Addiction Symptom Inventory: The first clinical interview to assess ultra-processed food addiction. , Psychological Assessment, 36(11): 2024,654-664
Tajeu GS, Wu J, Tewksbury C, Spitzer JC, Rubin DJ, Gadegbeku CA, Soans R, Allison KC, Sarwer DB. Association of psychiatric history with hypertension among adults who present for metabolic and bariatric surgery. , Surgery for Obesity Related Diseases, 11: 2024,S1550-7289(24)00845-1
Allison KC, McCuen-Wurst C, Raevsky A, Holmes N, Goldbach M, Guerra CE, Rendle KA, Cadet TJ, Krouse RS, Tchou J. The Group-basEd Telehealth behavioral WEight Loss Program among breast cancer survivors: a pilot and feasibility study. , Obesity Science and Practice, 10(6): 2024,e70023
Liu Y, De Jesus E, Goldbach M, Krouse RS, Guerra CE, Rendle KA, Cadet TJ, Allison KC, Tchou J. Perceptions, facilitators, and barriers of participation for a behavioral weight loss group-based telehealth program for breast cancer survivors: a qualitative study. , Support Care Cancer, 32(12): 2024,808
Saumoy M, Kochman M, Allison K, Pickett-Blakely O, Cronholm P. Patient perception of endoscopic and medical therapies for weight loss. , Techniques and Innovations in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, 26(2): 2024,201-204
Sarwer D, Wadden T, Ashare R, Spitzer JC, McCuen-Wurst C, LaGrotte C, Williams N, Soans R, Tewksbury C, Wu J, Tajeu G, Allison KC. Psychopathology, disordered eating, and impulsivity as predictors of weight loss twenty-four months after metabolic and bariatric surgery. , Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases, 20(7): 2024,634-642