Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor Tracey Wade has been appointed Director of Flinders University’s Órama Institute for Mental Health and Wellbeing.

Professor Wade has contributed immensely to Flinders University for many years, worked as a clinician in the area of eating disorders for almost 30 years, and frequently provides guidance and advice to government and non-government bodies.

She will commence her new responsibilities in January 2021.

Professor Mike Kyrios, Vice President and Executive Dean in the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work and Acting Director of Órama says: “Tracey’s demonstrated experience as a world-leading researcher with expertise and interests traversing the Órama themes of mental health and wellbeing across the lifespan, along with her contributions to translational research and work with people who have the lived experience of mental illnesses, will bring a distinctive perspective to the Institute’s vision of mental health service reform and improving the wellbeing of individuals, communities and organisations.

“Her appointment follows an exhaustive recruitment and selection process.”

Professor Wade’s research is currently focused on the causes, prevention and treatment of eating disorders, with emphasis on implementing this research into real world settings to improve outcomes in body image and eating disorders.

“My research in eating disorders has always been noted as being broad, ranging from how genetic and environmental risk factors work together to increase risk for disordered eating, and development and evaluation of prevention, early intervention, and approaches to enhancing treatment outcomes.” Professor Wade says.

“As a clinician, I have always been passionate about developing interventions that can work in the real world.

“Some of my current collaborations include approaches to effective dissemination of evidence-based interventions in real world settings, to bridge the evidence-practice divide. Another important aspect of my work is meaningful integration of lived experience in research design and conduct.”

Professor Wade is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences and an Inaugural Honorary Fellow of the Australian Association for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy. In 2019, Professor Wade was appointed Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society and she is currently the Director of the Flinders University Services for Eating Disorders (FUSED) and the Blackbird Research Initiative within the Órama Institute. She has advised the Federal Department of Health on matters related to eating disorders and was a member of the Million Minds Expert Advisory Panel.