Ronette "Ronnie" Kolotkin, Ph.D.

Dr. Ronette Kolotkin is a clinical psychologist who specializes in the treatment of obesity and binge eating disorder, as well as research on quality of life in obesity. She holds faculty appointments in the US and Norway: Consulting Professor in the Department of Community and Family Medicine at Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina and Professor at Sogn og Fjordane University College, Department of Health Studies, Førde, Norway; Department of Surgery, Førde Central Hospital, Norway; Førde Hospital Trust, Førde, Norway; and Morbid Obesity Centre, Vestfold Hospital Trust, Tønsberg, Norway. She received a BA from Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, and a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

For 15 years, Dr. Kolotkin served as Director of the Behavioral Health Program at Duke University's Diet and Fitness Center and later as a workshop leader in their psycho-educational programs. From 2000-2012 Dr. Kolotkin led workshops at the Rice Diet Program on topics such as Enhancing Motivation, Recovering from Relapse, Dealing with Emotional Eating, and Positive Self-Affirmation. The owner of Quality of Life Consulting, PLLC^§, she provides consulting, clinical, editorial, and educational services to companies, hospitals, healthcare professionals, researchers, contract research organizations, community groups, and individuals.

Professional memberships include the following: Fellow of the Obesity Society (formerly known as the North American Association for the Study of Obesity), a member of the American Psychological Association, North Carolina Psychological Association, International Society for the Study of Quality of Life, International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research, and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (Allied Health). For many years she served as an Associate Editor of the journal Obesity Surgery.

Dr. Kolotkin is the primary developer of the Impact of Weight on Quality of Life questionnaire (IWQOL-Lite^©†), a widely used questionnaire that assesses quality of life in obese adults, as well as the IWQOL-Kids^©‡ for adolescents. In addition to over 80 professional publications Dr. Kolotkin is the co-author of a book entitled Duke University Medical Center Book of Diet and Fitness, and has written chapters for several books (Integrative Weight Management; Handbook of Obesity Surgery; Handbook of Assessment Methods for Eating Behaviors and Weight Related Problems, 2nd edition; Progress in Obesity Research: 9; Obesity: New Directions in Assessment & Management; and The Assessment of Psychotherapy Outcome). She has also created an audio CD entitled "Healthy Thoughts," which has been a powerful aid for obese persons in weight loss treatment.

Dr. Kolotkin has consulted to numerous companies in their clinical trials and/or development of products and services. These include Abbott Laboratories, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eisai, Eli Lilly, Foundation for Informed Medical Decision-Making, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen, Knoll, Merck, Novo Nordisk, Orexigen, Oxford Outcomes, Pfizer, Procter and Gamble, QualityMetric, Roche, Ross Products, RTI International, Sanofi-Aventis, Schering-Plough, and Vivus.

§ Quality of Life Consulting is a North Carolina Professional Limited Liability Company

† Copyright Duke University

‡ Copyright Ronette L. Kolotkin and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center