Amanda Banks, M.D.
Physician, author, company builder, advocate.
Biography
Amanda Banks, M.D., is a practicing physician, a drug developer and a mom of a daughter in recovery for anorexia nervosa (AN). After her daughter's diagnosis in early 2024, she spent two years diving into the literature, learning deeply the evolving science of AN, speaking to and collaborating with many of the leading clinicians, researchers and patient organizations in the field, and working with colleagues in the biopharmaceutic industry and venture investing to shape how AN is understood and how capital is allocated.
She has become a leading advocate to change the way AN is perceived, to invest in the kind of quality science required to continue to move the field forward to better treatments, and to put guardrails around GLP-1 agonist prescribing to keep vulnerable people safe.
Dr. Banks completed her undergraduate work in Biology at Tufts University, went to medical school ten years later at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, completed her residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and continues to take care of patients at the Philadelphia VA Hospital.
Dr. Banks has been a founder, CEO, Chief Medical Officer and has led Business Development in several biotechnology companies. She is the author of the Substack newsletter Hijacked by Anorexia, and her work on AN has been published in a variety of journals and reports, including the New England Journal of Medicine. This is her first book.
Key themes
A mother's investigation
After her 14-year-old daughter was diagnosed with AN, Dr. Banks spent two years researching the science and talking with the leading researchers, clinicians and organizations in the field.
GLP-1s and a hidden crisis
These drugs mimic the biology and core features of anorexia nervosa, and data suggest that GLP-1 agonists are driving a rise in the disorder.
A biological reframe
Anorexia nervosa is not a lifestyle choice or extreme willpower — it is a serious biological disorder with deep genetic roots, capable of overriding the most fundamental drive in every living creature: to eat when hungry.
A call for guardrails
Regulations have not kept pace with GLP-1 prescribing. This book makes the case for urgent policy change — and equips families, clinicians, and policymakers with the tools to act.
Recovery is always possible
No matter what your journey has been, you can get there.
All press and interview requests: press@amandabanksmd.com