Staff Biographies

Gerard J. Musante, PH.D.
Founder, Structure House
Renowned clinical psychologist, Dr. Gerard J. Musante founded Structure House in 1977 and understands firsthand the struggle faced by overweight people. After spending his overweight adolescent years trying countless diets that never worked, he devoted his professional life to developing and teaching the principles of behavior modification to overweight people.

Today, his internationally respected weight control program has helped more than 30,000 people change their attitudes, perceptions and lifestyles with diet, exercise and education at Structure House, a residential weight loss center in Durham, N.C. Many celebrities, celebrity relatives, and notables in the field of business and government come to Structure House for its superior programs, integrity, and policy of absolute privacy.

Lee Kern, M.S.W., L.C.S.W.
Clinical Director
Lee joined Structure House as the program's Clinical Director in 1982. He has responsibility for the development of the treatment program. In addition, he oversees and teaches classes and workshops, supervises the therapy staff, provides individual and group therapy, combining cognitive behavioral and psychodynamic approaches. His special areas of interest include stress management, relapse prevention, and the analysis of successful weight losers.

Anna L. Stout, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist, Associate Director of Research and Clinical Programs
Anna Stout, who joined Structure House in 2002, supervises research investigations into the problems of overweight and obesity. In addition, she focuses on program development and supervises the exercise, health and nutrition components.

Most recently, Anna served as the Director of the Women's Behavioral Health Program for the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Duke University School of Medicine. She continues to hold a faculty appointment in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science and the Department of Psychology: Social and Health Sciences at Duke University.

She earned a Ph.D. in Clinical-Community Psychology from the University of South Carolina, a M.A. degree in psychology from Wake Forest University, and a B.A. degree in psychology from Queens College in Charlotte, North Carolina. She is a member of the American Psychological Association, North American Association for the Study of Obesity and the Society of Behavioral Medicine. Anna brings a strong desire to understand and treat issues related to the interplay among behavior, psychology, and physical health.

Yeshesvini (Vini) Raman, M.D.
Consulting Physician and Psychiatrist
Dr. Raman serves as a consulting physician and psychiatrist, offering general medical and mental health services to participants. She is a faculty member in the Departments of Internal Medicine and Psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center. Prior to coming to Structure House, Dr. Raman was a staff physician and clinical instructor in Internal Medicine and Psychiatry at Cambridge Hospital and Harvard University School of Medicine, respectively. Dr. Raman completed a combined residency in Internal Medicine and Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and is board certified in both specialty areas. Dr. Raman has a special interest in the medical and psychiatric issues of overweight individuals.

Jennifer Pells, Ph.D.
Psychologist/Program Facilitator
Jen joined Structure House in 2006 and is a member of the Clinical Treatment Staff and Research/Program Development Team. She provides individual therapy, (including home-based phone therapy) facilitates groups, and teaches classes. Jen's areas of interest include cognitive-behavioral approaches to managing binge eating, depression, anxiety, and persistent pain, enhancing motivation, and using acceptance and mindfulness-based techniques to manage emotions and enhance well-being. In addition to her clinical work, Jen collaborates with the Structure House and Duke University Medical Center research team to study psychosocial factors that contribute to obesity and weight loss. She is a member of professional organizations including the Obesity Society and the Society of Behavioral Medicine and presents research conducted at Structure House at national professional meetings.

Jen earned her B.A. from Middlebury College and her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Maine. She completed an internship and post-doctoral fellowship in Health Psychology at Duke University Medical Center, where she obtained advanced training in the treatment of chronic pain, eating disorders, and weight management.

Shula Lazarus, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist
Shula Lazarus joined the Structure House staff in 1989. She provides individual therapy, career counseling, group therapy, and psycho-educational classes. Utilizing an integrative approach, she conducts weekly sessions in relaxation and creative visualization. Her classes and groups reflect her clinical interest in topics such as binge eating, cravings, motivation, body-image, self-esteem, perfectionism and procrastination.

Shula earned her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed her clinical internship at Duke University. Her doctoral dissertation examined the relationship between affect and cognitions in obese binge eaters. She holds a dual undergraduate degree in psychology and sociology from The Hebrew University at Jerusalem, Israel. She is a member of the American Psychological Association, North Carolina Psychological Association, and the Obesity and Eating Disorder Special Interest Group.

Carol Richman, M.S.W., L.C.S.W.
Psychotherapist
Carol Richman has been on the Structure House treatment staff as a therapist since 1987. During this time she has facilitated individual, group, and couples therapy and developed and implemented numerous psycho-educational treatment modalities such as mindfulness, setting and maintaining boundaries, anger management, assertiveness training, forgiveness, self-care, psychodrama, and dealing with loss and grief.

She received her Masters degree in social work from Florida State University and her undergraduate degree in psychology from the State University College of New York at Oneonta. Her more than thirty years of clinical practice and ongoing training allow her to provide the most up to date evidence based practices that successfully impact obesity.

Geri Nelson, M.S.W., L.C.S.W.
Psychotherapist
Geri joined our staff in 2004. She has over twenty years of experience as an Administrator, Program Developer, Professor, and Clinician. She is a part time Clinical Instructor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work. At Structure House, she provides individual therapy and teaches classes on mindfulness and on the use of food and activity diary. Her special area of interest is the mind-body connection, particularly the use of mindfulness techniques such as meditation and yoga to enhance health and well-being. Other interests include assertiveness training and lifestyle assessment and planning. She has an undergraduate degree from Colby College and a Masters in Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Nancy Freeman, R.N., B.S.N., C.D.E.
Nursing Coordinator
Nancy joined Structure House in 1986 and is responsible for coordinating the medical services program including the Diabetes Program. She conducts medical evaluations of participants to help determine an appropriate exercise level, provides counseling for medical issues, arranges for any further medical treatment that may be necessary, and works closely with the exercise staff to ensure the appropriate exercise environment.

Nancy has a B.S. degree in Nursing and is a Certified Diabetes Educator by the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators.

Janice Mills, R.N., A.G.N.P.
Registered Nurse
Janice Mills joined the Structure House medical treatment team in March of 2005 as a Registered Nurse. Janice works with Nancy Freeman to coordinate the diverse medical needs of participants. Together they work with the exercise specialists to ensure safe and rewarding participation. Health assessments are performed at the beginning and end of each individual's stay at Structure House.

Janice graduated from New York State Hospital School of Nursing in 1977 and was certified as an adult/geriatric Nurse Practitioner through the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in 1983. Janice has extensive Medical/Surgical and intensive care unit experience from many years at Duke University Medical Center. Many years were devoted exclusively to Cardiology nursing, including service in the Cardiac Catheterization Lab at UNC Hospitals. Her cardiology experience in outpatient cardiac rehabilitation sparked her enthusiasm for preventative health care and health maintenance.

Marlene Lesson, M.S., R.D., L.D.N., C.D.E.
Nutrition Director
Marlene has been the Nutrition Director at Structure House since 1983. She conducts workshops on such topics as eating patterns that fight fat, successful aging, dietary supplements, and healthy dining out. She provides individual dietary counseling as well as educational sessions for people with diabetes.

A registered dietitian member of the American Dietetic Association, Marlene participates in several of the Association's special practice groups. She has a graduate degree in Human Nutrition and Foods at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and an undergraduate degree in Fine Arts and Art History at the University of Maryland. She is a certified Diabetes Educator by the National Certification Board of Diabetes Educators.

Melanie Sweazey, M.A.
Exercise Director
Melanie joined the Structure House exercise staff in 2005. Her background includes exercise stress testing, fitness assessments, exercise prescriptions, wellness education and personal training. She recently worked at East Carolina University's fitness testing program and human performance lab.

Melanie has a Master of Arts degree in Exercise and Sport Science with a concentration in Exercise Physiology from East Carolina University and a Bachelor's degree in Fitness, Cardiac Rehabilitation and Exercise Science from Ithaca College in New York. She is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine as a Health Fitness Instructor.

Alicen Cisco, M.S.
Exercise Specialist
Alicen has been a member of the Structure House exercise staff since 1995. She has been in the fitness industry for 20 years. Alicen is certified by the American Council on Exercise as a personal trainer and fitness specialist. She also holds certifications as a rehabilitation specialist, aquatics instructor, and yoga instructor.

Alicen holds a Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling from East Carolina University. Alicen is a nationally certified pilates trainer. She initially received training in New York from Physical Mind Institute. She continued her training and internship at the Body Works Treatment & Prevention Care.

Staff Articles

Menu Login

Learn More About Us