Eating Disorders at AACAP Annual Meeting 2026
46 sessions on eating disorders · October 26–31, 2026, Atlanta, GA. Compare eating disorders at other meetings →
Tuesday, October 27
08:00–10:00 · Lecture · Institute
When the Box Doesn't Fit: Diagnostic Challenges in Restrictive Eating Disorders
Examines diagnostic difficulties when restrictive eating presentations do not fit standard categories.
08:00–10:00 · Lecture
When to Worry: Managing Medical and Nutritional Concerns in Youth With Eating Disorders
Covers how to recognize and manage medical and nutritional complications in young patients with eating disorders.
08:00–10:00 · Lecture
Strategies for Working With Athletes With Eating Disorders
Discusses approaches to assessing and treating athletes who have eating disorders.
08:00–10:00 · Lecture
Updates on the Role of Pharmacotherapy in the Treatment of Pediatric Eating Disorders
Reviews current evidence on medication use in pediatric eating disorders.
08:00–10:00 · Lecture
Update on Family-Based Treatment in Youth with Eating Disorders
Updates on family-based treatment for youth with eating disorders.
08:00–10:00 · Lecture
My Body, My Choice: Conceptualizing Involuntary Treatment in Anorexia Nervosa
Explores ethical and clinical frameworks for involuntary treatment in anorexia nervosa.
08:00–10:00 · Lecture · Institute
Neurobiological Mechanisms in the Development and Perpetuation of Eating Disorders
Reviews neurobiological mechanisms involved in how eating disorders develop and persist.
11:30–13:30 · Lecture
Prevention Studies for Eating Disorders, Autism, and PTSD
Summarizes prevention research for eating disorders, autism, and PTSD in youth.
Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders · Child & Adolescent · PTSD & Trauma
13:30–15:30 · Lecture · Clinical Perspectives
Basic Science of Nicotine and Cannabis Interactions With Eating
Covers the basic science of how nicotine and cannabis interact with eating behavior and appetite.
Cannabis & Cannabinoids · Child & Adolescent · Neuroscience & Mechanisms
13:30–15:30 · Lecture · Clinical Perspectives
Comorbid Cannabis Use Disorder and Eating Disorders Among Youth: A 3-Year Analysis
Niranjan S. Karnik · Sara W. Kelly · Dale L. Smith
Presents a three-year analysis of co-occurring cannabis use disorder and eating disorders in youth.
Cannabis & Cannabinoids · Child & Adolescent · Substance Use Disorders
13:30–15:30 · Lecture · Clinical Perspectives
Treatment Considerations for Comorbid Presentations
Discusses treatment approaches for youth with co-occurring eating, gastrointestinal and substance use problems.
13:30–15:30 · Symposium · Clinical Perspectives
This Is Your Gut on Drugs: Eating Disorders and Gastrointestinal Problems Related to Nicotine and Cannabis Use
David L. Atkinson · Jennifer L. Derenne · Niranjan S. Karnik · Laura A. Markley · Jennifer Creedon
Clinical perspectives on how nicotine and cannabis use relate to eating disorders and gastrointestinal problems in young patients.
Cannabis & Cannabinoids · Child & Adolescent · Substance Use Disorders
Course · Institute
Evidence-Based Updates in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Youth With Eating Disorders
Lisa H. Weiss · Jennifer L. Derenne · Jennifer Leah Goetz · Guido K. W. Frank · Jennifer L. Carlson · Elizabeth Wassenaar · James Lock
Institute spanning the biological foundations, diagnosis, and management of pediatric eating disorders, designed for trainees through experienced clinicians and featuring family-based treatment developer James Lock.
Wednesday, October 28
11:30–13:30 · Lecture · Clinical Perspectives
Competing Crises: Managing Eating Disorders in Youth With Borderline Personality Disorder
Addresses how to manage eating disorders when they co-occur with borderline personality disorder in adolescents.
15:00–17:00 · Lecture · Clinical Perspectives
GLP-1s: From Prescribing to Pop Culture
A talk on how GLP-1 receptor agonists have moved from clinical prescribing into popular culture, and what that means for clinicians working with eating disorders.
15:00–17:00 · Lecture · Clinical Perspectives
Benefits of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists in Adolescents With Obesity and Loss of Control Eating
Reviews potential benefits of GLP-1 receptor agonists for adolescents who have obesity along with loss of control eating.
15:00–17:00 · Lecture · Clinical Perspectives
The Risks Beneath the Hype: GLP-1 Use and Eating Disorders
Examines the risks associated with GLP-1 medication use in the context of eating disorders.
15:00–17:00 · Lecture · Clinical Perspectives
Eating Disorder Screening Prior to GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Initiation: Current Recommendations and Clinical Gaps
Covers current recommendations and gaps in screening for eating disorders before starting GLP-1 receptor agonists.
GLP-1 & Metabolic Psychiatry · Measurement-Based Care & Diagnosis
Symposium · Clinical Perspectives
GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and Eating Disorders: Emerging Evidence, Risks, and Clinical Considerations
Felicia G. Gallucci · Jennifer L. Derenne · Aisa M. Moreno-Megui · Alexandra N. Coppa · Jessica D. Leuchter
Session on the intersection of GLP-1 receptor agonists and eating disorders in youth — emerging evidence, risks of misuse, and clinical considerations for prescribers.
Posters (10)
- Exploratory Factor Analysis of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) in Adolescents and Adults With Anorexia Nervosa: Developmental Differences in Underlying Constructs — Pablo Del Sol Calderon et al.
- Neural Correlates of Food Responsiveness Through Development: Identifying Brain-Based Risk Factors for Eating Disorders — Guilherme Fahur Bottino et al.
- Rigidity and Control in Anorexia Nervosa: The Role of OCD, OCPD, and ASD — Noa Cohen-Kim et al.
- ADHD Symptom Clusters and Eating Disorder Phenotype — Nikhil P. Rao et al.
- Transgenerational Trauma as a Determinant of Eating Disorder Onset and Illness Course — Hannah Lee et al.
- Comparing Youth Treatment Engagement Between Virtual and In-Person Visits in Mount Sinai's Outpatient Eating Disorder Clinic — Daniel Hammer Vaccaro et al.
- Body Weight Misperceptions Among US Adolescents: Associations With Mental Health and Social Factors — Mindy M. Kim et al.
- Extended Reality-Based Interventions for Adolescent Eating Disorders — Tala Barias et al.
- Beyond Diagnosis: Autism-Associated Symptom Domains and Restrictive Eating Disorder Phenotypes in Youth — Nikhil P. Rao et al.
- Examining Educational Support Needs: 504 Plans and Demographics in Pediatric Patients With Eating Disorders in a Specialized Outpatient Program — Jill Fodstad et al.
Thursday, October 29
09:30–11:30 · Lecture · Clinical Perspectives
Developing, Manualizing, Training, and Utilizing a Psychodynamic Therapy in a Randomized Clinical Trial for Adolescent Anorexia Nervosa
Describes development, manualization, training and use of a psychodynamic therapy in a randomized trial for adolescent anorexia nervosa.
14:00–16:00 · Lecture · Clinical Perspectives
Sensory Differences With Food in Autistic Children: When Do We Accommodate and When Do We Challenge Them?
Explores how to decide between accommodating and gently challenging food-related sensory differences in autistic children.
14:00–17:00 · Oral abstract
Binge Eating Behaviors Are Prospectively Associated With Lower Cognitive Performance in Adolescence
Kevin H. Bao · Jason M. Nagata · Amanda E. Downey
Examines whether binge eating behaviors in adolescence predict later lower cognitive performance in a prospective study.
19:00–22:00 · Session · Media Theatre
Empire Waist : Parental and Peer Effects on Self-Esteem, Body Image, and Socializing Behaviors in Adolescent Girls
Mariam Rahmani · Laurel Weaver · Shelby Giese · Aateqa Ismail
Uses the film Empire Waist to examine how parents, peers and media shape body image and self-esteem in adolescent girls. Covers trauma-informed ways to talk with teens about their bodies and free resources such as a confidence curriculum.
Posters (3)
- Eating Disorders in Transition-Age Youth With Autism: Insights From the Healthy Minds Study — Sarah A. Sherman et al.
- A University System–Wide Case Conference Model for Assisting Students With Eating Disorders — Maria Green et al.
- Association of Screen Time and Adolescent Body Image: Findings From the 2022-2023 National Survey of Children’s Health — Daniel Choi et al.
Friday, October 30
09:30–11:30 · Lecture · Clinical Perspectives
Medication Management of ADHD in Pediatric Patients With Restrictive Eating Disorders
Covers medication approaches for ADHD in pediatric patients who also have restrictive eating disorders.
10:00–11:30 · Lecture · Clinical Perspectives
Focus on Subspeciality Needs: Developing an Eating Disorder Fellowship for Specialty Care Needs
Describes building an eating disorder fellowship to meet subspecialty workforce needs.
11:30–13:30 · Lecture
Restrictive Eating Behaviors and BMI Trajectories in Anorexia Nervosa: A Five-Year Follow-Up Study
Pablo Del Sol Calderon · Joanna E. Steinglass · Caitlin Lloyd · Alexandra Muratore
Five-year follow-up of restrictive eating behaviors and BMI trajectories in anorexia nervosa.
14:30–16:30 · Lecture · Clinical Perspectives
The Weight of Antiobesity Bias
Examines weight bias and its effects on college-bound patients.
14:30–16:30 · Lecture · Clinical Perspectives
Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me What I Weigh
Addresses how weight is discussed and handled in clinical care for college-bound patients.
14:30–16:30 · Lecture · Clinical Perspectives
Eating Disorders 101: Guidance for Students Transitioning to College
Offers an introduction to eating disorders and guidance for students moving on to college.
14:30–16:30 · Symposium · Clinical Perspectives
Reweighing Our Relationship to Weight: A Prescription for College-Bound Patients
Ellen House · Jennifer L. Derenne · Leah Jesse · Daniel E. Gih
Guidance for clinicians on addressing weight and eating concerns in patients transitioning to college.
Saturday, October 31
10:00–12:00 · Lecture · Clinical Perspectives
Health at Every Size: Inclusive Conversations About Body Size and Weight
Addresses inclusive approaches to discussing body size and weight with patients.
10:00–12:00 · Session
Pediatric Medicine Updates: Expanding Pediatric Obesity Treatment Amid Controversies in Weight Management
Amy Lynn Meadows · Amy Kim · Nazeeha J. Micciche · Raul J. Martinez-McFaline · Elizabeth Wassenaar · Rachana Shah
13:00–15:00 · Session
Language Matters: Reconceptualizing “Food Refusal” in Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder
Jaclyn L. Pederson · Kaitlin B. Proctor · William G. Sharp · Hayley Estrem
A clinical case conference on replacing negatively valanced terms for food avoidance in ARFID with updated, patient-centered language tied to a neurobiological model. Includes case examples, lived-experience perspective and small-group vignette practice.
Other topics at this meeting
Child & Adolescent 1361Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders 272Diverse & Underserved Populations 231Practice, Policy & Workforce 171Psychotherapy 166Education & Training 156Digital Psychiatry & AI 149Measurement-Based Care & Diagnosis 145ADHD 135Neuroscience & Mechanisms 124PTSD & Trauma 114Suicide & Self-Harm 110