© 2026 InsideOut
InsideOut acknowledges the tradition of custodianship and law of the Country on which the University of Sydney and Charles Perkins Centre campus stands. We pay our respects to those who have cared and continue to care for Country. We are committed to diversifying research and eliminating inequities and discrimination in healthcare. We welcome all people regardless of age, gender, race, size, sexuality, language, socioeconomic status, location or ability.
The Food, Eating and Wellbeing (FEW) Project develops shared, culturally grounded language and definitions around food, eating, and wellbeing in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Guided by a Project Advisory and Governance Group (PAGG) and co-led with First Nations organisations, the project is community-led, producing culturally safe definitions, language guides, and resources to ensure research, policy, and practice reflect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge and priorities.
In Progress
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.
In Recruitment
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.
In Recruitment
This project develops a data-driven model of treatment personalisation using pre-existing clinical datasets to identify individual-level intervention targets for eating disorders, followed by a pilot study assessing preliminary efficacy, acceptability, and feasibility.
In Progress
SkillED is an online CBT self-help program with 11 self-paced modules that evaluates innovative engagement strategies - including individual treatment choice and just-in-time adaptive interventions - to reduce dropout rates and improve adherence and outcomes for individuals aged 12+ experiencing eating disorder symptoms.
In Recruitment
The Upskilling Project aims to improve treatment and early intervention of eating disorders in mainstream mental health settings nationally by embedding evidence-based treatment in care and upskilling frontline mental health clinicians.
Complete
This study investiagted the use of Family-Based Therapy (FBT) via telehealth for young people with Anorexia Nervosa living in rural and regional settings. It found that telehealth-FBT was feasibly implemented into rural services, with preliminary efficacy comparable to those reported by specialist studies.
In Progress
This evidence‑based eLearning program supports dietitians working with children and adolescents with eating disorders in hospital settings. It provides guidance on nutrition management, intervention, review, education, and discharge planning, with practical activities and videos relevant across paediatric medical, mental health, and specialist settings. Developed by paediatric dietitians and people with lived experience, the course empowers dietitians and families as young people transition from hospital to community care. As a result, young people and their families can access evidence‑based support from inpatient dietetic services across NSW.
In Progress
A bespoke statewide workforce platform was developed to support clinicians, eating disorder coordinators and trainers with prerequisite learning, eLearning modules, and feedback collection. It allows coordinators to prioritise clinicians in their Local Health Districts and ensures access to current, evidence‑based training. Clinicians across NSW can now enrol in training that matches their needs and access training resources.
Complete
The NSW Service Plan emphasises having the Right People with the Right Skills in the Right Place. This highlights the need for a skilled, multidisciplinary workforce to support people with eating disorders across all levels of care. To achieve this, InsideOut efforts focus on building workforce Capacity and Capability across all NSW Health Services, providing NSW Health staff with training opportunities. This helps to ensure that individuals and their families receive high-quality, evidence-informed care close to home.
In Progress
The Translation Blueprint will build on and align to key existing national sector documents, and provide guidance for services across the country to build on their practice and impact, and policy makers for funding and decision making.
In Progress
This study tested an online CBT program for people with muscle dysmorphia and found it was workable, well‑received, and helped reduce symptoms like compulsive exercise and disordered eating.
Complete
This study explores the use of cannabidiol (CBD) as an adjunct to treatment for people with Anorexia Nervosa (AN).
Complete
The InsideOut Institute Screener (IOI‑S) is a co‑designed digital tool that accurately identifies people at high risk of, or in the early stages of, eating disorders. This project shows that the IOI‑S performs equally well when used online or delivered face‑to‑face by clinicians, highlighting its potential to support earlier detection and intervention in primary healthcare.
Complete
This study looked at how eating disorder research was funded in Australia between 2009 and 2021 and compared it with funding for other mental health conditions. It found that eating disorders receive far less research investment than their severity, prevalence, and high mortality rates would justify, highlighting a major gap between need and funding.
Complete
This pilot study evaluated the acceptability and effectiveness of an online microlearning program for GPs to help support patients with eating disorders. Results demonstrated improved skills, confidence, and willingness-to-treat among participating GPs.
Complete
The GP Hub is an innovative, evidence-based digital suite of tools supporting GPs in the assesment and management of people living with eating disorders in Australia. Designed with GPs, people with lived experience of eating disorders, clinicians, practice managers and practice nurses, the GP Hub serves as a one-stop resource to streamline patient care and support GPs.
In Recruitment
The InsideOut eClinic is a free online platform that provides Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)-based eTherapy programs for individuals experiencing body image or eating concerns, support for carers, and tools for clinicians supporting people with eating disorders or disordered eating.
In Recruitment
This trial evaluates the safety, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for individuals with treatment-resistant anorexia nervosa who have not responded to standard evidence-based interventions.
In Recruitment
The livED project offers a digital platform for people to share their experiences of living with and getting treatment for body image, eating or exercise concerns. The project aims to improve and diversify our understanding of eating disorders within the community and to inform health system approaches.
In Recruitment
People with eating disorders can present in any healthcare setting. There is consensus that Dietetic Graduates are should be able to identify a person with an eating disorder and work safely with people with an eating disorder. However, training in Eating Disorders varies widely across universities. To address this, InsideOut established a national working party to review content at all universities delivering dietetics, and collaborated with NEDC to roll out a tertiary education programme focusing on prevention and identification, with pilot implementation at one NSW university, and plans for a standardized curriculum rollout across all NSW institutions by 2026/2027.
In Progress
Across NSW, services report an increase in people presenting with Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), however, clinicians lacked access to evidence-based training to support them. To address this gap, an eLearning program, ARFID Fundamentals, was developed to provide clinicians with guidance on scope of practice across various healthcare settings. Co-produced with lived experience input, evidence informed and drawing on local and international expertise, the training helps clinicians understand ARFID, while differentiating from other feeding and eating disorders to enable a comprehensive assessment, and deliver multidisciplinary, person-centred care.
Complete
Across NSW, health services are increasingly involving people with a lived experience of an eating disorder and/or of caring for a loved one with an eating disorder in Service planning and improvement. This aims to ensure the skills, voices, experiences and contributions of those with a lived experience are effectively implemented, including Resources have been developed to support LHD Coordinators in meaningfully engaging these individuals.
In Progress
Family-Based Treatment (FBT) is the recommended first-line therapy for young people with eating disorders, and efforts in NSW focus on expanding access to this care through workforce training. InsideOut Institute in collaboration with Prof Daniel Le Grange pioneered the development of a “train the trainer” model, enabling experienced clinicians to become FBT trainers and deliver education locally. Experienced clinicians were provided with extensive training by Daniel Le Grange to become trainers in FBT. This approach increases training accessibility, strengthens the workforce, and ultimately allows more young people and their families to receive evidence-based treatment close to home
In Progress
In the past 30 years there has been an increased awareness of the higher prevalence of disordered eating and eating disorders in people with and at risk of Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). The Queensland Eating Disorder Service (QuEDS) developed local guidelines for caring for people living with T1D, and an eating disorder or disordered eating. NSW Health formed a working group to review these guidelines, and explore adaptation and development of the guideline for NSW Health services, to provide guidance to clinicians working in the community with people with diabetes on how to assess and manage disordered eating and eating disorders. This guidance improves clinician confidence and ensures people with eating disorders and at risk of T1D receive coordinated, effective care.
In Progress
Dietitians play a crucial role in the care of a person with an eating disorder across the health system both in community and hospital settings. InsideOut Institute recognises the key role of Dietitians. However, the majority of the Dietitian workforce is within generalist roles rather than specialized positions. The upskilling project provides various NSW Health Dietitians with training opportunities through webinars, eLearning, Group Supervision, and a learning library. This equips Dietitians with the skills needed in the care and management of a person with an eating disorder, across the various roles and services within NSW Health.
In Progress
The 2014 ‘Guidelines for the Inpatient Management of Adult Eating Disorders in General Medical and Psychiatric Settings in NSW’ provides valuable guidance for clinicians in services across the state in the care of a person with an eating disorder in a medical setting. InsideOut Institute in partnership with NSW Health and medical and psychiatric leads across the state have embarked on a full review and redesign of this guideline. The revised guidelines will reflect current evidence and best practice, provide consistent admission criteria, and ensure people with eating disorders can access the appropriate level of inpatient care across NSW.
In Progress
This project evaluated the way eating disorder care is delivered nationally, by looking at data from across the health system and considering the voice of the lived experience. MAINSTREAM is a multi-disciplinary team, involving researchers and linked to health partners (headspace and PHNs).
Complete
The NSW Service Plan sets out a major five‑year effort to strengthen eating‑disorder care across the health system, improving access, quality, and outcomes through better services, pathways, and workforce capability. This research evaluates how well service plan training boosts knowledge and confidence so programs can keep improving and inform government and sector-wide planning.
In Progress
This study looked at how lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (LDX) affects the brain in people with binge eating disorder. After treatment, people showed brain changes that went along with feeling and functioning better, suggesting the medicine may help by shifting how the brain handles appetite, reward, and self‑control.
Complete
This study seeks to develop a deep understanding of the biological, psychological and social factors contributing to an individual's eating disorder. Using this information, we plan to co-produce a universal measure of eating disorders.
In Progress
This study explored the experience of prescription and non-prescription drug use in people with eating disorders. Findings indicate that the perceived health benefits of substances like psychedelics and cannabis often rating more favourably than conventional prescription medication.
Complete
The IncludED study is one of Australia's largest investigations into eating and body image concerns within the LGBTQIA+ community, conducted through online surveys with people aged 16+ from across the globe. The findings aim to improve awareness, support, and treatment for eating disorders within these communities, which have been historically under‑researched.
Complete
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.
Complete
This study develops and empirically validates a standardised assessment tool based on the RAVES framework to measure nutritional rehabilitation in people with eating disorders. By operationalising this widely-used clinical framework, the tool will enable consistent tracking of recovery progress, facilitate tailored interventions, and enhance evidence-based nutrition care in eating disorder treatment.
In Progress
This study develops and validates a perinatal-adapted screening tool (IOI-SP) through lived-experience co-design to accurately identify eating disorder symptoms during pregnancy and postpartum, addressing a critical gap in routine detection.
In Recruitment
This project created a single, standard set of information to be collected about eating disorders across Australia, to help us better understand how people access treatment and how well those treatments work.
Complete
An analysis of the first 24 months of uptake of Australia's 2019 dedicated Medicare items for eating disorders, examining variations in service delivery across regions, healthcare settings, and professional disciplines. The study tracked over 29,000 care plans initiated and 265,000 treatment sessions delivered, identifying opportunities for program refinement to optimise outcomes and ensure policy objectives are met.
Complete
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.
In Progress
EDGI is a world-first genome-wide association study conducted in collaboration with QIMR Berghofer and international researchers. It aims to identify the hundreds of genes contributing to Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, and ARFID, to enable more targeted, personalised interventions and earlier detection in high-risk groups.
In Recruitment
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.
In Progress
This study investigates brain and hormonal responses to real-time food consumption decisions in individuals with anorexia nervosa using brain imaging and biomarker analysis. The research aims to identify biological drivers of restrictive eating and inform development of novel treatment targets.
In Recruitment
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.
In Progress
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.
In Recruitment