Very excited to share that I’ve been awarded a grant to investigate body image processing in #AnorexiaNervosa using eyetracking.

Deeply grateful and excited to have been chosen by Melissa Leong and bestie Leah as the charity they're racing for in #TheAmazingRaceAU 🌏 Stories like Leah's are why we do what we do, and we hope you'll join us in cheering them on when the race starts at 7:30pm AEST tonight!

(1/2) Today, Body Image and Eating Disorders Awareness Week comes to a close for 2025 – but the urgent need for awareness and research in this space continues. Treatment options for anorexia nervosa are limited – and only effective in about 50% of people.

I am very happy to share a new paper that I have co-first authored with my colleague Kaitlyn Crocker. In this study, we explored the relationship between cognitive flexibility, divergent thinking, perfectionism, and #EatingDisorder symptoms. doi.org/10.1080/1064...

We could be one step closer to a new treatment for anorexia following promising results from a brain stimulation trial. Learn more: bit.ly/3HXUzRb

We are seeking people currently living in Australia to participate in virtual (i.e. over Zoom) focus groups. People under the age of 18 will need parental consent to participate. Follow the link to learn more: redcap.link/lzdud5ot

I am very excited to share my new publication with @swanresearch.bsky.social on quality of life in #AnorexiaNervosa (AN). We examined health-related quality of life in women with current AN, women who were weight-restored (but not fully recovered), and healthy controls 1/4 doi.org/10.1002/eat....

In-person tickets for BIRD 2025 are now sold out! Get in quick to avoid missing out on online attendance!

Registrations are open for the 5th Biennial Body Image & Related Disorders (BIRD) Conference! Low-cost registration available for in-person (Melbourne, Australia) and online attendance. More info: birdconference2025.eventbrite.com.au

Abstract submissions for the BIRD conference are now open! We look forward to reading your submissions and learning about the incredible research you are doing. See here for more info: www.eventbrite.com.au/e/body-image...

Anorexia nervosa is a severe mental illness with rising prevalence among youths, limited treatment options, and prominent physical and psychological challenges. This Special Communication recommends steps to improve research in this field. ja.ma/443jsTF

"We still don't actually have a very good understanding of what contributes to the development and maintenance of eating disorders." Orygen's A/Prof. Andrea Phillipou speaks to ABC Radio National about gaps in eating disorders research and treatment: bit.ly/3SyRxVl

Research silos and a narrow focus on weight restoration are holding back the field of eating disorders, a new Orygen-led paper with co-authors from @harvardmed.bsky.social and @kingscollegelondon.bsky.social has argued. Details + recommendations: bit.ly/454EKkX

We are excited to share a new article by A/Prof Andrea Phillipou on the potential role of sun exposure in #Anorexia nervosa. The #OpenAccess article proposes a novel hypothesis for an environmental–biological interaction. See the link below to read more. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Registrations are open for the 2025 Body Image & Related Disorders (BIRD) Conference. Hosted by Orygen's eating disorders team, it'll bring together international and local experts to discuss the latest research. View the program + register: bit.ly/4lZGqSC

We are excited to announce the 2025 Body Image & Related Disorders (BIRD) Conference. This hybrid conference will be hosted at @orygen.org.au in Melbourne, Australia and also livestreamed online. Program, tickets, and more information here: birdconference2025.eventbrite.com.au

We are very excited to share our 📢NEW PUBLICATION📢 on lived experience involvement in eating disorders research. We highlight the benefits of collaborating with people with lived experience and provide an example in our work to illustrate how collaboration can be achieved doi.org/10.1080/1064...

We are excited to announce the 2025 Body Image & Related Disorders (BIRD) Conference. Please save the date for Friday the 7th of November. The conference will take place in Melbourne, Australia in a hybrid format. More information coming soon #EatingDisorders #BIRD2025

📣Call for collaborators! 📣 We are looking for researchers worldwide who are interested in collaborating with us on a study to better understand the causes and maintaining factors of #Anorexia See our paper here and reach out for more info: doi.org/10.1016/j.ps...

Our lab is currently conducting a trial to investigate CBT-AR as a treatment for avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (#ARFID). Read more about the study below ⬇️ #EatingDisorders

I created a starter pack for Eating Disorders Research. No clue what I am doing, but maybe this will help us find each other in the great migration. #eatingdisorders go.bsky.app/SQwbxH5

Eating disorders are inadequately treated, poorly understood & chronically underfunded. At Orygen, our research is focused on unlocking new approaches to improve the lives of all people affected by eating disorders. Find out more in the🔗& 🧵👇 1/6 orygen.org.au/About/News-A...

📢📢 PARTICIPANTS REQUIRED📢📢 If you work in an eating disorders service and are interested in sharing your thoughts on treatment for ARFID, please reach out using the following link! tinyurl.com/helparfid

📢📢Seeking PhD Students!📢📢 Are you interested in a PhD with our awesome team at The University of Melbourne/Orygen in #AnorexiaNervosa in 2025? We are taking expressions of interest until 30th Aug. Please email us at [email protected]! Please share widely!

Our wonderful team member @stephmiles.bsky.social was featured in a news article over the weekend! Check out the article using the link below.

Publication alert! Are you curious about the role of OCD symptoms and perfectionism in orthorexia nervosa? My PhD student Phillipa Huynh has just published her research on that topic and it is open access! #PsychSci 👩‍🔬 #ClinPsy 1/5 doi.org/10.1007/s405...

Cognitive inflexibility is common in people with eating disorders (EDs) - but we also found poor cognitive flexibility in clinicians & researchers in EDs. In this paper, we discuss the clinical implications this rigidity may have on clinical practice & patient outcomes. doi.org/10.1080/1064...

Our group is still split over several workplaces so it makes it even more special when we're able to get almost 2/3 of Swannies to catch up in-person for our end of year celebration! Happy holidays!!

Thank you to everyone who tuned into the Body Image and Related Disorders (BIRD) Conference today. We hope that you enjoyed the program and learnt lots. If you missed the conference live, you can email us (see bio) for access to the recording.

BIRD speaker Dr Erica Neill explains that although clinical trials are common in some mental health conditions such as schizophrenia (>2,000 trials in the past decade), very few clinical trials are conducted for anorexia nervosa (254 in the past decade).

It was great to hear from our BIRD speakers on new treatments that are being developed for eating disorders. In Australia, trials on psilocybin, ketamine, and more are coming in 2024.

We are currently hearing from PhD candidate Rosiel Elwyn about novel ketamine and zinc treatment for anorexia nervosa.

For the BIRD conference, Prof. Genevieve Pepin discusses parents' experiences of taking their child with an eating disorder to the emergency department. Over an average of 2.67 years, families made 5.2 visits to emergency. The average wait time was 6.3 hours and many experiences were negative.

The keynote speaker for the BIRD conference is A/Prof Kamryn Eddy. She begins her presentation by highlighting that even after 25 years of an eating disorder, recovery is still possible.

The Body Image & Related Disorders (BIRD) Conference is next week! We can't wait to see you all online and hear about some novel research in our field. For more info, visit tinyurl.com/BIRD-2023