The 2013 International Conference on Eating Disorders, the annual meeting of the Academy for Eating Disorders, was held at the beginning of May in Montreal with the theme “Crossing Disciplinary Boundaries”. Several members of the Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders were able to attend this year and, as always, we returned from the conference energized about the work being done here at UNC and elsewhere in the eating disorders field!

– The Mentoring Program was a highlight for all who participated! Members of our team who were assigned a mentor had the opportunity to engage with experienced professionals in the field and discuss research and career planning questions related to their interests.

– A key topic of discussion within many presentations was DSM-5 and the impact it will have for eating disorders diagnosis and assessment. Getting to hear more about new terms like “ARFID,” which stands for Avoidant and Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, helped many of us start to wrap our heads around and better understand some of the new categories.

– We all enjoyed hearing about research in new and developing treatments and how these can be applied in our clinical work. Discussing new ways to handle emotion processing in eating disorders was particularly thought provoking for many of us.

– All of the UNC team members in attendance noticed a significant increase in the number of workshops and other presentations at the conference this year, which provided everyone with the opportunity to find things that were of interest.

– Members of the UNC team were a part of at least 15 workshops, presentations, and posters (see the list below). Presenting at the ICED each year is an important way for us to share the work we are doing with the larger eating disorder community and helps us continue to advance our own science!

Thinking about attending an eating disorders conference for the first time? Looking for a way to gain exposure to a wide variety of research going on in the eating disorders field while also hearing about clinical developments in the field?  Then consider attending a future ICED meeting!  You can find out more about future conference dates and locations on the AED website: http://www.aedweb.org/ICED_Homepage.htm.  See you in New York in 2014!

Paper and Oral presentations:

1. Reyes-Rodríguez, M., Ramírez, J., Davis, K., Patrice, K., Bulik, C.M. “Exploring barriers and facilitators in eating disorders treatment among Latinas in the United States.” Oral presentation, International Conference for Eating Disorders, Montreal, Canada (May, 2013).
2. Zucker, N., Moskovich, A., Merwin, R., Bulik, C. M., Wagner, H. R. “Self-Focused Attention in Anorexia Nervosa: Relationship to Symptomatology and Deficits in Executive Attention.” Paper presentation, International Conference on Eating Disorders, Montreal, Canada (May, 2013).
3. Bulik, C. M., Sullivan, P., Zeggini, E., Collier, D., GCAN Consortium. “WTCCC3 and GCAN: A Genomewide Scan for Anorexia Nervosa.” Paper presentation, International Conference on Eating Disorders, Montreal, Canada (May, 2013).
4. Zerwas, S., Von Holle, A., Watson, H., Gottfredson, N., and Bulik, C.M. “Childhood Anxiety Trajectories predict disordered eating in adolescence.” Paper presentation, International Conference on Eating Disorders, Montreal, Canada (May, 2013).
5. Pisetsky, E.M., Thornton, L.M., Lichtenstein, P., Pedersen, N., Bulik, C.M. “Factors Associated with Suicide Attempts in Women with Eating Disorders.” Paper presentation, International Conference on Eating Disorders, Montreal, Canada (May, 2013).
6. Fitzsimmons-Craft, E. E., Bardone-Cone, A. M., Bulik, C. M., Wonderlich, S. A., Crosby, R. D., Engel, S. G. “Examining an elaborated sociocultural model of disordered eating among college women: The roles of social comparison and body surveillance.” Paper presentation, International Conference on Eating Disorders. Montreal, Canada (May, 2013).
7. Fitzsimmons-Craft, E. E., Bardone-Cone, A. M., Wonderlich, S. A., Crosby, R. D., Engel, S. G., Bulik, C. M. “Ecological momentary assessment of the effects of body, eating, and exercise social comparisons and body surveillance on body dissatisfaction.” Paper presentation, International Conference on Eating Disorders. Montreal, Canada (May. 2013).
8. Runfola, C.D., Thornton, L.M., Pisetsky, E.M., Bulik, C.M., Birgegård, A. “Self-image as a predictor of suicide attempts and completions in a clinical sample of women with eating disorders.” Paper presentation, International Conference on Eating Disorders, Montreal, Canada (May, 2013).
9. Pisetsky, D.S, Trace, S.E., Brownley, K.A., Hamer, R.M. Roux-Lombard, P., Dayer, J-M., Spencer, D., Bulik, C.M. “Cytokine and Chemokine Expression in Acutely-ill Patients with Anorexia Nervosa.” Paper presentation, International Conference on Eating Disorders, Montreal, Canada (May, 2013).
10. Reyes-Rodríguez, M. “Culturally Sensitive Approach for Latinas with Eating Disorders in the U.S.” Oral presentation, Eating Disorders across Race/Ethnic Minority Groups: Challenges and Cultural Specific Adaptations, Transcultural Special Interest Group Symposium, International Conference for Eating Disorders, Montreal, Canada (May, 2013).

Poster presentations:

1. Mac Neil, B. A., Van Blyderveen, S. A., Summers, J. “Characteristics of adolescent boys’ experiences of an eating disorder: Age, percentage of ideal body weight, psychological symptoms, and diagnosis.” Poster presentation, International Conference on Eating Disorders, Montreal, Canada (May, 2013).
2. Mac Neil, B. A., Summers, J., Van Blyderveen, S. A. “Do adolescents receiving family based therapy (FBT) for an eating disorder benefit as much as other adolescent patients from group treatment for comorbid social anxiety.” Poster presentation, International Conference on Eating Disorders, Montreal, Canada (May, 2013).
3. Peat, C.M., Huang, L., Thornton, L.M., Von Holle, A.F., Trace, S., Lichtenstein, P., Pedersen, N., Overby, D.W., Bulik, C.M. “Binge eating, body mass index, and gastrointestinal symptoms.” Poster presentation, International Conference on Eating Disorders, Montreal, Canada (May, 2013).
4. Kelly, N. R., Bulik, C. M., Mazzeo, S. E. “Executive functioning and behavioral impulsivity of young women who binge eat.” Poster presentation, International Conference on Eating Disorders, Montreal, Canada (May, 2013).

Workshop presentations:

1. Bulik, C.M., Runfola C.D. “The good, the bad and the ugly: Developing successful mentor-mentee relationships.” Workshop presentation, International Conference on Eating Disorders. Montreal, Canada (May, 2013).