BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL APPROACHES TO OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE, BODY IMAGE AND EATING DISORDERS
Dr Nicola Acevedo, Neuroscientist and Research Fellow
Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
& Consultant, Neurotech Insights, Melbourne, Australia &
Director, BioAutism, Melbourne, Australia & Vice-President
Australasian Brain Stimulation Society
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Melbourne, Australia | December 2025
Dr Nicola Acevedo is a Neuroscientist and Research Fellow with extensive expertise in developing novel therapeutics for neurological and psychiatric disorders, contributing to more than ten clinical trials. She specialises in brain stimulation and psychedelic treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and related conditions, with a strong commitment to advancing personalised, evidence-based neurobiological therapies for severe psychiatric illness. Her approach integrates biopsychosocial and person-centred principles to improve treatment access and mental health outcomes.
Nicola completed her PhD on deep brain stimulation for treatment-refractory OCD- described as a “tour de force”- producing eight first-author peer-reviewed publications and multiple international collaborations and papers. She now leads research in psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for OCD, body dysmorphic disorder, and anorexia nervosa. Her work has been presented at leading international forums including Oxford and Harvard University, and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Congress.
Alongside her research, Nicola holds leadership positions across brain stimulation, OCD, and ethics committees, serves on a peer review board, and is Director of the charity BioAutism Ltd. She also provides mentorship and supervision, with a commitment to supporting junior researchers. Her contributions have been recognised with the Early Career Researcher (ECR) Excellence Award from Biological Psychiatry Australia. As an ECR, Nicola is driven by the potential to innovate and make an impact in national mental health services.
Source: Supplied
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3059-3620
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Food and fasting periods as medicine to prevent disease
Professor Leonie Heilbronn is based at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), where she leads the Obesity and Metabolism laboratory. Her research is at the interface between basic and clinical science. She is internationally recognised for her work in nutritional modulation in humans and has made major contributions to our current understanding of mechanisms underlying conditions such as insulin resistance, particularly inflammation and lipid metabolism. She has also contributed significantly to current concepts of caloric restriction (CR), intermittent fasting (IF) and time restricted eating (TRE) in humans. She has published more than 110 peer reviewed papers in scientific journals and is an Associate Editor of Obesity, and Obesity Research and Clinical Practice.
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Dr Jade Murray
DR JADE MURRAY, POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOW
TURNER INSTITUTE FOR BRAIN AND MENTAL HEALTH, MONASH UNIVERSITY
VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA -
Benefits of prehabilitation ahead of surgery
Dr Matthew Wallen PhD, AES, AEP is a Senior Research Fellow in Cancer Survivorship, the Deputy Lead of the Cancer Survivorship Program, and a Senior Lecturer in Exercise Science and Clinical Exercise Physiology within the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Flinders University, in South Australia. His clinical interest focuses on improving outcomes for people requiring major surgery, specifically (1) lifestyle interventions, including exercise, nutritional, and psychological support to improve the health and wellbeing of people prior to surgery, termed ‘prehabilitation’, (2) novel physical function assessments aimed at identifying people at risk of treatment-related complications, and (3) implementation of new models of care in cancer.
