Conference Program

2026 Symposia Program


Shaping the future of eating disorder care: The role of clinical quality registries

Chair: Deborah Mitchison, Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney

Improving outcomes from eating disorders (EDs) is a shared priority among researchers, clinicians and people with lived experience of EDs. Clinical quality registries (CQRs) may be one route to achieving this improvement. These registries systematically collect data to evaluate the quality, safety and outcomes of care delivered across services. Registries can use natural variations in treatments to identify areas of best practice and areas requiring improvement. Large-scale longitudinal datasets can support data-driven precision treatment approaches. Benchmarking data and feedback mechanisms allow participating services, health system managers, and policy makers to learn from the registry and improve outcomes. CQRs are also bridging the research translation gap, by providing infrastructure and cost savings for real world clinical trials and implementation studies. This symposium aims to outline the current state of ED CQRs; possible benefits for quality improvement and clinical research; and areas of opportunity for international collaboration.

  1. The current state of clinical quality registries for eating disorders: Evidence, implementation and impact - Karina Allen, UK
  2. Leveraging measurement-based care and multi-axial clinical quality registries to drive precision medicine - Nicole Obeid, CAN
  3. Leveraging clinical quality registries as core infrastructure to effect a step-change in research translation to practice - Deborah Mitchison, AUS
  4. Towards an international clinical quality registry for eating disorders - Marion Roberts, NZ

Rethinking Eating Disorders: Bold New Targets, Treatments, and Technologies

Chair: Aaron Keshen, MD (Symposium Chair); Dalhousie University/Nova Scotia Health, Canada

a. EDRS 2026 focuses on New Treatments and Services for Eating Disorders, reflecting the urgent need to move beyond current guidelines by integrating mechanistic science with therapeutic innovation. Despite advances in psychotherapy and service delivery, many patients continue to experience incomplete response, relapse, and persistent medical and psychiatric morbidity. This symposium brings together leading investigators to examine emerging biological, nutritional, and neuromodulatory interventions that bridge behavior and neurobiology. Dr. Aaron Keshen (Chair) will open by outlining the rationale for innovative biological approaches in eating disorder care, emphasizing how advances in neurobiology may inform next-generation interventions. He will also highlight recent work on glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, including an international Delphi-based consensus initiative examining potential clinical applications, key risks, and resulting clinical and research recommendations.

  1. Brain Energy Metabolism as a Transdiagnostic Treatment Target in Eating Disorders - Guido Frank, US
  2. Neuromodulation in Eating Disorders - D Blake Woodside, CAN
  3. Translational Science to Develop Mechanism Based Pharmacotherapy for Anorexia Nervosa - Joanna Steinglass, US


Working across the age divide: Treatment innovations for adolescents and emerging adults with anorexia nervosa

Chairs: Beate Herpertz-Dahlmann, Aachen, Germany & Andreas Karwautz, Vienna, Austria

  1. Efficacy of MANTRa compared to treatment as usual in adolescents and young adults with anorexia nervosa in Austria. - Gudrun Wagner, A
  2. Family therapy for AN across the age span. - Julian Baudinet, UK
  3. A randomised sham-controlled feasibility trial of intermittent theta burst stimulation for young people with persistent anorexia nervosa: the RaISE trial. – Amelia Hemmings, UK
  4. Home treatment (HoT) is more effective than weight-restoring inpatient treatment (IP) in adolescent anorexia nervosa (AN) – results of a large multicenter RCT at one year follow-up – Beate Herpertz-Dahlmann, D

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a serious eating disorder requiring timely, evidence-based, and developmentally appropriate interventions. Adolescence and emerging adulthood present specific treatment challenges, including the transition between child and adult services, the role of caregivers, persistent illness despite first-line interventions, and decisions regarding the optimal treatment setting. This symposium brings together four complementary studies exploring innovations in psychological treatment, family involvement, neuromodulation, and service delivery.

The first presentation examines the efficacy of the Maudsley Model of Anorexia Nervosa Treatment for Adults (MANTRa), adapted for younger patients, compared with treatment as usual in 92 adolescents and young adults aged 13–21 years in Austria. Both groups improved, but MANTRa was associated with greater improvements in BMI and eating disorder psychopathology.

The second presentation explores adapted Family Therapy for Anorexia Nervosa in 30 emerging adults aged 18–25 years. Among the 28 treatment completers, 71.4% restored their weight to a BMI above 18.5 kg/m², and 85.7% were discharged to general practitioner care alone, providing preliminary support for extending family-based approaches into emerging adulthood.
The third presentation reports on the RaISE randomised, sham-controlled feasibility trial of intermittent theta burst stimulation for persistent AN. Of 57 participants randomised, 82.5% completed the intervention, with clinical, neurocognitive, and neuroimaging outcomes being evaluated.
Finally, a large multicentre randomised controlled trial comparing home treatment with continued inpatient care in 160 adolescent females found comparable expected body weight at one year, alongside lower eating disorder symptomatology, fewer psychiatric comorbidities, and lower treatment costs in the home treatment group.

Together, these studies highlight opportunities to improve AN care through specialised psychological interventions, developmentally flexible family involvement, innovative approaches for persistent illness, and alternatives to prolonged inpatient treatment. The symposium emphasises the importance of individualising treatment according to developmental stage, clinical complexity, family context, and care needs, while evaluating longer-term outcomes to inform clinical practice across the adolescent-to-adult transition.
The four presentations collectively challenge a one-size-fits-all approach to anorexia nervosa treatment. They suggest four complementary directions for advancing care:

  • Optimising psychological treatment: MANTRa may improve remission outcomes compared with treatment as usual.
  • Bridging the age divide: Family therapy can potentially be extended into emerging adulthood rather than being restricted by age-based service boundaries.
  • Addressing persistent illness: Neuromodulation is being investigated as a potential option when conventional treatment has not led to full recovery.
  • Rethinking treatment settings: Home treatment may achieve comparable weight outcomes to continued inpatient care while offering advantages in psychological outcomes and cost.

The overarching theme is that effective treatment should be guided not only by chronological age or weight restoration, but also by developmental needs, family resources, illness persistence, psychiatric comorbidity, and the appropriate intensity and setting of care.