Eating disorders are serious mental health problems, affecting primarily adolescent girls and young adult women. The public health significance of eating disorders derives from the fact that they are common among adolescent girls, often take a chronic course, are associated with psychiatric comorbidity and lasting adverse health outcomes such as infertility and osteoporosis, and contribute to elevated health services utilization. Because eating disorder research has a relatively short history, challenges remain in the field concerning the recruitment and training of young scholars into research careers in eating disorders. Moreover, the multifactorial etiology and complex clinical picture of eating disorders require the collaboration of experts from a range of disciplines to advance the scientific knowledge base needed for identifying effective treatments and prevention strategies. Translational research promises to advance the field, yet few avenues exist for a productive exchange of research findings within a translational framework. Finally, dissemination of scientific knowledge to clinicians remains an important concern as studies have shown that only a minority of clinicians in the field uses the empirically validated and effective treatments for eating disorders. Support is requested to enhance the training function of the Academy for Eating Disorders (AED) Conference. Three program components are proposed: 1) a Junior Investigator Travel Program to provide financial support for outstanding students, post-doctoral fellows, and residents to attend the AED meeting; 2) a Research Teaching Day to be offered to the Travel Fellows the day preceding the AED conference; and 3) an NIMH sponsored symposium featuring cutting edge research of interest to basic and applied researchers. Support is requested for four years and the success of the program will be evaluated annually.
