Virginia McIntosh

Virginia Violet Williams McIntosh is a New Zealand clinical psychologist, and is a full professor at the University of Canterbury, specialising in improving therapy outcomes for disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, depression and anxiety.

Academic career
McIntosh did her undergraduate degree at the University of Canterbury, before completing a PhD titled Psychotherapy for anorexia nervosa: a randomised controlled trial at the University of Otago. After working as part of a clinical research team studying serious mental disorders, MacIntosh joined the faculty of the University of Canterbury in 2017, rising to full professor in the School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing in 2022.

McIntosh's research focuses on assessing and improving the outcomes of therapies for psychological disorders, such as eating disorders, depression and anxiety. McIntosh led research that trialled three types of treatment for bulimia, comparing the success rates of the current best treatment, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), against CBT combined with exposure therapy, or with relaxation therapy. They found that around half the exposure therapy group were no longer binging and purging five years after treatment, compared to approximately a quarter of the other patients. McIntosh has also led research on how Christchurch residents coped with the Christchurch earthquakes, and how to stay well in times of stress and uncertainty. McIntosh trains health professionals in cognitive behaviour therapy.

As of 2024, McIntosh is a board member of the Aotearoa New Zealand Association for Cognitive Behavioural Therapies.