research
Melissa is an award-winning PhD candidate and dedicated early career researcher, with an strong track record. Her PhD, supervised by Prof. Sarah Maguire, Dr. Kristi Griffiths & Dr Sarah Barakat, is a world-first cohort-based study of dieting in nearly 500 young people. Her PhD work has been recognised nationally and internationally. In 2023, Melissa was a Peter Beumont Early Career Investigator Award finalist at the Australian and New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders (ANZAED) and in 2025, she was awarded the Brian Lask Rising Star Award at the London Eating Disorders Conference for her PhD research. In addition to her PhD, Melissa has worked across numerous eating disorder-related research projects at the InsideOut Institute and Australian Eating Disorders Research and Translation Centre, involved heavily in study design and co-production, ethics application, investigation, statistical analyses and write-up. Projects she has worked on include a large community-based study and trial of an online skill-based self-help program for carers of a loved one with an eating disorder, a co-produced qualitative study on the experiences of individuals with a lived or living experience of an eating disorders, carers and clinicians, and a community-based survey of individuals experiences with GLP-1 agonists. Melissa has 24 peer-reviewed publications and her work has been presented at over 15 national and international conference presentations, generating substantial interest. She is the holder of the Graduate Women's Tempe Mann Travelling Scholarship (2025, $8000) and Royston George Booker Scholarship (2025, $2800), and her PhD research is supported by the Australian Government Research Training Program Stipend ($143,500). Melissa is the current Co-Chair for the ANZAED Early Career Researchers Special Interest Group and an Associate Investigator on a novel project examining nutritional patterns in binge eating ($5000). Further, she holds dual-roles as a lived-experience advisor, ambassador and peer-support worker.
Melissa is experienced in mixed-methods, longitudinal and mediational research. Her work broadly aims to (1) identidy early indicators of eating disorder risk to inform widescale early intervention and prevention policy and programs, (2) improve our understanding of eating disorders and (3) improve how we care for and treat individuals with eating disorders and their loved ones.
The My Diet Study is the first longitudinal, observational investigation of self-directed dieting patterns in young people aged 16-25, combining in-depth psychological and biological data to understand factors impacting dieting experiences. By examining natural dieting habits before eating disorders emerge, the research aims to identify biomarkers for risk, inform safety frameworks for young people's dieting, and establish evidence-based guidance for diet-based lifestyle interventions.
The Holistic Understanding study is a longitudinal, biopsychosocial dense-sampling study designed to uncover the mechanisms underlying eating disorder development and maintenance, addressing gaps in current understanding that limit treatment efficacy.
SupportED is the first inclusive online support program co-designed for carers of people with eating disorders, offering self-paced skills training across all eating disorder types and carer relationships. Preliminary findings demonstrate the program's acceptability and feasibility while showing promise in reducing caregiver burden and improving support capabilities.
This trial will develop and evaluate a personalised package of care for young people with anorexia nervosa aged 14-25 through co-production with individuals and families, with treatment tailored based on regular clinical and psychometric review.
The TailorED study tests innovative interventions for people with Bulimia Nervosa or Binge Eating Disorder who don't respond well to standard cognitive behavioural therapy, comparing personalised care with brain stimulation (TMS). This stepped-care approach aims to optimise treatment outcomes, reduce costs and waiting times, and provide evidence for tailoring care based on individual treatment response.
This study examines who is using GLP-1 agonists (Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro) and their experiences, particularly regarding physical and mental health outcomes, side effects, and associations with disordered eating. Through surveys and interviews with users aged 18+, the research aims to identify the benefits and harms of these medications and provide insights into their real-world effects on health and wellbeing.
This study applies nutritional geometry to food diary records from 200 people with Binge Eating Disorder or Bulimia Nervosa to investigate whether insufficient protein intake drives overconsumption and loss of dietary control.
Models of Care for Eating Disorders: Findings From a Rapid Review
Pehlivan, M.J., et al.,
Journal of Eating Disorders.
10(1), 166.
Characteristics, Correlates of Burden and Support Service Use of a Help-Seeking Carers of Loved Ones With an Eating Disorder
Pehlivan, M. J., Rodgers, B., Schlage, J., Maguire, S., & Miskovic-Wheatley, J.
European Eating Disorders Review.
32(3), 458 - 475.
Skills-Based Online Self-Help Program for Carers of People With an Eating Disorder (SupportED): A Case Series Evaluation.
Miskovic-Wheatley, J., Schlage, J., Pehlivan, M. J., Simone, R., Koreshe, E., Hunt, C., & Maguire, S.
International Journal of Eating Disorders.
57(2), 423 - 436.
My Diet Study: Protocol for a Two-Part Observational, Longitudinal, Psycho-Biological Study of Dieting in Australian Youth
Okada, M., Pehlivan, M. J., Miskovic-Wheatley, J., Barakat, S., Griffiths, K. R., Touyz, S. W., Simpson, S. J., Maguire, S., & Holmes, A. J.
Frontiers in Public Health.
11, 1281855.
Eating Disorder Risk Among Australian Youth Starting a Diet in the Community
Pehlivan, M. J., Okada, M., Miskovic-Wheatley, J., Barakat, S., Touyz, S., Simpson, S. J., Griffiths, K., Holmes, A., & Maguire, S.
Appetite.
203, 107685.
understanding-illness-lived-experience
neurobiological
identification-assessment
BPsych(Hons I), MRes
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