Dr. Emilie Lacroix (she/her) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of New Brunswick, and co-director of the Maritime Eating and Appearance Lab (www.MEALab.ca). Her research focuses on body image and disordered eating, including questions related to their etiology, development, classification, and comorbidity with other mental health concerns. Dr. Lacroix has undertaken research and clinical training in Montreal, Calgary, Halifax, Brazil, and the UK. She completed her PhD in 2022 at the University of Calgary, where she was the recipient of a Vanier Scholarship. Dr. Lacroix is passionate about improving access to evidence-based eating disorders treatment, particularly for people with concurrent substance use concerns and people living in New Brunswick– these aims drive her current qualitative and quantitative research.
This presentation will provide an introductory-level overview of eating disorders and disordered eating behaviours. Different types of eating disorders and disordered eating will be described, with information on their prevalence, developmental origins, diagnosis, and treatment. This presentation will also cover some of the most common misconceptions and blind spots that create barriers to diagnosis and appropriate treatment. To counteract these biases, the importance of rigorous screening will be discussed.