Donor gift to establish an eating disorder clinic in primary care

A philanthropic gift from the Hainsworth Trust will fund the creation of an embedded eating disorder support clinic at McMaster Family Practice (MFP), part of the McMaster Family Health Team operated by McMaster University’s Department of Family Medicine.

Eating disorders are severe mental illnesses with significant medical risks where early, timely access to care is critical. Despite this, patients often face long wait times for specialist outpatient services, compounded by individual- and system-level barriers to accessing care.

This $390,600 gift will bring together MFP and Body Brave, a community not-for-profit organization, to establish a first-of-its-kind model that embeds a recurring eating disorder support clinic in primary care. The model combines self-guided digital tools, group-based supports, structured clinical protocols, and provider training to deliver earlier, safer, and more consistent care.

Family physicians are typically the first point of contact for patients with eating disorders and play a central role in routine screening, care coordination, support through transitions, and ongoing medical monitoring. However, family physicians and trainees report limited confidence and knowledge in managing eating disorders, reflecting gaps in education and training during medical school and residency.

“For many patients, the hardest part is not just the illness – it’s the wait to get help,” says Morgan Black, family physician, assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine and project medical co-lead. “This model brings care closer to where people already are, so they can access support earlier, receive comprehensive medical monitoring within their clinical home while awaiting specialized treatment and feel less alone in their recovery.”

Body Brave has developed a comprehensive and evidence-informed approach to eating disorder recovery and care. The program reaches 2,200 clients annually and trained more than 1,500 healthcare professionals since 2017.

“Body Brave was created because too many people with eating disorders and disordered eating are left waiting, navigating confusing pathways, or wondering whether they are ‘sick enough’ to deserve care,” says Karen Trollope, co-founder and chief medical officer of Body Brave, and associate clinical professor in the Department of Family Medicine.

“This partnership allows us to bring support much earlier into the place where many people first raise concerns: primary care,” Trollope adds. “By combining McMaster Family Practice’s clinical leadership with Body Brave’s tools, training, and low barrier supports, we can help patients feel less alone, support providers to act with more confidence, and build a model that could inform more accessible eating disorder care beyond this first clinic.”

The initiative is also supported by comprehensive research and evaluation. The team received funding in 2026 through a Family Medicine Associates Research Grant to establish the size and profile of the patient population with eating disorders and to identify clinician perspectives and training needs. This work provides a critical foundation for the co-design of a primary-care embedded eating disorder clinic and related educational supports.

The commitment of the Hainsworth Trust closes the gap to allow the team to fully deliver and evaluate the implementation of an embedded eating disorder support clinic in primary care. By improving early identification, triage, and ongoing monitoring, the program aims to reduce avoidable crisis care and connect patients to the right level of support sooner.