Deeply Rooted in Care: A Conversation with Dr. Gina Dimitropoulos on Systemic Shifts, Relational Practice, and the Future of Eating Disorder Care

Aug 31

By Marie Bryce | Silver Linings Foundation

Dr. Gina Dimitropoulos is a visionary leader in the eating disorder field who bridges the gap between academic research and real-world care. She is a guiding light in translating complex evidence into practical, accessible tools that directly support clinicians, individuals, and families.

As a valued partner of the Silver Linings Foundation, we had the pleasure of co-designing and delivering the first ever Alberta Eating Disorder Summit with her this past winter. Alongside our community partners, our shared commitment to bringing together those in the eating disorder space remains stronger than ever. Stay tuned as we build on this momentum with new collaborative events launching through late 2026 and into 2027.

I recently had the privilege of sitting down with Dr. Gina for an insightful conversation. Within moments of meeting her, I was drawn to her genuine warmth and humility. Her primary concern was ensuring our conversation truly served those with lived experience—making sure they felt accurately represented, heard, and valued.

About Dr. Gina Dimitropoulos

Dr. Gina Dimitropoulos, PhD, MSW, RSW, FAED, is a Full Professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary, cross-appointed with the Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics. She holds the inaugural University of Calgary Research Excellence Chair in Transdisciplinary System-Level Interventions for Equitable and Accessible Youth Mental Health Services.

With over two decades of clinical and academic expertise, Dr. Dimitropoulos is a leading authority in child, youth, and family-centered mental health. Her pioneering work focuses on:

Family-Based Treatment (FBT): Developing adaptations for transition-age youth and emerging adults.
Continuity of Care: Building clinical pathways to support smooth transitions between pediatric and adult mental health services.
Community-Engaged Research: Partnering directly with individuals with lived experience, families, and marginalized communities to co-design equitable care models.

For Dr. Dimitropoulos, research is never just an academic exercise destined for a journal shelf; it is a driving passion to create tangible, real-world impacts on policy and frontline clinical care.

Below is our conversation, structured to provide frontline clinicians, service providers, and allies with tangible takeaways, emerging clinical perspectives, and practical resources.

What Drives the Journey: Research That Moves Beyond the Page

Marie Bryce: You’ve been in the eating disorder field for many years. What continues to drive your leadership in this space?

Dr. Gina Dimitropoulos: I really love working alongside people with lived experience, their families, and communities, collectively thinking about how we can do better to support those affected by eating disorders. Throughout my career, I’ve felt deeply connected to this work.

What keeps me going is the opportunity to drive research that is truly impactful from both a policy and practice perspective. It’s vital to me that my work doesn’t just end up in a journal read by a small circle—I want it to make a tangible, real-world difference in the lives of individuals and families.

Broadening the Horizon: Major Paradigm Shifts in Eating Disorder Care

Marie Bryce: Looking across the field, what are the most significant shifts you’ve witnessed over the years?

Dr. Gina Dimitropoulos: There are three major shifts that stand out to me:

Expanding Who We See and Serve: We are finally asking critical questions about who is being missed. Historically, many underrepresented groups haven't had access to specialized eating disorder programs because they didn't fit the rigid, stereotypical demographic profile. There is now a much-needed focus on addressing these severe access barriers.
Systems-Level Transformation: Clinicians and researchers are expanding what individual treatment can and should look like. Equally, they are re-evaluating broader treatment models to focus on transforming whole systems—building an interconnected continuum of care.
Lived Experience as Essential Partnerships: We’ve shifted from viewing individuals with lived experience merely as research participants to valuing them as essential co-design partners in developing services and improving interventions.

Redefining Practice: Emerging Models, Transitions, and Deeper Frameworks

Marie Bryce: What specific frameworks or core challenges are currently capturing your focus?

Dr. Gina Dimitropoulos:

Adapted Family-Based Treatment (FBT) for Emerging Adults: For the past decade, my colleagues and I have been adapting Family-Based Treatment for older adolescents and young adults. We have a book launching at the end of August detailing this model, offering families and clinicians a clearer framework for supporting youth as they navigate adulthood.
Bridging Pediatric-to-Adult Transitions: Young people frequently fall through the cracks when transferring out of pediatric systems. Improving transitional care—ensuring relational and informational continuity—remains a core passion of mine.
Indigenous Perspectives & Decolonizing Care: Working alongside Indigenous scholars and individuals with lived experience, we are exploring how to conceptualize eating disorders, food security, and healing through Indigenous frameworks, such as adaptations of the Medicine Wheel in clinical settings.
Addressing Weight Bias Across Healthcare: I am working closely with a young researcher who is focused on weight bias among professionals. How do we approach this in an open, reflective, non-judgmental way? How do we evaluate what it means to live in a society with so much emphasis on appearance and weight?

Practical Guidance for Frontline Clinicians

Marie Bryce: For professionals or frontline clinicians who aren't eating disorder specialists, what should they keep in mind when screening or assessing clients?

Dr. Gina Dimitropoulos: In my co-design work alongside youth, a clear theme emerges: relational trust matters most. Clinicians already possess strong core therapeutic skills; by applying them thoughtfully around weight and food, we can ensure assessments feel supportive rather than triggering.

Relational Over Rational: Tools and measures are only as good as the relationship in which they are used. Prioritize creating safety, trust, and a space free of self-stigma before administering screening tools.
Contextualize Assessments: Screening questionnaires can easily be triggering. Avoid passing out forms without explaining why you are asking these questions and how the information will be used to support them.
Ask Open-Ended, Compassionate Questions: Inquire gently about their relationship with food and body image, and ask what would make them feel safe when discussing these topics.
Focus Beyond Weight: Weight is not an accurate indicator of wellness or illness severity. Focus instead on their daily functioning, relationships, identity, and empowerment.

Creating Safe Clinical Environments

Marie Bryce: How can clinics physically and culturally foster spaces that actively reduce weight bias and medical mistrust?

Dr. Gina Dimitropoulos:

Physical Environment: Ensure waiting room furniture safely and comfortably accommodates bodies of all shapes and sizes. Remove magazines or decor that center hyper-focused messaging around body shape, diet, or appearance.
Cultural Safety: Establish "no-diet zones" where staff and clients alike refrain from casual weight, body shape, or diet talk.
Shift the Narrative: Begin clinical intakes by asking about the client as a whole person—their life, connections, and goals—rather than leading with weight metrics or body stats.

Gratitude, Congratulations, and the Future of Care

Dr. Gina, thank you so much for gifting us your time and insight. You are a true gem of a human being and a force for change in our community. I left our conversation inspired by your vision and deeply grateful for your leadership.

Achieving the systemic shifts we spoke about will take more than individual dedication—it demands our collective action to build a more equitable and compassionate system of care.

We also want to send a warm congratulations on the launch of her new book, Family-Based Treatment for Transition-Aged Youth with Anorexia Nervosa: A Framework for Working with Young People and Their Families, co-authored alongside Daniel Le Grange, James Lock, and Kristen Anderson.

Grounded in years of research, this book offers a complete clinical account of adapted family-based therapy for youth aged 16–25 (FBT-TAY).

This book is available for pre-order as of August 31st. Anyone who would like to get a copy of this book click HERE

Tools & Clinical Resources

To further support your clinical practice, Dr. Dimitropoulos has recommended several resources:

Published manuscript on transitions in care for eating disorders

Published manuscript on best practices for eating disorders

Original, 2020: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40337-020-0277-8
Virtual addendum, 2021: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40337-021-00394-9

Published articles on priority-setting work related to eating disorders

Manuscript on FBT and neurodiversity

Sample ED Screening Tools

Indigenous perspectives in Eating Disorder Care https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13104481/

Marie Bryce