Dr. Alana Ireland

Dr. Alana Ireland is a Registered Psychologist whose research program is unified by a health promotion lens and a sustained commitment to critically examining weight-related issues, including body image, weight stigma, obesity, and eating disorders, and the social, institutional, and policy contexts that shape how these issues are understood and addressed. Across her work, she attends to the ways weight-related discourses and practices influence mental health, clinical care, education, and broader systems, with particular attention to equity, stigma, and the lived consequences of dominant health frameworks. Dr. Ireland’s research is interdisciplinary with an applied orientation, and she enjoys working across disciplinary boundaries, collaborating with scholars in education, psychology, sociology, health sciences, and policy, as well as with clinicians, educators, and community organizations. Her work aims not only to advance scholarly understanding, but also to inform clinical care, educational programming, and policy development in ways that reduce harm and promote well-being.

Dr. Ireland believes strongly in translating research into practice and maintains roles that bridge academic scholarship and professional spaces. She is a practicing Registered Psychologist in Alberta, serves as co-editor of Psymposium, the publication of the Psychology Association of Alberta, and engages regularly in knowledge mobilization through workshops and invited presentations with educators, healthcare professionals, and the public.

If you would like to learn more about Dr. Ireland’s program of research or would like to inquire about supervision opportunities, please reach out to her at aireland@athabascau.ca.

Discover my research

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Research interests

• Obesity
• Weight stigma
• Eating disorders
• Body image
• Non-weight-centric and weight-neutral health approaches
• Health promotion and prevention in schools
• School-based mental health and well-being
• Social, institutional, and policy influences
• Critical qualitative and systems-oriented research
• Knowledge mobilization in healthcare and education

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Educational credentials

• PhD - University of Calgary
• MSc - University of Calgary
• BA - University of Calgary

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Professional affiliations

• Registered Psychologist, College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP)
• Psychologists’ Association of Alberta (PAA)
• Canadian Psychological Association (CPA)
• Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA)
• Eating Disorder Association of Canada (EDAC)
• Obesity Canada

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