Rate My Professor Andrea Phillipou

Andrea Phillipou is an Associate Professor and Principal Research Fellow in Eating Disorders at Orygen, the Centre for Youth Mental Health at the University of Melbourne, within the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. She heads Eating Disorders Research at Orygen and leads the Scientific Work in Anorexia Nervosa and Other Eating Disorders (SWAN) Research Group. Her academic background includes a BSc in Psychology and Psychophysiology from Swinburne University of Technology (2006-2008), a BSc (Hons) in Psychophysiology from the same institution (2009), and a PhD investigating the neurobiological and cognitive features of anorexia nervosa from the University of Melbourne (2012-2015). Previously affiliated with the Centre for Mental Health at Swinburne University of Technology, she holds honorary research fellow positions at Austin Health Department of Mental Health (since 2012), St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne Department of Mental Health (since 2015), and Parkville Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing Service (since 2025). Phillipou received the David Hay Memorial Fund Award in 2015 and the Australian Postgraduate Award in 2012, both from the University of Melbourne.

Phillipou's research employs a biopsychosocial approach focused on anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders across three streams: understanding aetiological and maintenance factors to inform prevention and treatment; developing biomarkers such as unique eye movement patterns for accurate diagnosis and early intervention; and creating effective interventions like high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation of the inferior parietal lobe, demonstrated in a proof-of-concept randomised controlled trial. Key publications include 'Lived Experience Perspectives on the Development of Anorexia Nervosa' (2025), 'Cognitive Flexibility in Eating Disorders' (2025), 'Magnetoencephalography During a Saccadic Eye Movement Task in Anorexia Nervosa' (2025), 'Anorexia Nervosa: Eating Disorder or Body Image Disorder?' (2018, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry), and 'The Neurobiology of Anorexia Nervosa: A Systematic Review' (2016). Her work has identified the first potential biomarker for anorexia nervosa through eye movement analysis and advanced neurobiological understanding, contributing to improved clinical services and support programs for individuals with eating disorders.