Projects and activities
ED HIT activities cover research and patient and public involvement. We aim to champion equality, diversity and inclusion in all that we do as a HIT.
Research
Our HIT director Christine Ramsey-Wade is an academic based at University of the West of England (UWE Bristol). She is involved in a range of projects, including supervising doctoral theses on trans and non-binary experiences of eating disorders and the experience of disordered eating among South Asian university students.
Christine is also an active researcher, with her recent PhD exploring whether mindful eating programs can be beneficial for people experiencing disordered eating.
Find out more in her podcast, where she discusses her research, reflects on the PhD process, and takes listeners through a mindful eating exercise. Content warning: mindful eating exercise starts at 28:52 – if you’re currently in recovery for anorexia, the mindful eating exercise focuses on sensations around your stomach which may be triggering and so this exercise might not be for you.
Annual research conference
Join global experts, clinicians and lived experience voices at our upcoming annual International Research Conference 2025 – ‘Equality, Diversity & Inclusion and Eating Disorders’.
Date: Friday 17 October 2025
Time: 13:00 – 15:00 (BST)
Location: Online via Teams (joining instructions will be sent prior to the event)
The conference is open to all, including those with lived experience of eating difficulties or disorders, their family, friends and partners, clinicians, academics, students, and voluntary sector workers.
Join us for an amazing line-up of speakers and topics:
- Gender Identity and Body Image – Linda Lin, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology (and Blue Maranto, B.S.), Emmanuel College, Boston, USA
- The South Asian Body Project – Dr Hannah Kate Lewis, Postdoctoral Researcher at Queen Mary University of London & University of Cambridge and Dhanisha Vora (Peer Researcher).
- Lived Experience Panel – Chaired by Carolyn Trippick, Peer Co-Director of EDHIT
For any other questions or queries, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via email [email protected]
Stakeholder / Discussion event
More than 50 people joined us for our stakeholder discussion event on 10th June 2025, representing a vibrant mix of voices from across Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, and beyond. The day was filled with rich conversations, meaningful networking, and the forging of new connections between individuals and local organisations.
We’re excited to announce a follow-up event planned for November 2025 (date to be confirmed), continuing the engaging discussion format from our previous event. This time, we’ll take a deeper dive into two or three key themes that emerged, with the aim of fostering meaningful conversations and co-creating practical solutions.
We also hope to welcome local researchers to share insights from their latest work, adding valuable perspectives to the dialogue.
If you’d like to attend, contribute ideas, or suggest topics for the next event, we’d love to hear from you — just drop us a line at [email protected]
Patient and public engagement
We hold a Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) event annually. This event is organised and hosted by our Peer Co-Director and PPI Lead Carolyn. It’s an event for those with lived experience of eating disorders or eating difficulties, as well as family, carers and friends.
Please see more details in the patient and public engagement section.
