Message from the President
Dear colleagues,
About three months ago I had the honor of taking over the presidency of our great AED from the wonderful Kelly Bhatnager, whom I want to thank for everything she has done for the organization in the past year. The AED is in good shape and our path forward is bright, which is a pleasant way to start a presidential year. Together with my 12 other board members, we adhere to the strategic plan and work hard on our mission to advance eating disorder prevention, education, treatment, and research by expanding the global community of committed professionals.
In March 2024 our annual conference ICED took place in New York City, NY. The theme was Cultivating Belonging and Building Connections and the content of the conference was excellent, with many thanks to the Scientific Program Committee that was chaired by Deborah Mitchison and Mae Lynn Reyes-Rodríguez. The theme fits well with the AED as can be seen in the many meetings that were organized to bring people together (for example, the mentor-mentee breakfast; one of the many special interest groups; the Partnership, Chapter, and Affiliate Committee networking event; or our closing event) and the work that is done to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion.
For me personally, it is very important to attend our annual conference to strengthen my connections with other professionals in the field of eating disorders (across disciplines and backgrounds). I come from the Netherlands myself and I find it very inspiring to meet colleagues from all over the world, exchange information, learn from them, and explore possibilities for collaboration. During the conference, people from more than 50 different countries were present. This shows that we are truly an international organization, and we remain committed to strengthening this further.
While we are still enjoying ICED 2024, the Scientific Program Committee for ICED 2025, with co-chairs April Smith and Luz Scappatura, is hard at work to make this conference a success again. The conference will take place in San Antonio, TX from May 28-30 with the theme A Brave New World: Leveraging Technology, Applied Science and Innovative Practice to Advance the Field. I am looking forward to this conference and to being inspired by technological and other innovations that will advance our field! The choice to hold the conference in San Antonio, TX was made after much thoughtful consideration. While we as board members are excited at the opportunity, concerns have been expressed about the comfort and safety of our attendees. We as a board are dedicated to ensuring that all our members can participate in a safe and inclusive environment at our conferences. We have added detail to the ICED 2025 webpage to explain to you why we are convinced that San Antonio, TX is a good place to gather for ICED 2025.
As a final point, I would like to announce that I will continue the initiative that Kelly started to ensure accessibility, collaboration, and transparency within our organization by holding monthly presidential “office hours” from June onwards (with the exception of July). Please reach out to connect, share your thoughts, or ask questions. This is available on the last Thursday of each month between 4-5 p.m. Central European Time (CET). To schedule a meeting, please send an email (see the member directory on the AED website).
Looking forward to connecting!
Unna