She earned her PhD in psychology from Louisiana State University and completed her pre-doctoral internship at the University of Alabama in Birmingham’s School of Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry. Van Buren has held academic appointments at St. Louis University School of Medicine and is a licensed psychologist in the states of Missouri and Illinois. She is a certified Health Service Provider in Missouri and is listed in the National Register of Psychologists. Her research and clinical interests are in the areas of eating disorders and obesity, behavioral treatments of chronic illnesses and marital/family relationships.