Congratulations to Dr Anna Boggiss, a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Mental Health team within the Rio Tinto Children’s Diabetes Centre based at the Kids Research Institute Australia, who has been awarded a prestigious three-year Fellowship advancing research that integrates mental health into routine diabetes care, with a particular focus on eating concerns and body image.
Dr Anna Boggiss has been awarded a BrightSpark WA Early-career Child Health Researcher (ECCHR) Fellowship Program starting in 2026, thanks to BrightSpark’s partnership with the WA Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund and the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation.
Anna’s three-year Fellowship program tackles the urgent gap in care for young Western Australians living with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) who are at heightened risk of developing eating disorders.
“Type 1 Diabetes brings a heightened focus on food for both youth and their families, needing to adjust insulin levels accordingly. Insulin itself can also contribute to fluctuations in weight – on top of all the usual pressures teenagers face about how they look. It’s no surprise then that youth living with Type 1 Diabetes face rates of eating disorders 2 to 3 times higher than their peers”, Dr Boggiss said.
“Many fall into a “missing middle” where they’re underserved by both mental health and diabetes services.”
Leveraging WA’s integrated paediatric diabetes infrastructure and new screening initiatives at Perth Children’s Hospital, the project will co-design comprehensive care pathways with youth, families, and clinicians—focusing on identifying early warning signs, understanding family needs, and equipping healthcare teams to better support youth.
"What excites me most is that this work will help in making mental health support as routine and accessible as other parts of diabetes care—in a way that is focused on prevention first, improving the relationships our young people have with food and their body image, and making sure there are clear pathways to support at any stage"
“Western Australia has a unique opportunity to lead the way in this space. We have a world-class paediatric diabetes service and families who are asking for improved mental health care. By investing in early intervention and integrated mental health support now, we hope to prevent downstream consequences and improve long-term wellbeing for children and families navigating T1D and eating concerns”
Originally from Aotearoa New Zealand, Dr Boggiss brings a deep commitment to improving the mental health and lived experiences of young people with T1D and their families.
Her PhD focused on self-compassion interventions for teenagers navigating the emotional challenges of T1D, and she has since contributed to the development of digital mental wellbeing tools for people living with T1D, including the LIFT app and COMPASS chatbot.
Dr Keely Bebbington, Dr Anna Boggiss and Prof. Liz Davis