Dr Ciara Mahon
BIRN co-founder
"BIRN will unite interdisciplinary researchers, NGOs, government policy makers, funders (e.g., SFI, HRB), industry partners and clinicians with a shared interest in body image to advance the visibility and quality of Irish research and inform public policy in this rapidly expanding and evolving research space."
Our Aims
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Facilitate networking opportunities for local and international researchers seeking to establish interdisciplinary collaborations in the field of body image research
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Provide insights from leading international researchers on best practice and innovation in interdisciplinary body image research to inform collaborative work
Objectives&
Activities
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Secure funding for BIRN inaugural mini-conference UCD
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Nationally there is a growing need to:
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• Protect and support those with and who are vulnerable to serious body image concerns (e.g., eating disorders and chronic health conditions).
• Innovate and build capacities for positive body image to promote healthy body image development and maintenance across the lifespan.
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Collect Data
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Capture up-to-date data on both negative and positive body image as it relates to Irish people’s, health, well-being, and engagement with daily activities across the lifespan. Collaborating with CoSSL partners to collect pilot data in early Spring 2024 which will be used as a platform to execute a large-scale survey (My Body Survey).