By Sara A. Mayo
UF College of Public Health and Health Professions doctoral student Lina Modjarrad, M.P.H., recently traveled to the Hague, Netherlands, to present her research, “Childhood Maltreatment and Disordered Eating Trajectories: Sociodemographic Moderators” at the 2026 International Conference on Eating Disorders, hosted by the Academy for Eating Disorders.
A Ph.D. in Public Health student concentrating her studies in health services research, Modjarrad’s work examines how childhood experiences shape long-term health outcomes. Her research explored the relationship between childhood maltreatment and disordered eating over time, finding that early trauma can have lasting effects on eating behaviors. These effects vary across different demographic groups, highlighting the need for more personalized, trauma-informed approaches to care.
The conference provided an opportunity to discuss not only research findings but also the human stories around the sensitive subject.
“Many people with eating disorders do not seek the care needed due to sociocultural weight bias and stigma, which is especially prevalent in America more so than other countries,” said Modjarrad.
“We have internalized this belief that clinical attention is only necessary if or when someone looks sick,” she explained.
That assumption means many disorders may go unnoticed, leaving patients without critical help or causing them to feel shame for seeking treatment. Modjarrad noted that restrictive eating disorders only account for a minority of cases, while many patients experience non-restrictive forms that can be more difficult to recognize.
While her own work centers on analyzing data to better understand these trends, attending the conference allowed Modjarrad to hear directly from clinicians working with the patients she studies.
Many of the conference speakers, including psychologists presenting clinical vignettes, shared stories that were “harrowing but a much-needed reminder” that the work of both clinicians and researchers matters.
“A big topic of discussion at the conference was the chronic and relapsing nature of eating disorders,” says Modjarrad. “I think this changes how we should conceive recovery outcomes, by curating treatment more psychologically and case-by-case rather than a standardized and overly weight-centric approach.”
For Modjarrad, participating in an international forum also underscored the value of examining eating disorders through multiple cultural and clinical lenses. Differences in how countries understand, diagnose and treat these conditions reinforce the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and diverse perspectives in advancing research.
Ultimately, she said, the experience reaffirmed that behind every dataset is a person whose experiences deserve to be understood with empathy.
“Our personhood is the biggest advantage we have as researchers,” Modjarrad said.
Additional co-authors on the paper were College of Public Health and Health Professions faculty, Dr. Nicole Marlow, research assistant professor, and Dr. Yenan Zhu, research assistant professor, in addition to master of public health student, Avery Bollinger.