From 2023, the Weight Stigma Conference will be hybrid with both in-person and remote attendance available. All sessions will be recorded and videos will be available for one month after the event.
NOTE: Please note that our conference programme is subject to change at any point before or during the conference itself.
Presenting authors only listed. For full list, please see conference programme.
Click to download conference brochure and abstract book |
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| Day 1 | |
| 8:00-8:45 | Registration and Refreshments |
| 8:45-9:00 | Land acknowledgment and Welcome |
| 9:00-10:00 | Keynote Speaker |
| Dr Joy Cox Activist, Author, and Independent Scholar Reaching back to move forward: What is to be said about the future of fat liberation? |
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| 10:15-11:00 | Oral Presentations: Theme 1 – Everyday weight stigma |
| Fat in public: A critical examination of accessibility, belonging, and spatial (in)justice Lauren Munro, Toronto Metropolitan University |
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| Following practice guidelines, but doing harm? Experimental evidence that healthcare providers’ weight-related advice leads to weight-based identity threat Erin C Standen et al., University of Minnesota |
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| Is the healthcare environment toxic for healthcare professionals with larger bodies? Sean Phelan, Mayo Clinic |
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| 11:15-12:15 | Breakout Sessions 1 |
| Critiquing fat oppression in the age of Wegovy Rachel Fox, UC San Diego; Marquisele Mercedes, Brown University; Blakeley H Payne, CU Boulder; Monica Kriete, Independent scholar |
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| Family Feud: Using EFFT to address anti-fat bias when working with families in eating disorder treatment Kaila Peak-Rishel, Eating Recovery Center (ERC), Kava Counseling; Kristie Simmons, ERC; Meredith Nisbet, ERC, Three Birds Counseling |
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| 12:15-13:30 | Lunch |
| 13:30-14:15 | Oral Presentations: Theme 2 – Weight Stigma in Public Health |
| “I tell my son: don’t eat until you’re full”: Weight stigma and unintended consequences; a qualitative study in Chilean children Cecilia Prieto et al., University of Edinburgh |
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| Why debunking the “Obesity Epidemic” won’t solve weight stigma Rachel Fox, UC San Diego |
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| Slimming World complained about us! An alternative: Social prescribing to improve access to weight-neutral healthcare Helen James, Nutriri |
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| 14:30-15:30 | Breakout Sessions 2 |
| When guidelines harm: A deeper dive into the AAP Guidelines for “Childhood Ob*sity” Erin Knopf, Very.Health |
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| Legal protection against weight discrimination: Developing concrete proposals for inclusion in anti-discrimination law Stephanie von Liebenstein, German Association Against Weight Discrimination Law as both executioner and savior: Insights from the Canadian experience |
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| 15:30-16:00 | Refreshments |
| 16:00-17:00 | Breakout Sessions 3 |
| Weight-neutral healthcare policy and services in practice: Doncaster Council’s alternative “childhood weight management” service Saima Nazir, Holly Campbell, Doncaster City Council, UK |
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| Advancing weight-inclusive education for health professionals: Student perspectives Jessica Mui, Rowan University, MSSI; Noelle McPhail, Pacific County Voices Uniting |
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| 17:15–18:15 | Keynote Speaker |
| Tigress Osborn National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance What’s the solution? Size Inclusion! Building a successful nationwide campaign for fat legal rights in the USA |
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| 18:15-20:00 | Poster Session and Reception |
| Poster | Diet culture perseveres through a pandemic: A longitudinal content analysis of #Quarantine15 Instagram Images Katey Park et al., Toronto Metropolitan University |
| Poster | Doncaster’s ‘Compassionate Approach’: A vision for the introduction of weight-neutral healthcare policy in the UK Karen Horrocks, Office for Health Improvement & Disparities et al. |
| Poster | The burden of weight bias: Internalizing weight biases and experiences of embodiment Susan Williams et al., Washington State University |
| Poster | Understanding fat embodiment, weight stigma and resistance Clea M. B. Sturgess et al., University of Victoria |
| Poster | Weight stigma: A barrier to psychiatric/mental health medication visits Kiki Kline, University of Tennessee et al. |
| Poster | Experiences of weight stigma during cancer treatment: A qualitative study Sarah Nash et al., University of Iowa |
| Poster | “They say beauty is vain”: The explicit and implicit biases of various body proportions Rosha FeiziLighvan et al., UCLA |
| Poster | A pilot and feasibility 14-day study to assess the relationships between weight stigma, dietary intake and objectively measured physical activity and sleep Nicola Buckland, University of Sheffield, et al. |
| Poster | Internalized weight stigma and men’s body image and eating behaviors: Does masculinity contingency matter? Katarina Huellemann et al., Western University |
| Poster | Unpacking intersectional weight stereotypes in relation to race and gender Megan Lindloff et al., Western University |
| Poster | Overcoming implementation barriers in the shift to weight inclusive care: The need for multi-level interventions Mindy L. McEntee, Arizona State University |
| Poster | Experience of embodiment in Indigenous and white post-secondary students Rachel McMillan et al., Dalhousie University |
| Poster | The effects of Westernization on non-Western body ideals and weight stigma Alicia Batshone et al., Nova Southeastern University |
| Poster | Establishing the reliability and validity of the Diet Culture Beliefs Scale Laura Hogan, Colorado State University |
| Poster | Assessment of medical student understanding and interest in weight bias Katherine Etsell, University of Michigan et al. |
| Poster | Combatting weight stigma on campus: Student projects driving change Kimberly McClure-Brenchley, St. John Fisher University |
| Ideological orientations in “obesity” prevention: An African perspective Pontsho Pilane, Stellenbosch University |
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| Poster | Examining anti-fat bias in Kinesiology and Public Health & Nutrition Department at Cal Poly Jillian Chandler et al., Cal Poly San Luis Obispo |
| Poster | Public self-awareness partially explains the relationship between appearance-related media pressure and perceived weight discrimination Ashley Araiza, Angelo State University |
| Poster | “All hail the real queens of the universe”: The impact of social media on body image and internalized weight stigma Rosemary Porter et al., Linfield University |
| Poster | The weight of words on TikTok: The effect of anti-fat microaggressions on viewers’ mood and self-esteem Rivers Walters et al., University of Essex |
| Poster | Slim? Thick? I like them all: The broad conceptualisation of beauty and judgments of higher-weight versus normative-weight women Sara Mendonca Pinto et al., University of Essex |
| Poster | Putting up with it: The influences of weight stigma on UK women’s tendency to avoid healthcare Fahmida Haque et al., University of Essex |
| Poster | To speak or not to speak, that is the question: Weight stigma resistance and psychological wellbeing in observers Amy Bathgate et al., University of Essex |
| Poster | “Doctor-prescribed and mother-encouraged”: Interpersonal interactions and body image concerns in higher-weight clients Eza Dios, University of Washington, et al. |
| Poster | Difficult To Modify: A poetic inquiry into the need for weight neutrality in health and fitness spaces JodiAnn Stevenson, California Institute of Integral Studies |
| Poster | “If they say it for my own good, it leaves a deeper scar”: Exploring experiences of benevolent fat-phobia among higher-weight Iranian women Mahshid Founoudi, Edith Cowan University |
| Poster | Teaching medical students how to avoid overreliance on BMI in diagnosing and caring for patients with eating disorders Kratika Mishra, University of Southern California, et al. |
| Poster | Healing from weight stigma in community: A thematic analysis of the “We Deserve Space” group intervention for large-bodied individuals Devin A Kelly, University of Denver, et al. |
| Poster | “It’s so internalized, and it’s so personal”: A qualitative study exploring MSW students’ experiences in a weight stigma course Sarah Sullivan et al., University of Denver |
| Poster | Words are heavy: A review of current literature on terminology related to body size Molly Robbins et al., Nova Southeastern University |
| Day 2 | |
| 8:30-9:00 | Refreshments |
| 9:00-10:00 | Keynote Speaker |
| Shilo George Łush Kumtux Tumtum Consulting Body sovereignty: Addressing weight stigma, building bridges of care |
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| 10:15-11:00 | Oral Presentations: Theme 3 – Weight stigma in the academy |
| Are researchers perpetuating weight stigma? Construction of the “maternal habitus” in research on weight stigma in pregnancy Jenny Cole, Keele University |
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| What’s the big fat deal? The experience of fat students in college Andrea Melrose Guimaraes, Lindenwood University |
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| Pathways and pitfalls to conducting ethical research on promoting weight inclusive physical activity Sara Stanley, Megan Sutton, Western University |
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| 11:15-12:15 | Breakout Sessions 4 |
| Ethics and pedagogy in health education: Interventions for change Nancy Ellis-Ordway, Private Practice |
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| Eating disorder trauma-informed yoga and its effects on participants’ internalized weight stigma Jessica Smith, University of Maryland; Tessa Gordon, Embodying Hope |
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| 12:15-13:30 | Lunch |
| 13:30-14:15 | Oral Presentations: Theme 4 – Weight Stigma in Healthcare |
| Harmful consequences of BMI-restrictive criteria for accessing assisted reproductive technologies in the United Kingdom Rebecca Muir et al., Queen Mary University of London |
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| Joint reconstruction BMI cutoff justifications of Californian orthopaedic surgeons Blaine A Christiansen et al., UC Davis |
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| “I just wanted the same treatment as everybody else”: Weight stigma in higher levels of care for eating disorders Erin Harrop et al., University of Denver |
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| 14:30-15:30 | Breakout Sessions 5 |
| Weight stigma in the trauma field: Why it happens and what we can do Judith Matz, Author, Private Practice; Rachel Millner, Private Practice |
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| How should we be building lived experience into weight stigma research? Your chance to help set the agenda for better real-word research design Hugh Bidstrup, La Trobe University, Australian Catholic University; Angela Meadows, University of Essex |
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| 15:30-16:00 | Refreshments |
| 16:00-16:45 | Oral Presentations: Theme 5 – Interventions to Reduce Weight Stigma |
| Challenges and successes in reducing weight stigma with a short intervention Cynthia Smith, University of Alberta |
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| Reducing Anti-Fat Bias Toward the Self and Others: A Randomized Controlled Trial Emily Kramer et al., University of Colorado, Boulder |
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| Love-weight relationship: Reducing the impact of weight stigma through an academic for-credit seminar Sophie Orr et al., UC Davis |
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| 16:45-17:00 | Close and Prizes |
Prize winners 2023
Best oral presentation: Sophie Orr, Love-weight relationship: Reducing the impact of weight stigma through an academic for-credit seminar
Best poster presentation: Sarah Sullivan, “It’s so internalized, and it’s so personal”: A qualitative study exploring MSW students’ experiences in a weight stigma course
Thank you to Dr. Nancy Ellis-Ordway and Rev. Dr. E-K Daufin for donating copies of their books as prizes.
