Dr. Kristin M. von Ranson

Ph.D., R.Psych.

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Positions

Professor

Faculty of Arts, Department of Psychology

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

kvonrans@ucalgary.ca

Web presence

Kristin von Ranson's Psychology Department Profile

Eating Behaviours Lab

Phone number

Office: +1 (403) 220-7085

Location

Office: AD272

For media enquiries, contact

mediarequests@ucalgary.ca

Preferred method of communication

I'm looking for...

Research partners

I will not accept a clinical psychology graduate supervisee this year, i.e., for the 2025-2026 academic year.

I will accept a psychology honours supervisee for the 2025-2026 academic year.

Background

Educational Background

A.B. (honors) Psychology, Bryn Mawr College, 1988

Ph.D. Clinical Psychology/Clinical Science, University of Minnesota, 1998

Postdoctoral fellowship Pediatric Psychology/Adolescent Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 2000

August 2023 CV

Research

Areas of Research

Eating Disorders and Body Image

Psychopathology

Activities

I am an expert in eating disorders and body image across the lifespan. My research employs a variety of methods to examine risk and maintenance factors for eating disorders, aiming to reduce the burden of these disturbances. Focusing on child, adolescent, and adult community members, my work explores the spectrum of eating pathology, particularly binge eating and body image.

One of my primary research interests is understanding and bridging the gap between researchers' recommendations and practitioners' choice of psychotherapies. Another primary interest is the relationship of eating pathology (e.g., binge eating) to behavioural addictions such as gambling disorder.

I also study the associations of eating problems with comorbid psychopathology, such as substance misuse, anxiety, depression, and childhood externalizing disorders, to identify shared aetiological and maintenance factors. My other research projects focus on personality, attentional biases, and the efficacy and effectiveness of specific psychological treatments for eating disorders.

Participation in university strategic initiatives

Brain and mental health

Child health and wellness

Courses

Course number	Course title	Semester
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 (best abstract), North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. 2000
Conference Trainee Travel Award (best abstract), Eating Disorder Research Society. 1997

Publications

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. Online First. (2024)
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. Online First. (2023)
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)
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. (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)
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)
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)

In the News

the Body Project. 660 News. (2018)