MEDA’s 30th National Conference will take place on May 1 and 2, 2025 at the Sheraton Framingham Hotel and Conference Center.

MEDA welcomes proposals from clinicians, researchers, educators, advocates, students and other interested persons. The eating disorders treatment field is constantly growing and evolving. The 2025 MEDA Conference will cover the most recent knowledge and research and the most cutting-edge approaches in the eating disorders field. The conference will focus on bringing together the newest and most creative approaches to treatment and applying them with flexibility to those who are struggling.

Potential topics include but are not limited to:

1) MEDICAL
a. Latest updates and information related to psychopharmacology and eating disorder treatment
b. Complimentary medical treatment modalities (eg. energy healing body work, reiki, accupunture, massage, etc.)
c. Medical complications related to an eating disorder
d. Managing medical comorbidities in eating disorder treatment
e. Identifying and managing risk for refeeding syndrome (size inclusive determinations)
f. The role of Naturopaths and Functional Medicine

2) PSYCHOLOGICAL
a. All eating disorder diagnoses
b. Neurodivergent identities
c. Attachment disorders
d. Personality disorders
e. Internal Family Systems (IFS)
f. Treatment modalities including expressive therapies, CBT, DBT, ACT
g. Sensory integration / Sensory processing
h. Co-occuring mental illness such as SMI, personality disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder.
i. Trauma (latest treatments-somatic experiencing, sensorimotor, IFS, Brainspotting, EMDR,  balancing trauma work with maintaining ED recovery progress)
j. Body image / Body dysmorphia

3) NUTRITIONAL
a. Impact of diet fads/wellness culture (eg. keto, whole 30, paleo, “clean eating”, gluten-free, all-organic, raw etc.)
b. Working with clients with strict dietary restrictions or food allergies (celiac, diabetes, veganism, macrobiotic, SIBO, kosher, halal, etc)
c. Intuitive Eating
d. Exposure response prevention (methods, tools, protocols, client preference vs. ED rules)
e. Navigating movement in recovery (eg. excessive exercise, body and size inclusive movement
f. Treating Athletes

4) SOCIAL/CULTURAL

a. Providing equitable treatment to diverse and marginalized people/communities-ensuring inclusivity and culturally-affirming care at all LOC
b. Insurance (working with, barriers, guardianship, patient’s rights, utilization review)
c. Fat activism, weight stigma, Health at Every Size, addressing anti-fat bias
d. Gender identity and eating disorders
e. LGBTQIA+ experiences with eating disorders and treatment
f. BIPOC experiences with eating disorders and treatment
g. The role of culture/ethnicity, cultural humility
h. Relationships with parents, partners, families
i. Eating disorders in midlife
j. Eating disorders in the elderly population
k. Eating disorders and life transitions
l. Impacts of social media and technology use
m. Social determinants of health with awareness on areas of bias

5) ETHICS

Presentation Details:

General Session Presentations: 1 hour and 15 min in length which includes 10-15
minutes for questions. Audience 50 - 150

• Presenters will be compensated by receiving complementary admission (including meals / snacks) for the day they present.
• Additional compensation is not available.
• All presenters will be expected to adhere to the Conference Code of Ethics and Community Agreements below.

To apply to present at the conference, complete and submit the required application form by October 25, 2024.

Applicants will be notified by December 4, 2024 about the status of their proposal.

If selected, presenter's PowerPoints will be due to MEDA on April 7, 2025.

Please circulate this call for proposals to interested colleagues!

Questions Email Us: conference@medainc.org

CONFERENCE CODE OF ETHICS:

The MEDA Conference attracts approximately 450 people each year. A majority of the conference attendees are clinically savvy and enjoy presentations that challenge them academically and emotionally. Your presentation will work best if it is:

Personal – Speak from your experiences as a professional (whether academic or clinical). Present as your authentic self!

Interactive – Previous conference feedback has indicated that people primarily enjoy presentations that have interactive components. Attendees enjoy collaboration and appreciate the opportunity to engage with the content being presented. Feel free to explore varying mediums such as: PowerPoint, didactic, role play, experiential, and case studies.

Organized – Conference attendees value thoughtful preparation. We encourage you to stay within the scope of your objectives to provide in-depth content and engage with your audience.

Honest – Conference attendees appreciate authentic self-expression from presenters. Please feel free to share personal experiences related to your presentation.

Clear and Concise – Please be aware of your designated presentation length and include time at the end for any questions or comments. We want to ensure that the conference timeline runs according to schedule.

CLICK HERE for a link to the Community Guidelines.

Please remember that if you have been selected to present you are held to an expectation that prohibits advertisement of any program or product that you may be affiliated with professionally or personally. In compliance with the process to obtain continuing education credits, MEDA and all presenters must maintain confidentiality and exclude all commercial bias.

Thank you for your commitment to continuing education!