Annie Campain, a graduate student in Colorado State University’s Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, has been recognized with the Undergraduate Choice Award at CSU’s Graduate Student Showcase for her work researching eating disorders. This award, judged by a team of undergraduate scholars, distinguished Campain as a Research Top Scholar. The program that Campain is striving to form is just the beginning of the impact that her research will have on those who are affected by eating disorders.  

What inspired you to conduct this research?  

I started this research as an undergraduate student for my senior honors thesis and decided to try and expand upon it for my master’s thesis. Because eating disorders are illnesses that significantly impacted my family, they are important to me. I know how isolating these illnesses can be and how hard it can be to reach out to professional help, so I want to make support as accessible as possible for those struggling.

I also someday want to work with individuals with eating disorders and felt as though this would be a good place to start. [Kendall Regan Nutrition Center registered dietitian nutritionist] Charlotte Carlson has put a lot of work into getting the program off the ground and I’m honored to be given the opportunity to assist her in doing so! 

What impact do you hope this research will have?  

I hope the program Charlotte and I are working towards will see adequate buy-in from the CSU student body and the Fort Collins community. I hope through this program, we will be able to complement CSU’s already-great eating disorder resources in supporting those struggling with eating disorders and disordered eating regardless of their race, size, gender, sexuality, age, or physical ability. Through expanding education and the discussion of mental health, I hope to help reduce the stigma around it and therefore make it easier for struggling students to get the help they deserve. 

What does receiving this award mean to you?  

Receiving the undergraduate choice award was particularly special to me because my research is targeted at helping CSU students. It indicates to me that students are interested in my work and consider it an important problem to try and approach. Also, like all the other amazing graduate students who presented, I put a lot of work into my project and am super grateful to receive recognition for it! 

The Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition is a part of CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.