Donna Gallagher, MS, RD, CEPC
CO-FOUNDER
Specialties:
All forms of eating disorders and disordered eating
Post bariatric disordered eating
Complex eating disorders with preexisting or coexisting trauma or food insecurity
Health at Every Size / Body acceptance
Intuitive eating
Adults 35 years old and older
LGBTQ+
Contact:
Donna Gallagher, MS, RD, is co-founder of the "BeginWithin" Center for Nutritional and Psychological Wellness. She is a master's level registered dietitian pursuing her doctorate in clinical nutrition at Rutgers University. She has been in private practice in New Jersey, treating individuals with eating disorders, body image issues, and disordered eating, as well as athletes and individuals with learning disabilities (ADD, ADHD, and autism spectrum disorders) and other various nutritional concerns for the past twenty-five years.
She completed her undergraduate work in food and nutrition at Rutgers University and received her bachelor's degree. She performed her post-graduate internship at Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, NJ. She received her master's degree in nutrition and physical fitness at New York University. She simultaneously designed and performed a study on bulimia at St. Luke's Roosevelt Women's Hospital in New York. She received early training at Bayshore Community Hospital, Riverview Medical Center, and Monmouth Medical Center. She has worked on the staff of the eating disorders unit at Robert Wood Johnson (formerly Somerset Medical Center) in Somerville, NJ. She was an adjunct professor in the Department of Nursing and Health Studies at Monmouth University, West Long Branch, NJ, and is currently a guest lecturer for the Rutgers School of Health Professions.
Donna has authored numerous articles in professional journals, local newspapers, and magazines and recently finished writing her first book, Behind the Mask: Our Secret Battle, about the lifelong struggles many adult women have with food.
Donna has personally recovered from anorexia and bulimia. She uses the insight she developed through her recovery, with nutrition knowledge and a deep understanding of those suffering from eating, weight, and body image issues, to provide individuals with a safe, supportive environment to work on their healing journey. She helps her clients challenge their negative self-beliefs and improve their self-image and body image. She helps them develop insights about the connectedness between their feelings and their eating/exercise behaviors and helps them take gradual steps toward a healthier lifestyle. She supports them in challenging the "toxic nutritional beliefs" perpetuating their struggle with food and body.
Although Donna is an expert in treating all eating disorders, she is uniquely adept at treating adults with binge eating disorder and those who have been on the "diet roller coaster" for years. She is one of the few nutrition professionals who help individuals learn how to co-exist with food and their body in a more peaceful, nurturing way instead of perpetuating the belief that unsustainable, restrictive weight loss methods will create lasting weight loss.
Donna enjoys spending time with her husband, two adult children, and pets when she's not working. They love going to the beach, hiking, and relaxing at home.
