Research Team
The BEWT Research Team
Professor Leah Brennan
School of Psychology and Public Health
Professor Leah Brennan is a clinical, health, educational and developmental psychologist and a board approved supervisor. Her areas of clinical research focus include eating, weight and body image (e.g., eating disorders, overweight/obesity, body image, weight stigma), and the promoting the availability of best-practice psychology treatment (e.g., telehealth psychology, guided self-help). She works as both an academic (teaching and research) and a clinician.
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Leah has a particular interest in the application of psychological approaches to understand, prevent and treat eating, weight and body image concerns and their biopsychosocial comorbidities (e.g., polycystic ovary syndrome, depression, stigma) in children, adolescents and adults. She leads the Body Image, Eating and Weight Clinical Research Team (BEWT).
Associate Professor
Xochitl De la Piedad Garcia
School of Behavioural and Health Sciences
Assoc. Prof. Xochitl De la Piedad Garcia joined ACU in October 2007. Since then, she has taught statistics in first, third and fourth year, Learning and Behaviour in second year, and Cognitive Psychology in third. Xochitl is also the Course Coordinator for the 4th year courses. She has supervised over 30 honours students and been principal or co-supervisor for over 10 PhD students. Supervision is Xochitl’s passion, as it brings together her love of teaching and research, and the joy of working with other people.
Xochitl has a particular interest in the study of weight stigma, the way it affects people of higher weight and the things we can do to improve their lives (from changing the systemic structures that perpetuate this form of stigma, to providing support until this change is effected).
BEWT Staff
Dr Anita Raspovic
Anita is a Senior Research Fellow in Psychology at La Trobe University, working with the Australian Centre for Eating Disorder Research and Translation (AEDRTC), and an Associate Professor in Allied Health. She is also a registered Clinical Psychologist and Credentialled Eating Disorder Clinician (CEDC-MH), with a particular interest in the intersection of eating disorders and trauma. Anita is passionate about conducting research that translates meaningfully into real-world clinical practice.
She is currently involved in a range of research projects, including the AEDRTC National Eating Disorders Research Workforce Survey, ED-ResPro (a national program to build research capacity within the eating disorders workforce), the Restore the Balance initiative, collaborative research with key community-based eating disorder organisations, and honours and higher degree research supervision. A central focus of her work is to conduct high-quality, innovative research to inform clinical practice where eating disorders and trauma are inter-related.
Dr Hugh Bidstrup
Hugh is a a Postdoctoral Research Fellow and registered provisional psychologist with an interest in emotional disorders, body image concerns, weight stigma, and eating behaviour. His PhD research focused on understanding the effects of weight stigma on mental and physical health outcomes, particularly through internalisation of stigma.
Hugh has previously coordinated pilot and feasibility randomised controlled trials investigating the efficacy of CBT and guided self-help for eating disorders. He also teaches into the undergraduate and honours programs at ACU. Currently, Hugh is one of the Site Coordinators at La Trobe University for a multi-arm, multi-site clinical trial phenotyping and genotyping illness for the Australian Eating Disorders Research and Translation Centre's (AEDRTC) signature studies.
Dr Rachael Cronin
Dr Rachael Cronin is a research fellow and lecturer in the School of Psychology and Public Health at La Trobe University. Her research area focuses on stress, wellbeing, and the physiological and psychological underpinnings of the stress-health relationship across diverse populations. She has a particular interest in strengthening research and clinical capacity in regional communities and developing evidence-based strategies that support individuals and communities to thrive.
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Rachael is currently coordinating two of the Australian Centre for Eating Disorder Research and Translation Centre signature studies at La Trobe, Albury Wodonga.
Higher degree Research Students (PhD & Doctorate)
Irina Moroshko
Irina is a Ph.D. candidate, Clinical Psychologist and Supervisor, and Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician by Australia & New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders (ANZAED) with a passion for understanding the impact of trauma on the development, maintenance, and recovery from an eating disorder.
Irina’s research aims to inform the delivery of therapeutic interventions for trauma survivors with eating disorder symptomatology. It will specifically examine whether administering trauma focused therapy will result in the reduction of both post-trauma and eating disorder symptomatology. Irina’s research is designed to inform the understanding, assessment, and treatment and improve the long-term outcomes for individuals with an eating disorder who also report a history of trauma.
Jaime Stanbury
Jaime Stanbury is a Ph.D. candidate and Clinical Psychologist with a passion for understanding the complexities of eating disorders and body image issues. Upon completion of her studies, she hopes to continue to work within this field both as a clinician in private practice and as a researcher.
Jaime’s research aims to identify the key factors which influence body image among larger Australians and to gain insight into the psychological and emotional consequences of negative body image in this population. It aims to provide recommendations for tailored interventions and strategies to promote positive body image and well-being among larger individuals and to contribute to the existing body of knowledge on body image issues, specifically focusing on larger individuals.
Hannah Taylor
Hannah Taylor is a PhD candidate and Music Psychologist with interests driven by eating disorder prevention and effective intervention. Her work explores how people with eating disorders experience and engage with music.
Hannah’s research aims to add to knowledge of the mechanisms underpinning experiences of reward and pleasure, which will better inform therapeutic practices with music for people with eating disorders and provide novel music-based intervention approaches. Upon completion of her PhD, Hannah intends to continue pursuing work as an interdisciplinary researcher exploring the intersections between music and mental health/illness.
Amy Woods
Amy Woods (She/her) is clinically registered counsellor and Senior Lived Experience Advisor. She has completed a Bachelors in Counselling, a Graduate Certificate in Forensic Behavioural Science and is a Doctoral Candidate at Latrobe University. Amy is passionate about working in Eating Disorders and the importance of honouring the diverse voices of lived experience.
Amy's research hopes to explore the experience of eating disorders within the incarcerated population. Looking at the prevalence and symptomology experienced in this population, as well as how the prison environment impacts the experience of having an eating disorder. Amy hopes to highlight the stories and experiences of these individuals to prompt thought and consideration about how eating disorders can be managed within prisons.
Sarah Walker
Sarah Walker (she/her) is an experienced Lived Experience Worker with a career that has spanned various roles in the health and mental health sectors. She is a strong advocate for accessible and patient focussed eating disorder care, particularly for those needing specialist care settings. She has completed a Bachelor of Arts and has post graduate qualifications in Adolescent Health & Welfare and Alcohol & Other Drug Studies. Sarah is a Doctor of Public Health candidate at Latrobe University.
Sarah's research aims to explore the lived experience of eating disorder treatment transitions. Patient needs, along with the perspectives of the clinicians delivering care, will be explored with particular focus on discharge from hospital to community care. The time following hospital treatment is a period considered high risk; Sarah hopes that her research translates to development of a patient centred service practice that helps to enhance communication, collaboration and ongoing engagement in care.
Aisha Usman
Aisha Usman is a PhD. candidate and Provisional Psychologist with more than 12 years of experience in the mental health field. She has undertaken a professional role as a provisional psychologist to further develop skills in culturally responsive psychological assessment, diagnosis, and formulation of treatment plans of a wide range of behavioural, and emotional disorders across the lifespan. As a future scientist-practitioner, she wants to engage in research consumption, research activity, publication, and as a clinician in private practice.
Aisha’s research aims to explore the efficacy of Culturally Modified Cognitive behaviour Therapy (CM-TF-CBT) in the reduction of both eating disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder symptomatology in refugee and immigrant trauma survivors with an eating disorder. It aims to provide recommendations on understanding, assessment, and treatment and improve long-term outcomes of traumatised eating disorder patients from culturally diverse backgrounds.
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Chloe Vinnicombe
Chloe Vinnicombe is a PhD Candidate at La Trobe University. Her PhD focuses on the personalisation of eating disorder treatment in Bulimia Nervosa and Binge eating disorder.
Chloe is also a recent Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) graduate, with her Honours project focussing on qualitatively investigating current research engagement and capacity in early, middle and senior career eating disorder researchers in Australia.
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Tsz Ying TSUI (Nathalie)
Nathalie is a provisionally registered psychologist currently completing her Master in Clinical Psychology and a Doctor of Philosophy - PhD at Australian Catholic University. As both a clinician and an international student, Nathalie is passionate about working with neurodiverse individuals across the lifespan using a client-centered, neuro-affirming, culturally responsive, and strength-based approach that empowers clients to reach their full potential.
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Driven by her passion for neurodiversity and eating disorders, Nathalie's PhD research explores the experience of eating disorders within the autistic population. Her study focuses on amplifying the voices of individuals with lived experience in a non-judgmental and safe space, aiming to enhance understanding of eating disorder presentation, treatment, and recovery in autistic individuals from a neuro-affirming perspective.
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Upon completing her studies, Nathalie aspires to continue contributing to this field as both a clinician in private practice and a researcher, bridging the gap between clinical work and evidence-based interventions for neurodivergent individuals.
Megan Carney
Megan is a provisionally registered psychologist and a Master of Psychology (Clinical) student and PhD candidate at Australian Catholic University (ACU). She primarily works in public health, supporting individuals with complex presentations across the lifespan.
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Her PhD research explores weight stigma, eating disorders, and the factors influencing disordered eating across diverse body sizes, with the aim of improving understanding and promoting more inclusive approaches to care. Megan also teaches into the undergraduate psychology program at ACU.
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Upon completing her studies, Megan plans to continue her work as a clinician in paediatric psychology and public health, while also pursuing teaching and research to ensure that young people receive support informed by the latest evidence and best practices.
4th year Psychology Research Students
Hannah Mooren
Hannah is a student at Australian Catholic University currently completing her Honours year in Psychology. Hannah is passionate about understanding the individual experiences of eating disorders, driven by a client-led approach to research that informs clinical practice. Therefore, she hopes to pursue a career in both research and clinical practice.
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Hannah's research aims understand the experience of eating disorders in adults with type 2 diabetes. Hannah will conduct interviews from both the Client and Clinician perspectives, with the hope of gaining insight into how to include their perspectives in future research and clinical practices.
Mandi Eccles
Mandi Eccles is a current fourth-year honours student at La Trobe University. She is interested in further exploring the complexities and comorbidities of eating disorders within the family context in both young persons and adults. Mandi aims to pursue a
career in clinical practice and research and hopes to be accepted into a Master’s Program after completing her Honours year.
Supervised by Hugh Bidstrup and in partnership with the Victorian Centre of Excellence in Eating Disorders (CEED) and the Victorian Child and Youth Mental Health Services (CYMHS), Mandi’s thesis aims to assess the feasibility and acceptability of Multi-Family Therapy for Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa (MFT-AN) within real-world public mental health services.
Salwa Mroue
Salwa Mroue is an Honours student in Psychology at La Trobe University with a strong interest in youth mental health and early intervention. She is particularly passionate about prevention focused approaches that support children and young adults before mental health difficulties become more severe.
As part of her Honours year, Salwa is conducting research on the Eating Disorder Helpline, exploring how services can better support young people and families.
Salwa aims to contribute to the field of clinical psychology by developing practical, research informed strategies that improve access to care and enhance outcomes for young adults experiencing mental health challenges.
Previous Masters of Psychology Research Students
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Olivia Donati Beech
Olivia Donati Beech is a Master of Clinical Psychology student at La Trobe University with a keen interest in research and clinical work that supports the early identification and treatment of eating disorders using evidence-based interventions. After completing her Master's, Olivia hopes to work clinically to support young people to build healthier and more adaptive relationships with food, eating, and their bodies.
Olivia is completing her clinical research project under the supervision of Professor Leah Brennan and Dr Emma Spiel at the National Eating Disorders Collaboration. She is conducting research into the development and implementation of an eating disorder-specific workforce development tool to support the embedding and maintenance of an eating disorder skillset within mental health organisations. This translational research will be piloted in a youth mental health organisation this year, with real-world implications for people experiencing eating disorders (and those that love and care for them), as well as the workforce that supports them.
Nina Grdjan
Nina Grdjan is a Masters of Clinical Psychology student at La Trobe University. She is currently doing her studies on eating disorder prevention and informed practice, an area she is passionate about.
She believes that the Stepped System of Care for eating disorders represents an important piece in her research, as it addresses the need for early intervention and effective treatment.
Nina hopes to apply this perspective to diverse domains, recognising the significance of understanding eating disorders in broader professional contexts.
Jane Dixon
Jane Dixon is a Provisional Psychologist undertaking her Educational and Developmental Master’s degree. Her rich experience as a primary school teacher underscores her dedication to fostering the growth and potential of children. Jane is deeply committed to enhancing the well-being and educational outcomes of children, families, and educators through her anticipated roles in private practice and academia.
Her research aims to delineate the integration of empirical research within private practice settings. This involves formulating a comprehensive guide outlining critical steps and methodologies for establishing a clinical environment conducive to research. Her work seeks to demonstrate the practical application of these methodologies across various clinical contexts, aiming to bridge the gap between research and private practice settings.
Upon completing her master’s degree, Jane aspires to continue supporting and empowering children and their communities while also contributing valuable insights to the field through her research.
Hannah Isac
Hannah Isac is a Provisional Psychologist who is undertaking her Educational and Developmental Master’s degree, who is dedicated to promoting positive mental health and educational outcomes in young individuals. Hannah’s research aims to investigate the lived experience of eating disorders among higher weight Australians, with hope to gain further insight of how to include their perspectives in future research. Her research aims to provide tailored recommendations for the inclusion of higher weight individuals in future research, to help guide treatment and recovery of eating disorders within this group. Upon completion of her studies, Hannah aspires to support and empower younger individuals through life’s challenges and promote optimal mental health and wellbeing.
Previous 4th year Psychology Research Students
Jessica Cox
Jessica Cox completed her fourth-year Honours degree at Australian Catholic University (Melbourne). Jessica is passionate about child psychology and women’s health and aims to pursue a career in research and clinical practice.
Jessica’s thesis project explored the lived experiences of women with PCOS and eating disorders.
Olivia Feutrill
Olivia Feutrill completed her Honours year in Psychology at Australian Catholic University. Olivia is passionate about working with people and hopes to pursue a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology.
Olivia’s research examined the behavioural and psychological impacts of weight loss medications by exploring participants’ lived experiences. Her project aimed to better understand the support needs of individuals using these medications to improve adherence, treatment experience, and overall outcomes.
Jayda Knight
Jayda Knight completed her Honours year in 2025 at La Trobe University, undertaking a research thesis in collaboration with the Centre of Excellence in Eating Disorders (CEED).
This project undertook an evaluation of the programs and services provided by CEED. Jayda’s research was supervised by Michelle Roberton, Dr Eliza Hartley and Professor Leah Brennan. With a special interest in the field, Jayda hopes to continue onto a Masters of Educational and Developmental Psychology or Clinical Psychology to further investigate the relationship between the mind and body image.
Anastasia Typou
Anastasia Typou completed a Bachelor of Psychological Science at La Trobe University in 2024 and completed her Honours degree in Psychology, with a strong passion for understanding the impact of body image and eating behaviours on mental health.
Following her Honours year, Anastasia aspires to undertake a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology. Anastasia’s thesis focused on an evaluation of clinical consultation and training programs and services at the Centre of Excellence in Eating Disorders (CEED).
Under the supervision of Eliza Hartley, Leah Brennan and Michelle Roberton, Anastasia conducted her Honours thesis on body image and eating disorders.
Sean Byrne
Sean completed his fourth-year Honours degree at the Australian Catholic University (Melbourne) and is passionate about pursuing a career in clinical practice and research, with a particular focus on abnormal and positive psychology.
As a member of the BEWT Team, he was involved in uncovering the psychosocial factors affecting individuals seeking clinical practice and was actively engaged in improving questionnaire response rates.
Portia Patullo
Portia completed her fourth-year Honours degree at the Australian Catholic University. She has a strong interest in youth mental health, body image, and eating disorders and aims to complete a Clinical Master’s degree in the future.
Portia’s thesis project investigated an intervention designed to improve clinical attendance. Her research involved analysing the proportion of successful GP referrals to a private eating, weight, and body image psychological practice. The project also examined the average number of sessions attended, rates of non-attendance, and potential predictors of attendance.
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Zoe Rounds
Zoe Rounds completed her Honours degree in Psychology in 2024. She has a passion for understanding how eating habits can affect mental health. After completing her Honours year, Zoe went on to complete a Master of Professional Psychology and is now working as a provisional psychologist.
Zoe’s research aimed to develop a quality-of-life measure that can be used to measure the quality of life for those on a diet, medically advised or by choice. Her research aimed to further develop and refine the Diet-and Eating Habits-Related Quality of Life measure within the population of those on a diet. Her goal for this research was to produce a psychometrically sound measure that can be used across all diets and the general population.
Jess Smedley
Jess Smedley completed her Honours year in Psychology at La Trobe University. Jess has a passion for understanding intimate relationships and sexual health. Upon the completion of her studies, she hopes to partake in a Masters of sexology and explore both the clinical and research pathways this opportunity may bring. Jess’ research evaluated the effectiveness of single session interventions on children with eating disorders within the public health system. These interventions aim to provide psychoeducation to patients to reduce eating disorder symptoms and reduce the length of time patients spend on waitlists.
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Chloe Vinnicombe
Chloe Vinnicombe is a student at La Trobe University who completed her Honours year in Psychology in 2024. After completing her Honours year, Chloe is hoping to be admitted to a Masters of Clinical Psychology and hopes to specialise in either eating disorders or neuropsychology.
Chloe's research aims to identify barriers and ways to build research engagement and capacity in the eating disorder research workforce. By interviewing early, middle and senior career researchers, she aims to highlight what the barriers are for eating disorder research engagement and capacity and learn what some of the strategies may be to improve this.