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.
ED HIT holds an annual research conference to exchange knowledge and build networks. It is usually attended by researchers, healthcare professionals working in eating disorder services and charity sector organisations. In 2022 we welcomed more than 130 participants online, with almost all regions in England represented. Feedback from the event indicated improvements in practice, through the provision of more inclusive care. The theme was ‘Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in the area of eating disorders’.
Presenters and topics
- Farheen Hasan: Fasting and disordered eating in young British Muslim women
- Ryan Jones: Lesbian experiences of anorexia and bulimia
- Prof Lucy Serpell and Charlotte Babb (SEDAF: Study of Eating Disorders in Autistic Females): Understanding autism and eating disorders
We are now evaluating some of our HIT activities, including the Eating Disorder Support App that was launched in 2022. We also conducted research in 2022 with young people from Emerging Minds which we are currently analysing.
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 Katie and our 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 PPI section.
