EDAC will foster new partnerships across different sectors and disciplines, working collaboratively with Autistic people with lived experience – enabling Autistic people to lead and conduct eating disorder research.
EDAC comprises of four “work streams” which aim to support a strong foundation for the development of an interdisciplinary research network, led by Autistic people with lived experience of an eating disorder. The work streams are designed to bring different disciplines and communities together providing opportunities for innovative and meaningful research.
EDAC is led by Dr Karri-Gillespie Smith and Dr Fiona Duffy from the University of Edinburgh alongside other academics and third sector partners across the UK. However, the aim is for all research activity to be led and co-produced by Autistic individuals with living and lived experience of eating disorders. It is one of four projects jointly funded by the Medical Research Foundation, the Medical Research Council, the Economic and Social Research Council, the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the National Institute for Health and Care Research as part of the New Collaborations to Support Eating Disorder Research scheme. This funding stream was developed to address the ‘Vicious Cycle of Underfunding’ of eating disorder research highlighted in a 2021 report - compiled by Beat - on behalf of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Eating Disorders.
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