Associate Professor Deborah Mitchison

Position

Adjunct Associate Professor

Biography

Deb Mitchison is a researcher and a clinical psychologist, specialising in eating and body image disorders. Her research is directed at reducing the burden of eating disorders and associated body image problems within the population. She currently makes progress toward this aim by leading two programs of research.

The first is the study of eating disorder epidemiology, including the prevalence, burden, course, health service utilisation and risk factors associated with eating and body image disorders. This research applies survey methods to large population-based samples and cohorts.

The second is the study of treatment-seeking and health service use among people with eating disorders. This research makes use of a clinical database that pools client information from eating disorder treatment centres around Australia, as well as population-based survey methods to study facilitators and barriers to treatment-seeking.

These two arms of research converge to highlight the disconnect between the characteristics of people who experience eating disorders at a population level versus people who gain access to treatment for an eating disorder. Ultimately this will lead to applied research to close the treatment gap for people with eating disorders.

Research Interests

• Eating disorders
• Body dysmorphic disorder
• Muscle dysmorphia
• Epidemiological research methods
• Health services research

Qualifications

• PhD, MClinPsych, MSc, BPsych(Hons)

Awards and Recognition

• 2021 Association for Psychological Sciences "Rising Star Award"
• 2020 Western Sydney University Research Excellence Award Winner (Early Career Researcher)
• 2020 Society for Mental Health Research Early Career Researcher Award Winner
• 2019 election to the Executive Committee of the Australia and New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders (term 2019-2021)
• 2017 Australian Psychological Society Early Career Researcher Award Winner
• 2017 election to the Executive Committee of the Australia and New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders (term 2017-2019)
• 2017 nomination into the international Eating Disorder Research Society
• Executive Committee, Australia and New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders
• 2017 Early Career Researcher Awardee, Australian Psychological Society
• Member of the Eating Disorder Research Society

Research & Publications

• For a complete list of my publications please see my publications page (opens in a new window)
• View my ResearchGate profile (opens in a new window)

Contact Details