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Live Webinar On-Demand

Silent Wounds: Eating Disorders in the Military and Veteran Communities

Leah Stiles
Grace Melrose RDN, CEDS
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Information

Recorded

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

  • Recognize the unique sociocultural and systemic risk factors that contribute to eating disorders in military and veteran populations.

  • Explain how military culture—including weight standards, fitness testing, and stigma—impacts the development and concealment of disordered eating behaviors.

  • Assess the role of trauma, identity, and transition stress in the development or exacerbation of eating disorders in these populations.

  • Discuss the intersection of eating disorders with suicidality and comorbid mental health conditions in military populations.

  • Evaluate current gaps in eating disorder screening, diagnosis, and referral pathways within military and VA healthcare settings.

  • Describe how to collaborate with veteran service organizations and military-specific resources to create a multidisciplinary support network for clients.

Educational Goal

The educational goal of this workshop is to increase understanding of the intersection of military culture and disordered eating.

Description

Eating disorders remain an overlooked and under-identified crisis within military and veteran populations—often hidden behind cultural stigma, medical misunderstanding, and systemic barriers to care. This training explores the intersection of military culture and disordered eating, focusing on the unique pressures faced by service members, veterans, and their families. Participants will learn how to better identify, understand, and support this underserved population through trauma-informed, culturally aware, and evidence-based approaches.

Target Audience

  • Addiction Professional
  • Counselor
  • Dietitian
  • Marriage & Family Therapist
  • Psychologist
  • Social Worker

Presenters

Leah Stiles
Leah Stiles is a retired U.S. Navy Senior Chief and the founder of SEA WAVES, the only veteran service organization focused solely on eating disorders in the military. With over 20 years of leadership and advocacy experience, she has transformed lived experience into national impact—creating training programs, building partnerships, and advancing mental health equity. Leah is now pursuing a Master’s in Nonprofit Management at UCF to strengthen her organization’s sustainability and expand its reach.
Grace Melrose RDN, CEDS
Grace Melrose, RDN, CEDS, is a dedicated nutrition expert with over fifteen years of experience specializing in eating disorders. She began her career in this field at a residential treatment center in Tucson, Arizona, and has since broadened her practice to include endocrinology, gastrointestinal health, bariatric surgery, and functional medicine. Following a distinguished 20-year career in the United States Air Force, she retired as Chief Nutritional Medicine Officer. Grace remains actively involved in advocacy and education, volunteering to raise awareness about mental health challenges within the military community. She also shares her knowledge with future healthcare professionals by educating medical students at the University of Arizona College of Medicine on nutrition and eating disorders. The past seven years with Rosewood have served as the Director of Nutrition supporting culinary and broader Nutrition Department. In recent months she has changed course joining the Clinical Services team as the Clinical Director at Rosewood Tempe Day Program. Grace continues her impactful work with the support of her loving husband and as a proud mother of three.

Financially Sponsored By

  • Monte Nido