Australian advocacy for eating disorders recognised on International stage
Sunday 17 March 2019 – Today, Butterfly Foundation is celebrating global recognition of its ongoing advocacy in Australia and internationally by accepting the Academy of Eating Disorders award for Leadership, Public Service and Advocacy.
Butterfly Foundation’s former CEO Christine Morgan was present at this year’s International Eating Disorders Conference in New York to accept the 2019 AED Meehan-Hartley Leadership Award for Public Service and Advocacy.
The award citation recognises Ms Morgan as the former CEO of Butterfly Foundation, for significantly advancing the field of eating disorders through her impact on public policy, government advocacy, and service and representation of the voice of the community over a sustained period of time.
Butterfly Foundation Chairman, David Murray, AO acknowledged this prestigious recognition of Ms Morgan on behalf of the Board and the leadership team at Butterfly Foundation.
“For more than 10 years Butterfly has held at its heart the private and personal experiences of thousands of Australians who are struggling with eating disorders and their families. Christine made it our mission to advance health system reform, increase funding at all levels, and to have eating disorders accepted as the serious mental illnesses that they are.”
This international recognition comes as Butterfly embraces a new era of leadership with newly appointed CEO Kevin Barrow. Mr Barrow is committed to continue Butterfly’s mission, and to ensure that Australia has a national policy framework that equally prioritises prevention with delivery of multi-disciplinary treatment nationally.
The AED Award recognises the significant achievements by Butterfly who has been proud to work closely with individuals living with an eating disorder, its sector partners, leading clinicians and academics and political leaders to fundamentally shift national understanding of these complex mental illnesses.
“There are significant reforms and investment still needed, and Butterfly is resolved to maintain its leadership and commitment to deliver measurable change,” Mr Murray said. “In particular, we recognise the need to address the stigma attached to eating disorders, to elicit more widespread support to back our programs and government initiatives in dealing with this problem.”
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View Butterfly’s journey and progress in eating disorders here.
Anyone needing support with eating disorders or body image issues is encouraged to contact Butterfly’s National Helpline on 1800 33 4673 or support@butterfly.org.au
For urgent support call Lifeline 13 11 14
Media Contact:
Danielle Cuthbert – The Butterfly Foundation
0421 978 940 | danielle.cuthbert@thebutterflyufoundation.org.au
A reminder to refer to safe reporting guidelines on body image and eating disorders
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