Dr. Kristin von Ranson
Positions
Professor
Affiliations
Full Member
Hotchkiss Brain Institute
Full Member
Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education
Member
O'Brien Institute for Public Health
Child Health & Wellness Researcher
Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute
Contact information
Web presence
Phone number
Office: +1 (403) 220-7085
Location
Office: AD272
For media enquiries, contact
Preferred method of communication
kvonrans@ucalgary.ca
I'm looking for...
Research partners
For the 2026-2027 academic year, I am accepting applications for a clinical psychology graduate supervisee, but I am not accepting applications for a psychology honours supervisee.
Background
Credentials
Registered Psychologist, College of Alberta Psychologists, 2001
Educational Background
Ph.D. Clinical Psychology/Clinical Science, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, 1998
Postdoctoral fellowship Pediatric Psychology/Adolescent Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 2000
Research
Areas of Research
My expertise lies in eating disorders and body image across the lifespan. In the Eating Behaviours Laboratory, we use various methods to understand and reduce the burden of eating pathology on individuals and society. We study eating pathology symptoms in children, adolescents, and adults.
Our research emphasizes three main areas:
- Bridging the gap between researchers' recommendations and practitioners' psychotherapy choices
- Investigating whether eating disorders or symptoms such as binge eating are forms of addiction
- Examining theorized risk and maintenance factors for eating disorders, including comorbid psychopathology (substance misuse, anxiety, depression, childhood externalizing disorders), emotion dysregulation, personality, and attentional biases.
Participation in university strategic initiatives
Courses
| Course number | Course title | Semester |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC 503 | Special Topics in Psychology: Eating Disorders | Fall 2025 |
| PSYC 501.23 SEC 01 S01 | Eating Disorders Honours Seminar | Winter 2024 |
| PSYC 750.11 | Eating Disorders | Winter 2023 |
Awards
- Faculty of Graduate Studies My SupervisorSkills GREAT Supervisor Award, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Calgary. 2016
- Feminist Mentoring Award, Section of Women and Psychology, Canadian Psychological Association. 2016
- Nominee, Supervisory Excellence Award, Graduate Students’ Association, University of Calgary. 2016
- Fellow, Academy for Eating Disorders. 2005
- Huffman-Capraro Award, North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. 2000
- Conference Trainee Travel Award, Eating Disorder Research Society. 1997
Publications
- Shifting goalposts: Widening discrepancies between girls’ actual and ideal bodies predict disordered eating from preadolescence to adulthood. Magel, C. A., Lacroix, E., Wilson, S., Iacono, W. G., & von Ranson, K. M. . Development and Psychopathology. 1054-1067. (2025)
- Child and adolescent health service utilisation for eating disorders before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A meta-analysis. Madigan, S., Vaillancourt, T., Dimitropoulos, G., Premji, S., Kahlert, S., Zumwalt, K., Korczak, D., von Ranson, K. M., Pador, P., Ganshorn, H., & Neville, R.. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 158-171. (2025)
- Trajectories and personality predictors of eating pathology development in girls from preadolescence to adulthood. Lacroix, E., Wilson, S., McGue, M., Iacono, W.G., & von Ranson, K. M.. Clinical Psychological Science. 644-662. (2024)
- Binge-spectrum symptoms in their association with higher gestational weight gain. Bajaj, D., Markova, V., MacKinnon, A., Bell, R. C., von Ranson, K. M., Letourneau, N., Giesbrecht, G. F., & Tomfohr-Madsen, L.. International Journal of Eating Disorders. 1378-1390. (2023)
- Normative body image development: A longitudinal meta-analysis of mean-level change. Lacroix, E., Smith, A. J., Husain, I. A., Orth, U., & von Ranson, K. M. . Body Image. 238-264. (2023)
- Effects of the HEARTY randomized controlled trial on disordered eating behaviours in adolescents with obesity. Alberga, A. S., Edache, I. Y., Sigal, R. J., von Ranson, K. M., Russell-Mayhew, S., Kenny, G. P., Doucette, S., Prud’homme, D., Hadjiyannakis, S., Cameron, J., & Goldfield, G. S. . Obesity Science & Practice. 158-171. (2023)
- Two eating disorder preventive interventions reduce attentional biases in body-dissatisfied university women: A cluster randomized controlled trial. Tobin, L. N., Sears, C. R., & von Ranson, K. M.. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 911–924. (2022)
- A systematic review of addiction substitution in recovery: Clinical lore or empirically-based? . Kim, H. S., Hodgins, D. C., Garcia, X., Ritchie, E. V., Musani, I., McGrath, D. S., & von Ranson, K. M.. Clinical Psychology Review. 102083. (2021)
- Body image disturbance partially explains eating-related psychosocial impairment in food addiction. Lacroix, E., & von Ranson, K. M. . Eating Behaviors. 101512. (2021)
- Negative urgency combined with negative emotionality is linked to eating disorder psychopathology in community women with and without binge eating. Magel, C. A., & von Ranson, K. M. . International Journal of Eating Disorders. 821-830. (2021)
- Binge eating and problem gambling are prospectively associated with common and distinct deficits in emotion regulation among community women. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science. 36-47. (2021)
- Self-reported eating disorder psychopathology prevalence in community-based male and female Albertans: Gender and age group comparisons. Smith, A. J., Farstad, S. M., & von Ranson, K. M.. International Journal of Eating Disorders. 438-444. (2021)
- Who is treating ARFID, and how? The need for training for community clinicians. Magel, C., Hewitt, K., Dimitropoulos, G., von Ranson, K. M., & McMorris, C.A. . Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity. 1279–1280. (2021)
In the News
- The Body Project. 660 News. (2018)
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