We propose to host an Irish Body Image Research Network (BIRN) symposium. In our appearance-obsessed society, there is growing recognition that the way we think about and behave towards our bodies is central to our health and well-being. Despite growing international awareness of the importance of body image to physical and psychological health, there is a dearth of systematic and joined-up research on this topic in Ireland. To address this knowledge gap in health research, we will establish an Irish Body Image Research Network (BIRN) a national, interdisciplinary, person-centred network of excellence for research on body image and body image-related disorders, including eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder. BIRN will unite interdisciplinary researchers, policymakers, industry partners, technology, funders, educators and clinicians with a shared interest in body image to advance the visibility and quality of Irish research in this rapidly evolving research space. To launch the Body Image Research Network (BIRN), we propose to host the “Connecting Bodies Research Symposium in Ireland”.
The symposium will facilitate networking opportunities for local and international researchers seeking to establish interdisciplinary collaborations in the body image research field. We will showcase national research to facilitate joining up researchers locally. The symposium will provide insights from leading national and international researchers on best-practice and innovations in interdisciplinary body image research to inform policy-oriented work.
The target audience are researchers in the body image field both nationally and internationally, including those in public health, prevention medicine, health law, technology, policy and economics. We will target early career researchers to join our symposium.
The event outcomes will be disseminated through launching a BIRN website and linked social media channels advertising the symposium, uploading speaker recordings on website/ social media channels and circulating quarterly infographic and e-newsletter updating on event learnings outputs from BIRN members.