Gemma led the Body Image & Eating Disorders Research Program in the Department of Neuroscience at Monash University. She is currently an NHMRC Emerging Leadership 2 Fellow (2023-2027) and a former NHMRC Early Career Research Fellow (2018-2022). Please note that as of 28th October 2024, Gemma and the Body Image & Eating Disorders Research Program have relocated to the School of Psychology at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, where she is a full Professor and can be contacted on [email protected]. Gemma remains an adjunct of Monash University.  

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology (University of Adelaide), Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Microbiology and Immunology (University of Adelaide), a Masters degree in Oncology (University of Cambridge), a Diploma in Languages in Japanese (University of Adelaide), a Graduate Diploma in Psychology (University of Adelaide), a Bachelor of Behavioural Sciences Honours degree in Psychology (Flinders University) and a PhD in Clinical Psychology (Flinders University). Her research career in both Medical Science and Mental Health has seen her study and work in Australia, Japan and the UK. 

Gemma was awarded a PhD from Flinders University in Adelaide in 2017 which investigated the psychological predictors and outcomes of female genital body image concerns and cosmetic genital surgery. She worked as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate and Academic at Curtin University in Perth and extended this genital self-image research to other genders. She continues this genital self-image research program across the gender spectrum. 

Gemma then commenced an NHMRC Early Career Research Fellowship at Monash University (2018-2022) and more recently an NHMRC Emerging Leadership 2 Fellowship (2023-2027). Gemma and the program she heads investigate the factors leading to body image concerns and eating disorders (across the age spectrum) and novel therapeutic interventions to address these concerns, including digital technologies such as chatbots like JEM^TM and mobile apps. Gemma has led collaborative technical and commercial projects with national eating disorder support organisations across the globe (e.g., JEM^TM in North America with NEDIC). Most recently, she led the development of an online educational resource to explain the intersection of eating disorders and menopause. 

Gemma is the lead of the international Consortium for Research in Eating Disorders (CoRe-ED) which brings together all key voices in eating disorder research on a global scale to improve eating disorder care. The consortium was officially launched on 25th September 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. Everyone is welcome to join CoRe-ED free of charge by registering here to access to the already extensive network and resources on offer. 

Gemma's research has received extensive coverage on mainstream media and she makes very regular appearances on television. She was named one of ABC Radio National's Top 5 Under 40 Scientists in 2017 and also was invited to deliver a TED talk in Brisbane in 2017. More recently, she won the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (AAHMS) Mentee Honour (2024), an international finalist for the Robert Greenblatt International Menopause Society Award (2024), Australian Psychological Society Media Award for Public Engagement with Psychological Science (2023), Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia Paul Bourke Award for Early Career Research (2022), Club Melbourne Fellowship (2022), Rising Star for the Association for Psychological Science (2021), two time national finalist for the Bupa Health Foundation Emerging Researcher Award (2021, 2019), Flinders Universiry Early Career Alumni Awardee (2021), one of The Educator's Rising Stars (2020), Australian Psychological Society Early Career Researcher Awardee (2020), a national finalist for a Eureka Prize (2020), received a national AMP Tomorrow Maker Award (2019), and was a Young Tall Poppy Award winner for Victoria (2018). She also served as a host on Melbourne radio Triple R Radiotherapy program (2018-2022) and continues to make regular appearances on Triple R programs. 

In addition, Gemma is a registered clinical psychologist and has had clinical experience in the public and private sectors in Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane. She has led her own private practice since 2019. She was formerly the Senior Clinical Psychologist and Research Lead at the Statewide Women's Mental Health Service at Alfred Health (2023-2024) and is currently an Honorary Research Clinician at Alfred Health. She is a Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician (CEDC) and a Board Approved Supervisor with the Psychology Board of Australia.

She and her research played key roles in the the National and Victorian State Eating Disorder strategies (2023/2024). Furthermore, she was the lead expert for the national clinical practice guidelines for the psychological evaluation of patients undergoing cosmetic procedures in 2018 and 2023. Gemma launched a health professional online short course addressing psychological assessments for cosmetic patients in 2024. Please email [email protected] if you would like more information about this course.  

Gemma currently serves on the National Eating Disorders Collaboration Right Care Right Place Advisory Group. She is also an ethics consultant for Bellberry Limited. She formerly served on the Australia and New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders (ANZAED) Executive Committee as well as the Chairperson of the ANZAED Membership Committee. She also served on the Executive Committee of the Australian Society for Psychosocial Obstetrics and Gynaecology (ASPOG). 

You can follow Gemma's latest research and other activities on LinkedIn and Twitter/X @gemmasharp11