San Diego, March 26, 2007  — Thordis "Disa" Runarsdottir has received a Science Directorate student research award from the American Psychological Association (APA) for her doctoral dissertation, research that extensively surveyed 700 Icelandic girls and women to establish the prevalence of eating disorders, depression and anxiety and their correlates.

APA has invited Ms. Runarsdottir to present "Disordered Eating in Iceland: Prevalence, Correlates and Cultural Insights" in a special session for excellent graduate school posters at an event that will be sponsored by the APA Science Student Council and the APA Board of Scientific Affairs.

Various APA divisions nominated more than 60 graduate students' posters for this Science Student Council event, but only 19 posters were given the nod to participate. Graduate students who accept APA's invitation will be featured in "Psychological Science Superstars: Datablitz!" to be held on Saturday, August 18, 2007, from 11:00 to 11:50 am.

Virginia E. Holt, APA's Assistant Executive Director for Science, notes that 'Each Datablitz presenter will be given two minutes to give the gist of his or her research in "a rapid-fire sort of event" that "has been used with considerable success at other national scientific society meetings."

"Ms. Runarsdottir's research was a very ambitious undertaking," comments Dr. Diane Zelman, who has served as Runarsdottir's dissertation chair. "A sample of 700 individuals represents a sizeable sample in a country with a population of 300,000."

As a 5th year Clinical Psychology student at Alliant Disa has deepened her understanding of mental illness through field work in the San Francisco Bay Area, but the subject of her research and subsequent book begins and ends with her experience in Iceland, where she witnessed first hand women who suffered in a country with few resources. 

While working at the University of Iceland’s Hospital’s adolescent psychiatric unit, Disa met the girl who would become the subject of her book. As a counselor, Disa was placed in charge of females with eating disorders. “I was with them through every meal, every breakdown," recalls Ms. Runarsdottir. "I was the primary connection with the parents. It was really intense.”

Born and raised in Iceland, Thordis Runarsdottir -  or “Disa” - came to America in the fall of 2002 to pursue her graduate degree. She is currently completing her dissertation and is in her fifth year as a student in the clinical psychology PsyD program at Alliant's California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP). Ms. Runarsdottir received her masters degree in 2004.

Ms. Runarsdottir is currently completing her pre-doctoral residency in psychology at Kaiser Permanente-Walnut Creek, where she works with the Eating Disorder Intensive Outpatient program (IOP). Her book, which loosely translates to "Vanished Into The World of an Eating Disorder," will be available in bookstores in Iceland on March 30th.

Congratulations Ms. Runarsdottir!

For More Information

• Science Directorate of APA Online