Eating disorders ECHO telementoring

Since its inception in 1986, the Douglas Mental Health University Institute’s Eating Disorders Continuum (EDC) has been leading the charge in treating Quebecers with eating disorders (ED). In addition to providing state-of-the-art care, the EDC conducts clinical research into the treatment and prevention of ED, and provides healthcare professionals at various levels of the healthcare system with training, consultation and supervision.  

The Douglas Mental Health University Institute’s EDC, in collaboration with eating disorder experts from the CHU Sainte-Justine and the Montreal Children’s Hospital, is pleased to announce the launch of ECHO Telementoring for ED (ECHO ED), a new knowledge-sharing program for clinicians working with individuals who have eating disorders.

Notre programme de télémentorat est fondé sur le projet ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes). ECHO est une initiative d’éducation virtuelle ayant pour objectif de renforcer les connaissances et les capacités cliniques en partageant le savoir et les pratiques fondées sur les données probantes, à travers l’interaction et à partir de l’analyse de cas réels.

Dans le cadre de notre projet ECHO TA, nous souhaitons que les participants et les personnes-ressources travaillant auprès de patients touchés par les troubles de l’alimentation aient une opportunité d’échange de connaissances à partir de cas cliniques réels (proposés par les participants) et de les discuter de façon interactive. L’objectif de cette interaction est de permettre aux prestataires de soins d’améliorer leur pratique et les soins prodigués aux personnes qui recherchent leurs services. Ce programme est gratuit.
 

You should join if:

• You are a healthcare professional based in Québec;
• You work with adolescents or adults with ED;
• You want to expand or consolidate your knowledge and expertise in assessing and treating ED;
• You would like to consult with expert clinicians on issues encountered when managing individuals with ED, and even present a case;
• You would like to interact with other clinicians from across Québec who work with individuals who live with ED.

• A short didactic presentation on a topic of interest to those working with individuals who have ED is given by someone on our panel of experts (about 30 minutes); 
• Q&A for the presenter;
• Semi-structured presentation of pre-submitted cases by participating partners (about 5 min);
• Interactive discussions and questions about real (and deidentified) cases among the participants and the ED experts, recommendations are made to the participants whose cases were discussed.

Resource Team Members

The presenter for the didactic video, and a panel of 5 to 6 experts on eating disorders to answer questions during case histories and discussions.

• A tablet, smart phone or personal computer equipped with a camera, microphone and the Zoom application. 
• A stable internet connection. 

Nine 1.5-hour Zoom sessions on Tuesdays, from 12:00 to 1:30 pm, on the dates below.

Stay tuned to register!

Timetable 2024-2025

• November 19,  2024
• December 17, 2024
• January 21, 2025
• February 18,  2025
• March 18,  2025
• April 15,  2025
• May 20, 2025

Biographies:

Linda Booij, Ph.D., Douglas Mental Health University Institute

Linda Booij is a Full Professor of Psychiatry at McGill University, a psychologist, and the Head of Research and Academic Development for the Eating Disorders Continuum at the Douglas Institute. She is also a researcher at the Douglas Research Centre and the CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre. Her research focuses on the neurodevelopmental and epigenetic mechanisms of eating disorders. She also leads studies on risk factors for eating disorders and developing virtual therapies. Dr. Booij is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Eating Disorders and an active member of the Eating Disorders Association of Canada, where she served as President in 2024. She is responsible for organizing ECHO-eating disorders.

Shiri Freiwald, M.A., Douglas Mental Health University Institute

Shiri Freiwald is a psychotherapist with the Eating Disorders Continuum at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute within the CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal. She provides individual and group psychotherapy and works in the Day Program. She also serves as the Knowledge Exchange Coordinator for the Continuum, a program established in 2009 that offers training and supervision in eating disorders to healthcare professionals across the province. Shiri Freiwald has been the facilitator for ECHO-eating disorders since 2022.

Howard Steiger, Ph.D., Douglas Mental Health University Institute

Howard Steiger is Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at McGill University. For over 30 years, he led the Eating Disorders Continuum (EDC) at the Douglas Institute and continues to act as a consultant for the program’s clinical and academic activities. The EDC provides a wide range of services to adolescents and adults with eating disorders, as well as their families. Dr. Steiger is an active clinician, researcher, and educator, having published over 190 articles and book chapters on eating disorders. He is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Eating Disorders, a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, a Fellow of the Academy for Eating Disorders, and has served as an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Eating Disorders. He has also been President of the Eating Disorders Research Society and Co-Chair of the Québec Charter for a Healthy and Diverse Body Image.

Annie St-Hilaire, Ph.D., Douglas Mental Health University Institute

Annie St-Hilaire has been a psychologist with the Eating Disorders Continuum at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute since 2013. In addition to her clinical practice, she provides supervision and is actively involved in research. Her clinical approach is cognitive-behavioural, and ACT therapy is also an integral part of her professional practice. Annie St-Hilaire serves as a librarian for the ECHO-ED sessions.

Lea Thaler Ph. D., Douglas Mental Health University Institute

Lea Thaler is a psychologist with the Eating Disorders Continuum at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute within the CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal. She is also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University. Dr. Thaler is a licensed member of the Ordre des psychologues du Québec. At the Eating Disorders Continuum, she provides individual psychotherapy and works in the day program, where she leads workshops on Dialectical Behaviour Therapy. She supervises psychology trainees and interns and is an active researcher studying the epigenetics of eating disorders as well as factors influencing treatment outcomes. Lea Thaler serves as a librarian for the ECHO-ED sessions.

Miriam Yaffe M.A., Douglas Mental Health University Institute

Miriam Yaffe, Master of Social Work, is a social worker and psychotherapist with the Eating Disorders Continuum at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, part of the CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal. For over 15 years, Miriam has provided care to clients in individual and group settings and has also supervised students within the program. She is currently the clinical manager of the Eating Disorders Continuum, overseeing outpatient, day hospital, and inpatient services for adults and adolescents with eating disorders.

Dina Moubayed, M.D., CHU Sainte-Justine

Dr. Dina Moubayed completed her medical studies at the University of Montreal. She went on to specialize in pediatrics and later pursued a subspecialty in Adolescent Medicine at CHU Sainte-Justine. She is currently completing a Master of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University in the United States, in addition to training in healthcare administration at the University of Montreal. Dr. Moubayed will officially join the Adolescent Medicine team at CHU Sainte-Justine in early 2025. She is currently a clinical teaching faculty member at the University of Montreal. Her clinical and research interests focus primarily on eating disorders in adolescence. Dr. Moubayed teaches students at all stages of medical training, contributes to research publications, and delivers presentations on the topic of eating disorders in children and adolescents at local and national levels.

Mimi Israël, M.D., Douglas Mental Health University Institute

Mimi Israël is a psychiatrist and Medical Director of the Eating Disorders Continuum at the Douglas Institute. She is actively involved in the clinical, teaching, research, and knowledge transfer missions of the program. She also serves as a consulting psychiatrist for community-based primary mental health care teams and is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at McGill University.

Emily Zidel, Dt.P., Douglas Mental Health University Institute

Emily Zidel is a nutritionist at the Eating Disorders Continuum of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition from McGill University in 2018. Before starting her position at the Douglas, Emily worked in private practice with clients experiencing disordered eating behaviours. She also ran her own practice, working with individuals dealing with eating disorders or disordered eating. Emily adopts an anti-diet and Health At Every Size (HAES) approach. She is passionate about combating fatphobia, both in medical contexts and in society at large.

Pierre-Olivier Nadeau, M.D., CHU Sainte-Justine

Pierre-Olivier Nadeau is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and co-lead of the Integrated Centre for Eating Disorders (CITCA) at CHU Sainte-Justine. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor and oversees education on eating disorders for medical students during their clinical rotations and psychiatry residency at the University of Montreal. Dr. Nadeau is involved in research projects and frequently delivers lectures on eating disorders in children and adolescents at local, national, and international levels.

Sylvain Iceta, M.D., Ph.D., Research Center of the Quebec Heart and Lung Institute

Dr. Sylvain Iceta is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at the Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval. He is a researcher in the Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, and Metabolism axis at the Research Centre of the Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec (IUCPQ) – Université Laval. His clinical practice at IUCPQ primarily focuses on liaison psychiatry and consultation, as well as the evaluation of patients with complex obesity, those seeking bariatric surgery, and individuals suffering from eating disorders, particularly binge-eating disorder. Dr. Iceta’s research focuses on the connections between eating disorders, diabetes, and obesity. His projects range from mechanistic studies, such as investigations into the role of vagal tone in visceral adiposity and sensory perception, to patient-oriented clinical studies, such as the Bariapsy database. This database facilitates self-screening for mental health disorders among individuals with obesity.

Danielle Taddeo, M.D., CHU Sainte-Justine

Dr. Danielle Taddeo is a pediatrician specializing in adolescent medicine. She has been working in the Adolescent Medicine Division at CHU Sainte-Justine since 1994 and serves as co-director of the Integrated Eating Disorders Centre (CITCA) at CHU Sainte-Justine. Dr. Taddeo is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Montreal and the Director of the Adolescent Medicine Residency Program at the University of Montreal. She is a member of the Specialty Committee and the Examination Committee in Adolescent Medicine at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Additionally, she is a member of the Eating Disorders Association of Canada. Dr. Taddeo previously served as Chair of the Board of Directors for ANEB Québec and remains an active member of its board. Dr. Taddeo has taught students at all levels of medical education, contributed to the publication of academic articles, and is actively involved in various initiatives within the healthcare network

Holly Agostino, M.D., FRCPC, Montreal Children’s Hospital

Holly Agostino completed her pediatric training at the Montreal Children’s Hospital (MCH) and subsequently pursued a two-year university fellowship in adolescent health. She currently works in the Adolescent Medicine Clinic at the MCH and is an Assistant Professor at McGill University. Since 2016, she has served as the Medical Director of the MCH Eating Disorders Program and is an active member of the national adolescent medicine committees of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the Canadian Paediatric Society. In 2021, she was selected to join the Executive Committee of the Canadian Paediatric Society for Adolescent Health. Her academic and research interests focus on the medical management of eating disorders and improving confidential care for adolescents in hospital settings.

Julia Dornik,  M.D., Douglas Mental Health University Institute

Julia Dornik is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at McGill University. Since 2017, she has been working at the Eating Disorders Continuum at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, following her subspecialty training in adult eating disorders at the Maudsley/Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience in London. She works in both the outpatient clinic and the inpatient unit, providing psychiatric and therapeutic support. Dr. Dornik is actively involved in clinical work while maintaining a teaching role with several trainees.

Annie Hamelin, M.A., CIUSSS Mauricie-et-Centre-du-Québec

Annie Hamelin is clinical manager of Community Mental Health Services (MASMA-First Line, SIV, SIM programs) at CIUSSS Mauricie-et-Centre-du-Québec for the Arthabaska-and-de-l’Érable area and the clinical manager of the Transdisciplinary Eating Disorders Program (PTTCA) since 2017. She holds a master’s degree in social work from the University of Montreal. She was tasked with implementing a standardized program for individuals with eating disorders across all local service networks (RLS) of the CIUSSS MCQ. In 2019, she partnered with the Eating Disorders Continuum team at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute – CIUSSS de l’Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal to enhance the implementation of the PTTCA, which serves both first- and second-line users. Her goal is to maintain close collaboration with the Douglas team to ensure the PTTCA is continuously refined, enabling users to access services grounded in best practices.

Nathalie Tousignant, CIUSSS Mauricie-et-Centre-du-Québec

Nathalie Tousignant is a nutritionist and specialist in clinical activities within the Transdisciplinary Eating Disorders Program at the CIUSSS Mauricie-et-Centre-du-Québec. She has cultivated an interest and expertise in the treatment of eating disorders over many years. Nathalie provides a range of services, including individual consultations, group interventions, and follow-up care in the intensive program. Additionally, she is responsible for offering clinical support to team members and coordinating program services. She has played an active role in developing and implementing first- and second-line programs in close collaboration with the Eating Disorders Continuum team. For nearly six years, Nathalie has been working with the Douglas Mental Health University Institute – CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal.