EDIFY Postdoctoral Researchers Awarded Medical Research Foundation Launchpad Grants

We are delighted to announce that two of our talented postdoctoral researchers, Dr. Başak İnce Çağlar and Dr. Marie-Christine Opitz, have been awarded prestigious Launchpad Grants from the Medical Research Foundation.

Dr. Başak İnce Çağlar's Project: Loneliness and eating disorders: Exploring measurement approaches, bidirectional and longitudinal associations

This project will investigate an important, yet under-researched, association between loneliness and eating disorders in young people. Her research will use data from the STORY study, which tracks symptoms, progression, and recovery of eating disorders in young people aged 16–25. The project will explore how loneliness and eating disorder behaviours influence each other over time, and compare different ways of measuring loneliness. Ultimately, this work hopes to inform more personalised assessment and treatment approaches, improving outcomes for young people with eating disorders.

Dr. Marie-Christine Opitz's Project: Investigating the association between polycystic ovary syndrome and eating disorder symptoms

This project will explore the lived experiences of women with both Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and eating disorders. This research will examine how PCOS symptoms and their management might influence the risk of developing an eating disorder. The project involves conducting interviews and focus groups to gather women's perspectives, and analyzing influential PCOS podcasts using 'podcast ethnography' to understand how PCOS experiences relate to eating disorder development and recovery. Finally, Dr. Opitz will launch an online survey to test theories around PCOS-specific eating disorder risks. Findings from this project aim to have implications for person-centered eating disorder prevention and treatment.