Driven by a strong desire to understand the factors that contribute to child and adolescent well-being, continuous learning and observations are actively pursued and applied to make a positive impact in the community. I aim to be an advocate in the field of mental illness, specifically reducing the burden of illness for adolescents with eating disorders. To this extent, I am dedicated to de-stigmatizing eating disorders in society, beginning on a local level and branching out to create systematic change.

Eating disorders are the second deadliest form of mental illness. Persuasive in its characteristics and often overlooked by diet culture, eating disorders affect at least 9 percent or more of the worldwide population. Since the pandemic, concerns have risen and the statistics are alarming.

There are many misconceptions surrounding eating disorders, such as they have a certain “look” or only affect certain populations is a barrier for most who are underrepresented in research.

What ought to be addressed as a major public health concern, is unfortunately being suppressed by the discrepancy of burden of illness and allocation of funding.

SOULRecover: a fundraiser for eating disorder research at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia actively works to disseminate the reality; eating disorders have serious implications and increased funding is needed.

With access to treatment, recovery is possible with the support from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The CHOP Eating Disorder Research Program works in conjunction with its multi-disciplinary program to improve outcomes, identify risk factors, and reduce the burden of illness in children and adolescents. Translated into practice, research is cutting-edge and evidence that there is so much to still be understood.

The mission of SOULRecover is fueled by desires to learn more, educate others, and make a difference in how we talk about mental health. It begins with a conversation and advocates for people who could not use their own voice. The time for change is now and is implemented when we work together.