08:30
Imperial College
October 1
Lecture Theatre 200, City and Guilds Building
Join us for Professor Dasha Nicholls’ inaugural lecture online or in person.
Please register to attend in person. A live stream link for online attendance will be added here shortly.
We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 1 October!
Abstract
Eating disorders, once a niche and highly specialised area of mental health, now represent a growing public health concern among children and young people, with rising prevalence and increasingly complex presentations. In her inaugural lecture, Dasha Nicholls, Professor of Child and Psychiatry and National Specialist Advisor on Eating Disorders, will explore the multifaceted nature of eating disorder risk, emphasising the changing nature of the concept of eating disorders and with it the epidemiology and demographics of those at risk. Drawing on her research and clinical insights, she will examine the interplay of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors—including genetic predisposition, neurodevelopmental traits, adverse childhood experiences, body image pressures, the food environment and social media influence—that contribute to vulnerability in young people. Particular areas of interest in her work include prepubertal children, those with co-occurring social difficulties, and young people at higher weight.
Professor Nicholls’ talk will emphasise the importance of early detection and prevention, advocating for a transdisciplinary approach that engages clinicians, educators, caregivers, and policy-makers. Drawing on emerging research and ideas from those who have influenced and taught her, she will outline strategies for fostering protective environments, harnessing social media and AI to increase access, and delivering developmentally appropriate interventions.
Biography
Dasha Nicholls is Professor of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry in the Division of Psychiatry at Imperial and Honorary Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist in Central and Northwest London Foundation Trust. She holds roles as National Specialist Advisor on Eating Disorders to NHS England and as Clinical and Strategic Director for National Audits and Research at the College Centre for Quality Improvement of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Before joining Imperial in 2018, she was Joint Head of the Feeding and Eating Disorders service at Great Ormond Street Hospital and Honorary Senior Lecturer at the UCL Institute of Child Health, where she completed her MD. She is Past President of the Academy of Eating Disorders and Past Chair of the Eating Disorders Faculty of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. She led development of guidance on management of medical emergencies in eating disorders, and was integral to the transformation of young people’s eating disorders services in England.
Her research focuses on prevention and early intervention for young people’s mental health, increasingly beyond those with feeding and eating disorders and living at higher weight. She co-founded the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Surveillance System (CAPSS) for research into rare disorders and events in child mental health and has undertaken three national surveillance studies using CAPSS.