Employment and Academia

Visiting Research Fellow (2014 – present)
Chester University

Honorary Research Fellow (2013-2014)
Glyndwr University

Honorary Research Fellow (2006-2013)
Coventry University

Independent Consultant and Educator (2013 – present)
Well Now

Director (2011 – 2013)
Well Founded Ltd.

Senior Health Promotion Specialist, Diet and Cardiovascular Health  (2005- 2011)
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust

Senior Research Assistant (2007-2009)
Applied Research Centre – Health and Lifestyle Interventions, Coventry University

Education

Ph.D.    Advancing Critical Dietetics, Coventry University      2011

BSc Hons  Nutrition/dietetics, Surrey University        1990

State Registration in dietetics (Distinction)                1990

Teaching Areas

Compassion and Creativity for Critical Professional Practice (NUTR 4490) (GAHN 6650)
A Trauma-Informed Approach to Health, Learning and Behaviour Change

Making Sense of Weight Science, Health and Social Justice

Research Interests

Lucy Aphramor’s primary practice and research interests centre on developing and sharing liberatory approaches to public health nutrition work.  Their earlier focus was on the critical analysis of clinical and professional literature relating to body weight and they have published extensively, often collaboratively, across a range of disciplines. Lucy works mainly outside of academia in private practice. Their consultancy centres on supporting colleagues to translate theoretical knowledge into real-life practice that integrates trauma-awareness, compassion and social justice.

Other Activities

Delivers Well Now courses and trains practitioners in a Well Now ethos

Spoken work artist addressing social action for health

Trailer of show to embed –https://youtu.be/2OI9oxATmnE

Professional Awards 

  • British Dietetic Assocaition Roll of Honour
  • Sue McCarthy Travel Award Heart UK. May
  • Outstanding Service and Care Award University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust 
  • Rose Simmonds Special Award. Presented by the British Dietetic June 2004.

Scientific and Professional Publications (Selected Sampling)

Aphramor, L. Why We Need to Talk About Trauma in Public Health (2018) Network Health Digest (133) pp  37 – 40.

Aphramor, L. Terms of Belonging: Words, Weight and Ethical Autonomy, (2018) Network Health Digest,     (131) pp 41-45.

Aphramor, L. Effecting Change in Public Health Public Health. (2017) Network Health Digest, (126) pp 55-59.

Aphramor, L. A Stages-of-Change Perspective to Diet, Non-diet and Health-gain Approaches for Weight Concerns (2017) Network Health Digest, (124) pp 20-26.

Gingras, J., Asada, Y., Brady, J. and Aphramor, L. (2017) Critical Dietetics. Challenging the Profession from Within. In Critical Perspectives in Food Studies 2nd edition. Eds M. Koç, J. Sumner and A. Winson. pp 95-107.

Aphramor, L. (2016) How Compassion Supports Innovation and Effectiveness in Addressing Weight Concerns. The Journal of Psychological Therapies in Primary Care, 5: pp. 26–46.

Aphramor, L. and Khasteganan, N. (2016) Re-orientating Dietetic Interventions for Adults with Eating and Weight Concerns: A Qualitative Study of the Well Now course – Part 1. Journal of Critical Dietetics, 3 (2), 56-66.

Aphramor, L. and Khasteganan, N. (2016) Re-orientating Dietetic Interventions for Adults with Eating and Weight Concerns: A Qualitative Study of the Well Now course – Part 2. Journal of Critical Dietetics, 3 (2), 67-76.

Bacon, L. O’Reilly. C., and Aphramor, L. (2016) Reflections on Thin Privilege and Responsibility. The Fat Pedagogy Reader (2nd edition). Eds Erin Cameron and Constance Russell. Peter Lang Publishing, USA.

Aphramor L (2015) Mindfulness in healthy weight and diabetes. Journal of Diabetes Nursing 19: 401–7.

Bacon, L. and Aphramor, L. (2014) Body Respect: what conventional text books get wrong, leave out or just plain to fail understand about weight. USA. BenbellaBooks

Brady, J., Aphramor, L., & Gingras, J. (2013) Chapter: Food for Thought: Nutrition and Food Related Issues in Childbearing in ‘Food for Thought – nutrition and food related issues in midwifery’. Routledge, UK.

Aphramor, L. Brady, J., Gingras, J. (2013) Advancing Critical Dietetics: Theorising Health at every size. In Why We Eat What We Eat. Ashgate, UK.

Aphramor, L. (2011) Critical Dietetics: A Place at the Table. Invited Editorial. Journal of Critical Dietetics, 1,1.

Bacon, L. and Aphramor, L. (2011) Weight Science: Evaluating the Evidence for a Paradigm Shift, Nutrition Journal. 10:9. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-10-9.

Aphramor, L. and J. Gingras (2010), Helping People Change: Promoting Politicised Practice in the Healthcare Professions, in Debating Obesity: Critical Perspectives, E. Rich, L. Monaghan, and L. Aphramor, Eds. Palgrave Macmillan, UK.

Aphramor, L. (2010) Validity of claims in weight management: a review of dietetic literature. Nutrition Journal, 9: 30. doi: 10.1186/1475-2891-9-30.

Gingras, J. R., & Aphramor, L. (2010). Empowerment, compliance, and the ethical subject in dietetic practice. In R. Harris, N. Wathen, & S. Wyatt (Eds.), Critical perspectives on ’empowerment’ in health care: The promotion of self-sufficiency. Palgrave Macmillan, UK.

Aphramor, L., Asada, Y., Atkins, J., Berenbaum, S., Brady, J., Clarke, S., Coveney, J., DeVault, M., Forster-Coull, L., Fox, A., Gingras, J., Gord, C., Koç, M., Ignagni, E., Lordly, D., MacLellan, D., Manafò, E., Morley, C., Simmons, D., Trainoff., K., Tzianetas, R., Welsh, J., & Yarker-Edgar, K. (2009). Critical dietetics: A declaration, Practice 48, 1-2. [Available: http://www.jacquigingras.ca]

Aphramor, L. and Gingras, J. (2012) Reproducing Inequalities: Theories and Ethics in Dietetics. In Fatness, Food and Childbearing: Cultural Perspectives on the Body, Nutrition and Reproductive Practices. Eds S. Tremayne and M. Unnithan.Berghahn Books, Oxford.

Aphramor, L. & Gingras, J. (2009) That Remains to Be Said: Disappeared Feminist Discourses on Fat in Dietetic Theory and Practice. In The Fat Studies Reader. Eds E Rothblum & S Solvay. New York University Press, New York. (pp. 97-105).

Aphramor, L. (2009) Disability and the Anti-Obesity Offensive. Disability & Society, 24 (7) 897-909.

Aphramor, L. (2009) It took a lot of willpower but I finally gave up recommending dieting. Fat Studies UK. Raw Nerve Press, York.

Aphramor, L. (2009) Weight management as a cardioprotective intervention raises issues for nutritional scientists regarding clinical ethics. Proc Nut Soc, 67:E401.

Aphramor, L. (2008) Research Report. Weight and Health: Changing Attitudes and Behaviours. Health Psychology Update. 17(2) 42-45.

Aphramor, L. & Gingras, J. (2007) Weight in Practice, Health in Perspective. In

Critical Bodies Ed S Riley, M Burns, H Frith, S Wiggins & P Markula. Palgrave/Macmillan, UK. pp 155-17.

Aphramor, L (2007) How does size discrimination affect health? Farechoice, 39, p7.

Aphramor, L. (2005) Is A Weight-Centred Health Framework Salutogenic? Some Thoughts on Unhinging Certain Dietary Ideologies. Social Theory and Health, 3 (4), 315-340.

Selected Conference Keynotes and Guest Speaking

(2019) Key note speaker. Radical Unlearning. National Eating Disorder Information Centre , 7th biennial conference, May 10th, Toronto, Canada.

(2019) Invited presenter. Artful Fat. University of Leeds. 9th April.

(2019) Guest speaker. Well Now: motivating new approaches to health education. Multidisciplinary International Association Of Musculoskeletal Pain, 7 Mallory Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong.  14th January.

(2019) Guest speaker. Evidence and Ethics in Weight Science and Practice. Chengdu Medical School, China. 11th January.

(2019) Guest speaker. Evidence and Ethics in Weight Science and Practice. Tongji Medical School, Wuhan, China. 9th January.

(2019) Guest speaker. Improving Heart Health through Food and Social Factors. COFCO, NIHR Building, Beijing, China. 7th January.

(2018) What is Trauma? and Pathways Between Trauma & Health. In Trauma Informed Services – What Next?: Trauma resulting from Gender Based Violence – Putting Theory Into Practice. 14th November, Inverness, Scotland.

(2018) Key note speaker. 6th Annual Weight Stigma conference, 18-19 June, Leeds Beckett University.

(2018) Well Now and Public Engagement. PROSO Empowering Societal Actors Through Responsible Research and Innovation. Brussels, 19th February. Guest speaker.

(2018) Trauma Issues in Children’s Healthy Weight. Guest speaker at community paediatrician education day. January 29th. Clinical Sciences Building. Inverness.

(2017) Kindful and Connected Eating ~ using compassion and body awareness to help people make peace with food. Guest speaker. BACP Conference Working with Binge Eating and Emotional Overeating, 19 January, Newcastle.

(2016) Eat. Taste. Peace. The Well Now way approach to making peace with food. Research Seminar Centre for Psychological Research. University of Derby, 2 March. Guest speaker

(2106) Healing dietetics: theorising practise for a politics of justice. Plenary Session with Gingras, J., Brady, J., Clarke, F. Critical Dietetics Conference, 6 Sept, Granada, Spain.

(2016) The Role of Food Talk in Supporting Self-Compassion and Shame Resilience. Guest speaker. BACP Annual Conference, 30 April. London.

(2015) Thinking Critically About Fat Using A ‘Health At Every Size’® Approach, Fat Matters Conference, University of Helsinki, Finland. Key note speaker.

(2015) Setting the Revolution to Words. Keynote Speech, Fat Activism Conference. Tools for the Revolution. On-line.

(2015) Mindful Eating: What RDs Need to Know. SENSE, London, April 28th. Guest speaker.

(2015) Use of the Poetic Imagination in Healing from Body Shame. Eating Disorder Recovery Service conference. San Francisco, USA. February 7th. Guest speaker.

(2014) From Obesogenic to Salutogenic: new directions with public health nutrition. Obesitasdagar, Stockholm, 7 May, Sweden. Guest speaker.

(2014) Food Poverty in Europe. Critical Dietetics Conference, August 16th Dominican University, Chicago USA. Food is a Right People’s Assembly: Panel Three. Guest speaker.