Sydney Bryn Austin

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Biography

Director, STRIPED

Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School; S. Jean Emans, MD, Endowed Chair in Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital; Research Scientist in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital

Dr. Austin is an award-winning researcher, teacher, and mentor. She is Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School; S. Jean Emans, MD, Endowed Chair in Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital; Research Scientist in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital. She is the Founding Director of the Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders: A Public Health Incubator (STRIPED), based at the Harvard Chan School and Boston Children’s Hospital. Her program STRIPED is the first research and training program dedicated to eating disorders prevention based at a school of public health and with a specialization in research-to-policy translation. She was also the Founding Director of the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression Health Equity Research Collaborative (SOGIE), based at the Harvard Chan School and Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Austin is a social epidemiologist and behavioral scientist with a research focus on health inequities, especially those affecting socially and structurally marginalized adolescents, and she has received numerous grants funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and other government, foundation, and philanthropic funders to support her research. She leads two primary research programs: One focuses on environmental influences on eating disorders risk and public health approaches to primary and secondary prevention of eating disorders with an emphasis on policy translation research and advocacy. The second focuses on determinants of sexual orientation and gender identity disparities in a range of health domains, including disordered weight-related behaviors, substance use, bullying victimization, and other health risk indicators. Dr. Austin is a current Mental Health Policy Fellow with Inseparable, Past President of the Academy for Eating Disorders, and Past President of the Eating Disorders Coalition, the leading community advocacy organization dedicated to U.S. federal policy on eating disorders. She serves on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Eating Disorders and Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention and as a guest editor for two recent special issues of the Journal of Eating Disorders. A unifying goal of her academic career has been to advance innovations in transdisciplinary science applied to eating disorders prevention and the study of health inequities adversely affecting socially and structurally marginalized youth to inform effective policy change. Across her research and teaching initiatives, her aim is to offer mentorship and opportunities that will help the next generation of talented junior scientists excel in their pursuit of health equity for all.

Awards and Honors

• First Place, 2023
  2022 Society for Public Health Education winner in Health Education Technology Innovation category
• Top Posters Award , 2023
  2023 International Conference on Eating Disorders
• Top Cited Article Award, 2023
  2023 Wiley Publishing Top Cited Article in International Journal of Eating Disorders
• Top Abstract Award , 2023
  Society for Behavioral Medicine Boston Children’s Hospital Postdoctoral Association Eating Disorder
• Dr. Tara McCarthy Award for Excellence in Research Mentoring, 2022
  Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital
• Shortlist Honor, 2022
  2022 Digital Education Awards finalist in New Digital Course of the Year category
• Senior Disparities Investigator Award, 2019
  AcademyHealth
• Community Engagement Award, 2019
  Harvard Chan Student Association, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
• Article in Top 25 Most Important, 2017
  Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention
• Society for Behavioral Medicine Leadership Institute, 2016
  Society for Behavioral Medicine
• Best Senior Postdoctoral Mentor Award, 2016
  Boston Children’s Hospital Postdoctoral Association
• Lori Irving Award for Excellence in Eating Disorder Prevention, 2014
  National Eating Disorders Association
• Prism Award, 2014
  Boston Children’s Hospital LGBT and Friends Committee
• Iris F. Litt Visiting Professorship in Adolescent Health Research for 2014, 2013
  Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine
• Roger L. Nichols Excellence in Teaching Award, 2011
  Harvard School of Public Health
• Teaching Citation, 2009
  Harvard School of Public Health
• Estherann Grace Teaching Award, 2009
  Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital
• Young Mentor Award, 2008
  Harvard Medical School
• Healthy Living Research Award, 2008
  National Association for Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders
• Finalist, Society for Adolescent Medicine New Investigator Award, 2004
  Society for Adolescent Medicine
• Finalist, Society for Adolescent Medicine New Investigator Award, 2003
  Society for Adolescent Medicine
• Finalist, Society for Adolescent Medicine New Investigator Award, 2001
  Society for Adolescent Medicine
• Harvard School of Public Health Student Recognition Award, 1999
  Harvard School Of Public Health
• Public Health Foundation Enterprises Scholarship, 1998
  Other
• Harvard School of Public Health Central School Scholarship, 1996
  Harvard School Of Public Health
• Uncommon Legacy Foundation Scholarship, 1995
  Other
• Maggie Award Finalist, Best News Story, Advocate cover story, contributing editor, 1992
  Other
• 1992 National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association Editorial Excellence Award, Advocate cover st , 1992
  Other
• 1992 Medill School of Journalism Award for Public Interest Magazine Journalism, Advocate cover stor , 1992
  Medill School of Journalism
• Maggie Award Finalist, Best Signed Editorial, Advocate editorial, author, 1992
  Other
• Quill and Dagger Honor Society, 1988
  Cornell University

Publications

• Legislating Inequity: Structural Racism In Groups Of State Laws And Associations With Premature Mortality Rates.

  Jahn JL, Zubizarreta D, Chen JT, Needham BL, Samari G, McGregor AJ, Douglas MD, Austin SB, Agénor M. Health Aff (Millwood) 2023 10

• International consensus on patient-centred outcomes in eating disorders.

  Austin A, De Silva U, Ilesanmi C, Likitabhorn T, Miller I, Sousa Fialho MDL, Austin SB, Caldwell B, Chew CSE, Chua SN, Dooley-Hash S, Downs J, El Khazen Hadati C, Herpertz-Dahlmann B, Lampert J, Latzer Y, Machado PPP, Maguire S, Malik M, Moser CM, Myers E, Pastor IR, Russell J, Smolar L, Steiger H, Tan E, Trujillo-Chi Vacuán E, Tseng MM, van Furth EF, Wildes JE, Peat C, Richmond TK. Lancet Psychiatry 2023 12

• Associations between weight discrimination and the use of potentially harmful dietary supplements during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

  Raffoul A, Beccia AL, Jackson DA, Sarda V, Hart JE, Chavarro JE, Austin SB. Soc Sci Med 2023 10

• Discovery of 95 PTSD loci provides insight into genetic architecture and neurobiology of trauma and stress-related disorders.

  Nievergelt CM, Maihofer AX, Atkinson EG, Chen CY, Choi KW, Coleman JR, Daskalakis NP, Duncan LE, Polimanti R, Aaronson C, Amstadter AB, Andersen SB, Andreassen OA, Arbisi PA, Ashley-Koch AE, Austin SB, Avdibegoviç E, Babic D, Bacanu SA, Baker DG, Batzler A, Beckham JC, Belangero S, Benjet C, Bergner C, Bierer LM, Biernacka JM, Bierut LJ, Bisson JI, Boks MP, Bolger EA, Brandolino A, Breen G, Bressan RA, Bryant RA, Bustamante AC, Bybjerg-Grauholm J, Bækvad-Hansen M, Børglum AD, Børte S, Cahn L, Calabrese JR, Caldas-de-Almeida JM, Chatzinakos C, Cheema S, Clouston SAP, Colodro-Conde L, Coombes BJ, Cruz-Fuentes CS, Dale AM, Dalvie S, Davis LK, Deckert J, Delahanty DL, Dennis MF, deRoon-Cassini T, Desarnaud F, DiPietro CP, Disner SG, Docherty AR, Domschke K, Dyb G, Kulenovic AD, Edenberg HJ, Evans A, Fabbri C, Fani N, Farrer LA, Feder A, Feeny NC, Flory JD, Forbes D, Franz CE, Galea S, Garrett ME, Gelaye B, Gelernter J, Geuze E, Gillespie CF, Goci A, Goleva SB, Gordon SD, Grasser LR, Guindalini C, Haas M, Hagenaars S, Hauser MA, Heath AC, Hemmings SM, Hesselbrock V, Hickie IB, Hogan K, Hougaard DM, Huang H, Huckins LM, Hveem K, Jakovljevic M, Javanbakht A, Jenkins GD, Johnson J, Jones I, Jovanovic T, Karstoft KI, Kaufman ML, Kennedy JL, Kessler RC, Khan A, Kimbrel NA, King AP, Koen N, Kotov R, Kranzler HR, Krebs K, Kremen WS, Kuan PF, Lawford BR, Lebois LAM, Lehto K, Levey DF, Lewis C, Liberzon I, Linnstaedt SD, Logue MW, Lori A, Lu Y, Luft BJ, Lupton MK, Luykx JJ, Makotkine I, Maples-Keller JL, Marchese S, Marmar C, Martin NG, MartÍnez-Levy GA, McAloney K, McFarlane A, McLaughlin KA, McLean SA, Medland SE, Mehta D, Meyers J, Michopoulos V, Mikita EA, Milani L, Milberg W, Miller MW, Morey RA, Morris CP, Mors O, Mortensen PB, Mufford MS, Nelson EC, Nordentoft M, Norman SB, Nugent NR, O'Donnell M, Orcutt HK, Pan PM, Panizzon MS, Pathak GA, Peters ES, Peterson AL, Peverill M, Pietrzak RH, Polusny MA, Porjesz B, Powers A, Qin XJ, Ratanatharathorn A, Risbrough VB, Roberts AL, Rothbaum BO, Rothbaum AO, Roy-Byrne P, Ruggiero KJ, Rung A, Runz H, Rutten BPF, de Viteri SS, Salum GA, Sampson L, Sanchez SE, Santoro M, Seah C, Seedat S, Seng JS, Shabalin A, Sheerin CM, Silove D, Smith AK, Smoller JW, Sponheim SR, Stein DJ, Stensland S, Stevens JS, Sumner JA, Teicher MH, Thompson WK, Tiwari AK, Trapido E, Uddin M, Ursano RJ, Valdimarsdóttir U, van den Heuvel LL, Van Hooff M, van Rooij SJ, Vermetten E, Vinkers CH, Voisey J, Wang Z, Wang Y, Waszczuk M, Weber H, Wendt FR, Werge T, Williams MA, Williamson DE, Winsvold BS, Winternitz S, Wolf EJ, Wolf C, Xia Y, Xiong Y, Yehuda R, Young RM, Young KA, Zai CC, Zai GC, Zervas M, Zhao H, Zoellner LA, Zwart JA, Stein MB, Ressler KJ, Koenen KC. medRxiv 2023 Sep 02

• Opportunities to advance research, intervention, and policy on stigma, eating disorders, and body image.

  Pearl RL, Austin SB, Jebeile H, D'Adamo L, Wilfley DE. J Eat Disord 2023 Aug 08