Headshot of Kristin von Ranson

Kristin M. von Ranson, Ph.D., R.Psych.

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Positions

Full Member

Hotchkiss Brain Institute

Full Member

Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education

Member

O'Brien Institute for Public Health

Member

Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute

Contact information

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

Research

Areas of Research

Eating Disorders and Body Image
Mental Illness
Activities

I'm an expert in eating disorders and body image across the lifespan. I use a variety of research methods to examine risk and maintenance factors for eating disorders with the aim of reducing the burden of the spectrum of eating disturbances. My research involves child, adolescent, and adult patients and community members, as well as families. One of my primary research interests is helping to understand and bridge the gap between researchers' recommendations and practitioners' choice of psychotherapies. Another primary research interest is investigating similarities and differences between eating disorders and addictions, to elucidate the relationship between eating disorders and behavioural addictions. I am also interested in associations of eating problems with comorbid psychopathology, such as substance misuse, anxiety, depression, and childhood externalizing disorders, as a means to identify shared aetiological or maintenance factors. Other research projects focus on topics including personality, attentional biases, and the efficacy and effectiveness of specific psychological treatments for eating disorders.

Participation in university strategic initiatives

Courses

Course number Course title Semester
PSYC 501.23 SEC 01 S01 Honours Topics Seminar Psych Winter 2020
PSYC 504.66 LEC 09 09 Research in Psychology Fall 2020-Winter 2021
PSYC 671 LEC 01 01 Adult Assessment Fall 2021

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

In the News

  • the Body Project. 660 News. (2018)