About this Event
Body Image & Related Disorders Conference
The Scientific Work in Anorexia Nervosa & Other Eating Disorders (SWAN) Research Group at Orygen and the University of Melbourne are delighted to be hosting the 5th biennial Body Image & Related Disorders (BIRD) conference, bringing together leading local and international experts in the fields of body image and eating disorders.
Friday 7th November 2025*
10:00am – 4:30pm AEDT
Held as a hybrid event at Orygen in Melbourne, Australia and livestreamed online.
Online attendees will receive an email update with the Zoom link before the event. The event will also be recorded and provided to all registrants following the conference.
Preliminary Agenda
🕑: 10:00 AM
Conference Opening
Host: Associate Professor Andrea Phillipou
🕑: 10:10 AM
INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTE PRESENTATION
Host: Professor Pamela K. Keel
Info: Weight suppression and eating disorder outcomes: The roles of leptin, GLP-1, satiation, and reward
🕑: 11:10 AM
BREAK
🕑: 11:20 AM
SESSION 1: Advances in Anorexia Nervosa
Host: Dr Stephanie Miles
Info: Exploring cognitive flexibility in anorexia nervosa: Insights from qualitative interviews
🕑: 11:40 AM
SESSION 1: Advances in Anorexia Nervosa
Host: Dr Melissa Kirkovski
Info: Understanding the presentation and experience of autistic traits in anorexia nervosa
🕑: 12:00 PM
SESSION 1: Advances in Anorexia Nervosa
Host: Jasmin Watson
Info: Bringing new treatments to the frontline: Understanding the feasibility and acceptability of Temperament-Based Therapy with Support (TBT-S)
🕑: 12:20 PM
Lunch & In-person Poster Session (fifty-minute break)
🕑: 01:10 PM
NATIONAL KEYNOTE PRESENTATION
Host: Deakin Distinguished Professor Felice Jacka, OAM
Info: From Anxiety to Alzheimer's: Nutritional Psychiatry for the prevention and treatment of mental and brain disorders
🕑: 01:50 PM
SESSION 2: Service Provision & Evaluation
Host: Dr Yafit Kushner
Info: Building evidence: Research and evaluation in a paediatric eating disorder service
🕑: 02:10 PM
SESSION 2: Service Provision & Evaluation
Host: Dr Hasini Paranawithana
Info: Contemporary practice, challenges & opportunities in the treatment of ARFID in specialist eating disorders services: A qualitative exploratory study
🕑: 02:30 PM
SESSION 2: Service Provision & Evaluation
Host: Dr Erica Neill
Info: From treatment manual to clinical services: The reality of delivering interventions to young people with complex family and mental health challenges
🕑: 02:50 PM
Afternoon tea (twenty-minute break)
🕑: 03:10 PM
SESSION 3: Innovations across the spectrum of body image and eating disorders
Host: Dr Trevor Steward
Info: Harnessing 7-Telsa MRI to map subcortical mechanisms underlying disordered eating behaviours
🕑: 03:30 PM
SESSION 3: Innovations across the spectrum of body image and eating disorders
Host: Professor Antonio Verdajo Garcia
Info: Decoding food choices in people with binge-related eating disorders
🕑: 03:50 PM
SESSION 3: Innovations across the spectrum of body image and eating disorders
Host: Dr Kathleen de Boer
Info: Body image in the time of Ozempic
🕑: 04:10 PM
SESSION 3: Innovations across the spectrum of body image and eating disorders
Host: Dr Hannah Jarman
Info: Social media and body image: What are the impacts and what can we do
🕑: 04:30 PM - 04:30 PM
Conference Closing
Host: Associate Professor Andrea Phillipou
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Orygen, 35 Poplar Road, Parkville, Australia
AUD 90.00 to AUD 1000.00
