Investigating overlooked eating disorders in childhood
Funded by the Foundation, Dr Sam Chawner is working to bridge a critical gap in knowledge about pica.
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Transforming eating disorder care through policy-focused research
We've awarded our changing Policy and Practice funding for researchers working specifically in the field of eating disorders.
This year, for the first time, we’ve awarded our Changing Policy and Practice (CPP) funding to four exceptional researchers working specifically in the field of eating disorders. This funding will support them in sharing their findings and recommendations with healthcare professionals and policymakers, helping to improve support for those affected by these life-threatening conditions.
Our CPP Awards, which we make twice a year, provide targeted support to researchers to ensure their findings can reach a wider audience beyond the traditional scientific press. These awards, of up to £30,000 each, are designed to help researchers influence healthcare policy and practice, maximising the real-world impact of their work.
In the past, our CPP funding has enabled researchers to develop policy reports, tailor communications to tackle misinformation, and run workshops for local communities affected by health issues.
This year, we dedicated four of our annual CPP awards to researchers focused on eating disorders.
Eating disorders are highly impactful conditions that are becoming increasingly common. Compared to other mental health conditions, they can have particularly harmful long-term effects and are linked with high rates of death. That’s why, for the first time, we offered focused funding to help these researchers deliver their vital insights to policymakers and healthcare practitioners.
This research is only possible thanks to the generosity of our donors, including donations from the Bird Song Trust.
Read about the four projects below:
Adapting eating disorder treatment for Autistic patients
Dr Fiona Duffy from the University of Edinburgh is helping to adapt eating disorder family therapy for Autistic patients.
Autistic people are twice as likely to experience eating disorders compared to neurotypical people. Dr Duffy will develop an expert working group, including people with lived experience of eating disorders and autism, parents and carers, clinicians, and researchers. With this group, she aims to gain valuable insights into how Autistic people engage with psychological therapies for eating disorders, shedding light on the unique considerations that may be needed for this patient group.
As a result of this work, Dr Duffy aims to develop effective adaptations of eating disorder focused family therapy for Autistic people – a first-line intervention for young patients.
Shining a spotlight on eating disorders at university
Dr Nicola Byrom and her team from King’s College London are working to improve support for university students with eating disorders.
These conditions are common among students, yet support services are often difficult to navigate and lack specific expertise. Dr Byrom will organise a major conference in 2026, co-hosted with Student Minds, to bring together students with lived experience of eating disorders, service leaders, researchers, and clinicians. The aim is to discuss practical solutions to improving support at universities, so that students with eating disorders can access the care they need.
Supporting eating disorder patients in food insecurity
Dr Helen Sharpe from the University of Edinburgh is supporting healthcare professionals working with eating disorder patients living in food insecurity.
Food insecurity – not having consistent access to enough, nutritious food – could increase a person’s risk of developing an eating disorder and make recovery more difficult. Dr Sharpe will develop practical resources for healthcare professionals, to help them support patients with eating disorders who are living in food insecurity. The new resources will be developed with input from people with lived experience of eating disorders, and be shared with eating disorder services across the UK.
This project is funded by the Bird Song Trust.
Improving outcomes for young people with ARFID
Professor Dasha Nicholls from Imperial College London is developing new clinical pathways for children and young people with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID).
Collaborative relationships between mental health and paediatrics departments lead to better outcomes for children and young people with ARFID. However, research indicates that paediatric and psychiatric care is not well integrated, and many patients with ARFID receive different levels of care depending on their referral pathway.
Professor Nicholls will run regional events over 12 months, bringing together child and adolescent psychiatrists, paediatricians, young people with lived experience, carers and researchers. Her aim is to encourage round-table discussions and shared learning, so new clinical pathways for treating ARFID can be developed.
Emotional outbursts in childhood linked to depression in later life
Children who struggle to control their emotions have more symptoms of anxiety and depression as teenagers, study finds.
New launchpad grants to address alarming rise of severe eating disorders
Eating disorders are devastating mental illnesses that affect over 1.2 million people in the UK. That’s why we’re funding eight new projects in this field.
