Dr. Wendy Spettigue is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Ottawa, specializing for the past 22 years in the treatment of children and adolescents with eating disorders at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. She has written numerous papers and book chapters on the topic of eating disorders and has received over 3 million dollars in research funding. Her clinical work, research, teaching, advocacy and leadership roles led her to be awarded the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Prix d’Excellence Specialist of the Year award in 2019.
Research Projects
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Pediatric emergency department physicians’ perceptions of virtual mental health assessments for urgent needs
07/02/2023
While many physicians agreed that there is a potential benefit of the ED virtual care platform for urgent mental health assessments, time constraints and lack of confidence in providing satisfactory virtual mental health care with minimal mental health support limited its acceptability. These findings can inform the future implementation of mental health services using an innovative virtual ED platform.
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The impact of COVID-19 on adolescents with eating disorders: a cohort study
04/06/2021
Further research is required to better understand the impact of the pandemic on the clinical course and outcomes of EDs in adolescents.
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Attitudes toward physical activity as a treatment component for adolescents with anorexia nervosa: An exploratory qualitative study of patient perceptions
13/11/2020
Participants recognized both benefits (psychological, sociological, and physiological) and risks (trigger negative thoughts, increase competitive behavior) of implementing physical activity into acute AN treatment. Patient characteristics, such as stage of treatment and exercise history, had an impact on participants' perceptions toward physical activity in AN. Participants suggested that the ideal physical activity program would be focused on fun, individualized and progressively integrated, group-based, and directly supported by staff. Although the majority of participants stated that they would wear an activity monitor for research purposes, concerns were voiced regarding compliance and the potential impact on eating disorder symptomatology.
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Characteristics and clinical trajectories of patients meeting criteria for avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder that are subsequently reclassified as anorexia nervosa
02/12/2019
Prospective longitudinal research that utilizes ARFID‐specific as well as traditional eating disorder diagnostic measures is required to better understand how patients with restrictive eating disorders that deny fear of weight gain can be differentiated and best treated.
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Development of the Ottawa Disordered Eating Screen for Youth: The ODES-Y
11/10/2019
Our findings suggest that the index test has utility as a short and accurate screening tool for earlier detection of disordered eating thoughts and behaviors in youth.