Professor Gemma Sharp
1Consortium for Research in Eating Disorders
Biography:
Professor Gemma Sharp is a nationally and internationally renowned clinician scientist in eating disorders. She has lead an independent program of research focused on body image, eating and weight disorders research since 2018. She is particularly passionate about researching the intersection of eating disorders and women’s health. Professor Sharp has been in receipt of prestigious consecutive National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) fellowships since 2018. She is also the creator and owner of multiple digital health interventions focused on prevention and early interventions of eating disorders which are being utilised nationally and internationally. In addition, she has led a private clinical psychology practice since 2019 and is a nationally credentialed eating disorder clinician. Finally, she is also the Founding Director of the charity, Consortium for Research in Eating Disorders (CoRe-ED), which has registrants from over 20 countries and 17 international partners.
Abstract:
Body image concerns and eating disorders are often thought to only impact adolescent and young adult women, but almost 75% of women in midlife are dissatisfied with their body image and 3.5% are experiencing clinical eating disorders. The biological, psychological and social changes that occur during the menopause transition can contribute to increased risk of eating disorder onset, re-emergence or exacerbation of a pre-existing eating disorder. In this presentation, Professor Sharp will discuss her pioneering research focused on the intersection of eating disorders and the menopause transition. The research resulted in the development of a world-first comprehensive co-designed online educational resource in collaboration with Eating Disorders Victoria. The resource has been highly accessed nationally and internationally with positive feedback in the initial research evaluation. However, there is much more research needed in this area and Professor Sharp will discuss her thoughts for future directions in the field.