History

AED History

The Academy for Eating Disorders (AED) began on September 11, 1993 with a meeting organized by Craig Johnson, PhD, FAED, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.

In total, 33 clinicians and researchers met to discuss concerns about the deleterious effects of managed care and other insurance practices on providing quality treatment for patients with eating disorders. This group saw the need for an organization of eating disorders professionals that embodied excellence in education, treatment and research that could advocate for patients with eating disorders, provide professional training and development and, in general, represent the field of eating disorders. The AED was formed to meet these goals and today, the AED includes over 1,500 professionals from around the world who have joined together to support this mission.

The current and past AED leadership has worked hard to ensure that this mission is met. Below is a brief timeline of accomplishments during the tenures of each president:

	1993-1995 Pauline Powers, MD, FAED Membership grows from 33 to 250 members
	1995-1996 Ruth Striegel Weissman, PhD, FAED Organization is restructured; Board is reduced from 26 members to more manageable number with term limits established Task force is organized to increase international membership AED sponsors workshop on Development of Research Priorities in Eating Disorders, initiated by NIH's Susan Yanovski, MD
	1996-1997 B. Timothy Walsh, MD, FAED AED increased focus on professional education and training Clinical Teaching Day debuts; Amy Baker Dennis, PhD, is appointed first Coordinator for Teaching and Education
	1997-1998 Joel Yager, MD, FAED Membership increases to more than 500 International Journal of Eating Disorders becomes official journal of the AED Listserv is established to enable more effective member communication Management structure shifts from the Adolescent Medicine offices at Montefiore Hospital (New York City) to organizational management company
	1998-1999 Marsha Marcus, MD, FAED Management transition process is completed AED increases activities promoting public education about eating disorders
	1999-2000 Stephen Wonderlich, PhD, FAED First formal strategic planning session held in Toronto, Canada AED organization is restructured, with the addition of Publications, Research and Public Affairs councils
	2000-2001 James Mitchell, PhD, FAED AED redefines relationship with other U.S.-based eating disorders organizations, including advocacy groups which eventually coalesced into the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) and the Eating Disorders Research Society (EDRS) AED sponsors first International Conference on Eating Disorders (ICED) in New York, NY, USA
	2001-2002 Allan Kaplan, MD, FAED AED experiences rapid growth; membership exceeds 1000
	2002-2003 Patricia Fallon, PhD, FAED AED expands initiatives designed to increase the involvement of colleagues from outside North America
	2003-2004 Cynthia Bulik, PhD, FAED Global membership expands AED sponsors first conference outside North America in Quito, Ecuador
	2004-2005 Michael Devlin, MD, FAED AED transitions to new management company Website is redesigned and relaunched AED initiates plans for first ICED to be held outside North America Special issue of International Journal of Eating Disorders and the first AED Annual Review published
	2005-2006 Scott Crow, MD, FAED AED implements new leadership structure
	2006-2007 Eric van Furth, PhD, FAED AED establishes Advisory Board Worldwide Charter is launched in six languages AED collaborates with NEDA and EDC to improve the health of models in the fashion industry Guidelines for the Fashion Industry are launched in six languages CE credentialing for International Journal of Eating Disorders established
	2007-2008 Kelly Klump, PhD, FAED AED develops Research Grant Program Scientific Committee is formed Research-Practice Task Force is developed First AED position paper on eating disorders as serious forms of mental illness is completed
	2008-2009 Judith Banker, LLP, MA, FAED AED launches new branding platform AED prioritizes Research-Practice Integration as long-range organizational goal Guidelines and Action Plan for Research-Practice Integration are released Guidelines for Childhood Obesity Prevention Programs are released AED forms Medical Care Standards Task Force to promote essential online medical management education for physicians worldwide AED Fitness Industry Guidelines Task Force is formed, facilitating the collaborative global implementation of eating disorder awareness, prevention and intervention guidelines throughout the health club and fitness industry
	2009-2010 Susan Paxton, PhD, FAED AED welcomes five new Sister Organizations and hosts first meeting of AED's Sister Organizations and Chapters Website is redesigned and relaunched AED issues position paper: "The Role of the Family in Eating Disorders" AED completes Early Recognition posters and brochures for primary care settings AED contributes to the collaborative approach to the Office of the First Lady (US), raising awareness of Guidelines for Obesity Prevention Programs
	2010-2011 Debra K. Katzman, MD, FAED AED launches efficiency program Membership continues to increase, exceeding 1400 AED hosts fundraiser and book launch of Aimee Liu's Restoring Our Bodies, Reclaiming Our Lives Go Green initiative is established AED launches Critical Points for Early Recognition and Medical Risk Management in the Care of Individuals with Eating Disorders brochure
	2011-2012 Anne Becker, MD, PhD, ScM Global Capacity Building Task Force is initiated First AED Mentorship Program is launched at 2012 ICED AED website is optimized for mobile devices AED membership sets new record, exceeding 1500 2012 ICED attendance (Austin, Texas, USA) sets new record, exceeding 900 More than 44,000 copies of Critical Points for Early Recognition and Medical Risk Management in the Care of Individuals with Eating Disorders brochure are distributed
	2012-2013 Dasha Nicholls, MBBS, MD (Res), MRCPsych, FAED Relaunch of vision, mission, goals and priorities following major strategic and governance review AED turnover reaches $1M Publication of AED Residential and Inpatient Treatment standards Board of Directors approves appointment of Patient-Carer representative to Board New Editor-in-Chief takes the helm at the International Journal for Eating Disorders
	2013-2014 Pamela Keel, PhD, FAED Launched new website that integrates social media into the AED homepage, facilitates implementation of online courses, and provides an interactive data base for members to identify and interact with each other. AED Bylaws revisions approved by membership to expand Board of Directors to include a nonprofessional member to represent Patient-Carer perspective in strategic planning 2014 ICED attendance in New York City sets new attendance record, exceeding 1350 attendees. AED membership sets new record, exceeding 1600 Prague, Czech Republic, is selected for next non-North American ICED for 2017 following robust support from poll of AED members.
	2014-2015 Glenn Waller, DPhil, FAED Added six new organizations to AED’s Partner, Chapter and Affiliate Committee (PCAC) (Three Partner Organizations, Two Affiliate Organizations and One Chapter) Increased international membership to 19% of total membership; AED has members from 48 countries. Oversaw initial transition to a new management company AED conducts national search and hires new Executive Director AED launches webinars to increase educational opportunities outside ICED
	2015-2016 Carolyn Becker, Ph.D., FAED Oversaw culture change phase of transition moving to new management company Webinar series gained momentum with a commitment to 10 in 2016 Seven new Partners/Chapters/Affiliates First Simultaneous Spanish Translation of Keynote and all Plenary sessions and many workshops at ICED Adopted new policies on media relations and Pharmaceutical involvement in AED, Created new membership categories – Patient/Carer, Post-Bac, New Professional
	2016-2017 Eva Trujillo, MD, CEDS, FAED, FAAP, Fiaedp Created new membership category – Friends of AED – for patient and patient-carer associations Completely updated and indexed the AED Policies and Procedures Manual Created a handbook for Committee Orientation Created a Translation Board to expand our translation capabilities Increased membership: increased minority representation among non US members and students to 40% Created the World Eating Disorders Healthcare Rights document, and translated to Spanish Improved press access and visibility worldwide (press releases, letter to editors, lobbying, etc.) Advocacy activities worldwide (WEDD, awareness days, advocacy days) Social media expansion / website integration Develop strategic alliances in and outside of the field (32 Partners, Chapters and Affiliates, proposal of formation of European AED Chapter, EDC, NIHM, PAHO and other national and international orgs) Emissaries program Finalized Medical Care Standards Guide, 3rd Edition, Already translated into 6 languages the digital version, making it globally accessible Expanded ICED scope: Mini satellite ICED event. Secured ability to offer CME in Europe Finished review of policies for pharma and industry involvement in AED. Started reorganization of Advisory Board to focus on fundraising IJED CE program relaunched Maintained and grew AED reserve fund ICED 2017 co-placed with Czech society and Weight and Stigma Society
	2017-2018 Stephanie Bauer, PhD Led an initiative to improve the diversity and inclusiveness of AED by acknowledging our awareness as a profession of the existence of discrimination and stigma in every aspect of our work, and working to improve our ability to talk openly and civilly where we have disagreements. Worked to ferret out and address disparity in the diagnosis of and access to care for individuals suffering from eating disorders. Worked to ensure that AED is open and inclusive to all in our meetings, our publications, on our committees and board, and in every aspect of what we do Launched redesigned website and new community platform Initiated the Emissary program where AED sponsors members travel to clinics or hospitals in parts of the world where there is little or no access to eating disorder expertise for a week of basic training. Formation of the European Chapter
	2018-2019 Kyle De young, PhD, FAED Highest membership: 1,880 Highest ICED attendance: 1,439 Welcomed the Middle Eastern Eating Disorder Association as an AED Chapter Formed the Task Force for the Development of Psychological Care Guidelines for Eating Disorders Formed the Task Force of Leaders of Nonprofit and University-Based Intensive Eating Disorders Treatment AED joined the Coalition for the Advancement and Application of Psychological Science (CAAPS) Clarified stance on the importance of fully considering the risk of increasing eating disorders and related problems as well as the seriousness of these risks in research that has the potential to increase them Recognized our members formerlly called "patient-carers" as "Experts by Experience," better reflecting their journeys and first-hand expertise Formed the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee Formed the Ethics Committee Began the process of forming a Development Committee to focus on diversifying revenue streams Expanded partnerships with publishers to offer discounted publications to members Launched the AED online store, offering past recordings, publications, and other merchandise