Psychology Faculty Presents at International Conference

College of Psychology faculty, Janell Mensinger, Ph.D., presents.

On June 1, Janell Mensinger, Ph.D., fellow, Academy of Eating Disorders presented at the annual meeting of the International Conference on Eating Disorders in Washington, D.C. The paper highlighted unexpected findings on the relationship between interoception and disordered eating and was co-authored by doctoral students Katerina Rinaldi and Molly Robins, as well as CoP faculty member Paula Brochu, Ph.D. This work led to the bases for an R16 SuRE grant submission at the end of May that emphasized the need for further construct validation and inquiry into potential biases underlying the measurement of interoceptive sensibility – a critical transdiagnostic factor in mental and physical well-being.

The Academy for Eating Disorders Annual Meeting this year was special for multiple reasons. It was the organization’s 30-year anniversary, and it represented a much-needed reunion of clinicians and researchers in the field of eating disorders after three years of pandemic-related virtual meetings where the meaningful networking and face-to-face connections cannot be replicated.

Paula Brochu, Ph.D., and Janell Mensinger, Ph.D., making connections with Canadian collaborator Sarah Nutter, Ph.D.; Denver collaborator Erin Harrop, Ph.D.; and Florida School of Professional Psychology doctoral candidate Alexis Dosal.

Our students benefitted tremendously from the networking opportunities afforded by this in-person annual event after beginning their academic careers during the throes of a global pandemic that thwarted these invaluable experiences.

In a related project, Mensinger led a paper recently published in a special issue of the journal Eating Behaviors titled “The Integration of Eating Disorders and High Body Weight (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1471015323000302). This work represents the first publication, co-authored by clinical psychology doctoral students (Benjamin Shepherd, Stevie Schapiro, and Yashvi Aware) and CoP colleague (Paula Brochu, Ph.D.) out of the new CHEERS lab (Connecting to Heal Eating distress with Empowerment and Resilience for all Sizes, https://cheerslab.wordpress.com).

Posted 06/18/23