Body Image & Eating Disorders

The Sharp group studies body image concerns and body image related disorders, including eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder. We focus on understanding the causes of the body image related disorders and developing novel treatments.

Sharp Group May 2024 2024 Sharp group L - R: Gabriel Lubieniecki, Tanya Gilmartin, Gemma Sharp, Nileshni Fernando, Alisha Randhawa (Absent – Alex Hu)

Get in touch

Whether you want to be involved in our research, you wish to study with us, or donate to our work, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Our people

Group Head

  • Gemma Sharp - ADJUNCT ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR (RESEARCH) Department of Neuroscience

Principal Software Developer

  • Alex Hu

Research Assistants

  • Nileshni Fernando
  • Alisha Randhawa

PhD students

  • Tanya Gilmartin
  • Gabriel Lubieniecki

Our work

Body image concerns are very common. More than 43% of people in Australia are dissatisfied with their body appearance. Negative body image can lead to poor psychological functioning as well as risky behaviours such as extreme dietary and weight control behaviours, excessive exercise and the pursuit of aesthetic surgery.

Poor body image is also one of the strongest risk factors for the development of eating disorders which impact over 1.1 million people in Australia of all ages, genders and backgrounds. Unfortunately, less than 1 in 4 people ever receive treatment.

Our work focuses on understanding the causes and factors that influence the development of body image concerns and body image related disorders such as eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder. These range from genetic profiles through to psychological factors (e.g., personality traits) and social factors (e.g., harmful social media content). We use a range of biological and psychological methodologies for these investigations.

Through our understanding of the factors that influence the development of body image related disorders, we are focusing on developing novel treatments, particularly online interventions. We use a range of digital mental health platforms such as mobile apps and conversational artificial intelligence agents like JEMTM and ED ESSITM Chatbots. Ultimately, we aim to deliver highly accessible and personalised treatments when people need them most. We also co-create mental health educational resources for people experiencing eating disorders across the lifespan (e.g., menopausal transition) as well as for health professionals in aesthetic medicine.

A/Prof Gemma Sharp and her team are leading the international Consortium for Research in Eating Disorders (CoRe-ED) which brings together key voices involved in eating disorders research - researchers, clinicians, people with lived experience, advocates, not-for-profit and industry representatives. By uniting our global efforts, we increase our chances of unlocking breakthroughs and developing cures. Please email core-ed@monash.edu for further details about the consortium.

Our achievements

Grants

A/Prof Gemma Sharp
  • National Health and Medical Research Council Investigator Grant Emerging Leadership 2 (CIA Sharp, 2023-2027)
  • Monash University Deputy Vice Chancellor Research Incubator Grant (CIA Sharp, 2024)
  • Health Innovation Summer Scholarship Clinical Champion (CIA Sharp, 2023-2024)
  • Women’s Health Research Translation Network Grant (CIA Sharp, 2023-2024)
  • Telematics Trust Grant (CIA Sharp, 2023)
  • General Sir John Monash Foundation Collaborative Grant (CIA Sharp, 2022-2023)
  • Monash Institute of Medical Engineering Seed Funding Grant (CIA Sharp, 2022-2023)
  • Australian Psychological Society College of Clinical Psychologists Research Grant (CIA Sharp, 2021-2022)
  • National Health and Medical Research Council Early Career Fellowship (CIA Sharp, 2018-2022)

Awards

  • A/Prof Gemma Sharp - Australian Psychological Society Media Award for Public Engagement with Psychological Science (2023), Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia Paul Bourke Award for Early Career Research (2022), Australian Psychological Society College of Clinical Psychologists Victorian Significant Contribution Award (2022), Club Melbourne Fellowship (2022), EMCR Best Paper Award - Applied Research - Society of Mental Health Research (2022), Association for Psychological Science Rising Star Award (2021) – see full list here
  • Tanya Gilmartin - Top Cited Article in Journal of Clinical Psychology (2024), Top Downloaded Article in British Journal of Psychology (2024), Finalist Peter Beumont ANZAED Young Investigator Award (2023)
  • Nileshni Fernando - Blackbird Protostar Grant (2023)

Publications

Publications Highlights

Below are a selection of some of published studies reflecting our high impact work. A full list of our publications can be found here.

  • Ethical challenges in AI approaches to eating disorders Sharp, G., Torous, J.B., & West, M.L., Aug 2023, In: Journal of Medical Internet Research
  • Examining health professional perspectives on social media body image movements: A qualitative exploration. Sharp, G., Bilal, M., Fernando, A.N., & de Boer, K., Sep 2023, In: Body Image. 46, p. 230-237 p.
  • New anti-obesity medications: Considerations and future directions in people with concurrent eating disorders Sharp, G., Girolamo, T., Hay, P., Mitchison, D., Cooper, K., Sumithran, P. & Jebeile, H., Sept 2023, In: Australian Journal of General Practice. 52, 9, p. 651-653 3 p.
  • A systematic review and meta-analysis of intensive treatment options for adults with eating disorders De Boer, K., Johnson, C., Wade, T. D., Radunz, M., Fernando, A. N., Babb, J., Stafrace, S. & Sharp, G., Dec 2023, In: Clinical Psychology Review. 106, 14 p., 102354.
  • One size does not fit all: Exploring how the five-factor model facets predict disordered eating behaviours among adolescent and young adult males and females Gilmartin, T. L., Gurvich, C. T., Dipnall, J. F. & Sharp, G., 2022, In: British Journal of Psychology. 27 p.
  • Development of a positive body image chatbot (KIT) with young people and parents/carers: Qualitative focus group study Beilharz, F., Sukunesan, S., Rossell, S. L., Kulkarni, J. & Sharp, G., Jun 2021, In: Journal of Medical Internet Research. 23, 6, 12 p., e27807.
  • Examining the pro-eating disorders community on twitter via the hashtag #proana: Statistical modeling approach Sukunesan, S., Huynh, M. & Sharp, G., Jul 2021, In: JMIR Mental Health. 8, 7, 9 p., e24340.
  • Genital Self-Image in Adolescent Girls: The Effectiveness of a Brief Educational Video Fernando, A. N. & Sharp, G., Dec 2020, In: Body Image. 35, p. 75-83 9 p.

Recent Publications

A preliminary qualitative analysis of women’s experiences with vaginal CO2 laser treatments

Fernando, N., Hamori, C. A., Oates, J. & Sharp, G., 2024, In: Aesthetic Surgery Journal Open Forum. 6, 6 p. ojae074.

Research output: Contribution to journal > Article > Research > peer-review

Attrition in Conversational Agent-Delivered Mental Health Interventions: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Jabir, A. I., Lin, X., Martinengo, L., Sharp, G., Theng, Y. L. & Car, L. T., Jan 2024, In: Journal of Medical Internet Research. 26, 1, 24 p. e48168.

Research output: Contribution to journal > Review Article > Research > peer-review

Development and preliminary validation of a novel eating disorder screening tool for vegetarians and vegans: the V-EDS

Mclean, C., Chen, Z., Song, R., Le, J., Fielding, J. & Sharp, G., Dec 2024, In: Journal of Eating Disorders. 12, 1, 16 p. 4.

Research output: Contribution to journal > Article > Research > peer-review

Did She or Didn't She? Perceptions of Operative Status of Female Genitalia

Sasson, D., Sharp, G. & Placik, O., 15 Oct 2024, In: Aesthetic Surgery Journal. 44, 11, p. 1203-1208 6 p. sjae130.

Research output: Contribution to journal > Article > Research > peer-review

Discussing weight with patients in primary care: A mixed methods experimental study

West, M. L., Rathbone, J. A., Bilal, M., Fernando, N. & Sharp, G., Sep 2024, In: Obesity Research and Clinical Practice. 18, 5 S1, 1 p.

Research output: Contribution to journal > Meeting Abstract > Other > peer-review