Georgina Dimitropoulos

Georgina Dimitropoulos serves as a Full Professor at the University of Calgary's Faculty of Social Work with cross-appointments in Psychiatry and Pediatrics. She holds leadership positions as Research Lead at the Calgary Eating Disorders Program and is a Full Member of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, O'Brien Institute for Public Health, and serves as Child Health & Wellness Researcher at the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute. Additional roles include Co-Director of Research for the National Child and Youth Advocacy Research Knowledge Centre and Co-Research Lead for Pathways to Prevention at Hull Services.

• B.S.W. in Social Work, Ryerson University (1992)
• M.S.W. in Social Work, McMaster University (1994)
• Ph.D., University of Toronto (2007)

Dr. Dimitropoulos' research program addresses critical gaps in youth mental health systems through transdisciplinary approaches. Her primary focus on eating disorders and family-based treatments integrates with health services research examining system navigation, transitional care, and health equity. She pioneers work in child maltreatment response, integrated youth services, and peer support frameworks while emphasizing youth/family engagement in mental health service design. Her methodology combines clinical innovation with system-level intervention development to improve accessibility for vulnerable populations.

With over 160 peer-reviewed publications, her scholarly output demonstrates consistent leadership in mental health services research. Current projects focus on youth mental health infrastructure, peer mentorship implementation, patient navigation systems, and transitional care protocols, frequently involving national and international collaborations across psychology, nursing, medicine, engineering, and public policy disciplines.

• Killam Graduate Supervision and Mentorship Award, University of Calgary (2024)
• Inducted into Royal Society of Canada, College of New Scholars (2024)
• Research Excellence Chair, University of Calgary (2023)
• Child Abuse Prevention Inspiration Award, Alberta Community and Social Services (2022)
• Top-Scoring Paper Abstract Award, Academy of Eating Disorders (2022)
• Teaching Award for Graduate Supervision, University of Calgary (2021)
• Peak Scholar COVID-19 Innovation Excellence Award, University of Calgary (2020)
• Fellow, Academy for Eating Disorders (2020)
• Faculty of Social Work Student Supervision Awards, University of Calgary (2019, 2016)

As a mentor, Dr. Dimitropoulos has secured over $10 million in research funding as PI/Co-PI from CIHR, SSHRC, PRIHS, Alberta Children's Hospital, and government sources. She actively integrates trainees as co-investigators, with her students receiving prestigious awards from Alberta Innovates, CIHR, SSHRC, and university scholarship programs. Her leadership extends to university strategic initiatives in Brain and Mental Health (2015-2021) and Child Health and Wellness (2020-2025), where she develops transdisciplinary research frameworks.

She directs clinical research through the Calgary Eating Disorders Program while collaborating with Kickstand Integrated Youth Services, Hull Services, and national advocacy centers to implement evidence-based mental health systems. Her work with the Owerko Centre and Mathison Centre focuses on translating research into community practice through co-designed interventions with youth and families.