Stephanie R. Damiano PhD

Dr. Stephanie Damiano is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the EMBodIED Research team (Engaging Minds in Body Image and Eating Disorders Research) at La Trobe University's School of Psychology and Public Health. She commenced researching eating disorders in 2009 and her research now focuses on the prevention and treatment of body dissatisfaction and clinical eating disorders in youth populations, with the aim to explore new methods for minimizing the negative impact of eating disorders on the mental, physical, and social well-being of young people. Dr. Damiano leads the Achieving Body Confidence for Young Children (ABC-4-YC) research program. ABC-4-YC is a new school-based body image program that aims to reduce body dissatisfaction, weight bias, and appearance-based teasing in 5- to 8-year-old children across Victoria.

Dr. Damiano also collaborates on the Child Body Image Development Study and Confident Body, Confident Child Study. The Child Body Image Development Study is investigating the development of body image and other risk factors for eating disorders in children aged 3-9 years. The Confident Body, Confident Child program is a new evidence-based parenting program to promote body satisfaction, healthy eating patterns, and weight management in children aged 2-6 years.