Academy for Eating Disorders

The Mission of Academy for Eating Disorders: Providing global access to research and best treatment practices for eating disorders to ensure sufferers have access to the healthcare and services they are in need of for the recovery of their disorder.

The Academy for Eating Disorders is a global professional association committed to leadership in eating disorders research, education, treatment, and prevention. Our goal is to provide global access to knowledge, research and best treatment practice for eating disorders. For the public via its website, AED provides education on eating disorder symptoms and treatment recommendations.

AED helps researchers connect and collaborate with each other and keep abreast of recent developments in eating disorders research. AED's main event is the annual International Conference on Eating Disorders (ICED), a scientific conference that spans research and education from basic science to the treating clinician; ICED is attended by leading international researchers and includes presentations and discussions on the cutting edge of research in the field. Media are invited to attend the ICED. The Academy for Eating Disorders (AED) began in 1993 with a meeting organized by Craig Johnson, PhD, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.

Thirty-three clinicians and researchers met to discuss concerns about the deleterious effects of managed care and other insurance practices on providing quality treatment for patients with eating disorders. This group saw the need for an organization of eating disorders professionals that embodied excellence in education, treatment and research that could advocate for patients with eating disorders, provide professional training and development and, in general, represent the field of eating disorders. The AED was formed to meet these goals and today, the AED includes over 1,500 professionals from around the world who have joined together to support this mission.