The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Student Organization of Social Work will co-sponsor, with the National Association of Social Work Branch D, a public lecture by a board certified psychiatrist on Monday, April 6 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Campus Center.

Dr. Momen El Nesr will speak on Anorexia Nervosa: A Hidden Disease. Dr. El Nesr is board certified in general psychiatry, addiction psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine. Allied health providers are encouraged to attend this free lecture.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, part of the National Institutes of Health, Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by a relentless pursuit of thinness and a distortion of body image. In Maine, a Youth Risk Behavior Survey conducted in 2007 found that 46 percent of students were trying to lose weight while only a quarter were overweight or were at risk for becoming overweight, and that four times as many girls believed they were overweight than actually were, according to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.

“Collaborating to share resources within the community is a common goal of the Student Organization of Social Work and the NASW Branch D,” Social Work Professor Shirley Rush said. “Particularly in a rural area, making professional training accessible and affordable is essential. We are fortunate to have Dr. EL Nesr as a skilled and compassionate psychiatrist in Aroostook County who is willing to offer his expertise to us in this area.”

In 1999, Dr. El Nesr received an Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill for his contributions to a greater public understanding about mental illness. He was among 39 psychiatrists from the U.S. and Canada honored with this award.

For more information about this lecture, contact Shirley Rush at 768-9427 or by email at shirley.rush@maine.edu.