Las Vegas City Wire

Helping people overcome eating disorders can be quite a challenge, and it’s one that University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Professor Lindsey Ricciardi likes to take head-on.

Ricciardi’s efforts were honored as she was named Liberal Arts Alumna of the Year, according to a news release from the university.

"My first experience teaching courses at UNLV was through my graduate assistantships, which is how I supported myself through graduate school," Ricciardi said in the news release. "So, there wasn't a lot of choice in the matter. Thankfully, I found that I really enjoyed teaching. There is a tremendous need for more providers and clinicians who understand and can treat eating disorders, so there is great value in providing this knowledge to emerging therapists."

Ricciardi, a UNLV graduate and doctorate student, said she experienced psychological disorders within her own family growing up; this sparked her interest in studying psychology, the news release noted.

"I have personal experience through both sides of my family with regard to psychological concerns such as addiction, PTSD, anxiety and mood disorders, ADHD, autism, and eating disorders," she said. "During my undergraduate studies in Maine, I worked as a peer educator at the counseling center and also joined an undergraduate research lab, where I was drawn to the science behind our understanding of psychology. I've been fascinated by the concept ever since."

She said growing up in Las Vegas played a major role in her upbringing, especially visiting her relatives.

"At its core, my decision was about family memories made in Las Vegas throughout my first 21 years of life," Ricciardi said. "After my parents divorced, my father and his side of the family lived between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, so I spent many summers with my family on the West Coast. 

"These trips always included a road trip to my grandmother's small Las Vegas apartment. We would spend our days at the community pool, which was like a tropical oasis for someone like me who was born in Brooklyn, New York, and lived in Maine. Playing games and eating homemade Italian dinners with my grandmother, aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins, and their friends are memories I will forever cherish. Combined with how unique and exciting this city was, I wanted to live here."