Speaker bios

Dr Shahida Din completed her medical and basic science degrees at the University of Dundee, and undertook postgraduate training in Edinburgh, including a PhD in the molecular biology of colorectal cancer. Dr Din was appointed as a consultant gastroenterologist in 2015 at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh with a specialist interest in Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Her research programme includes clinical trials and complications of long-term bowel inflammation including Crohn’s disease fibrosis and IBD-associated colorectal cancer. She is chair of the British Society of Gastroenterology IBD committee, and leads several initiatives to improve patient care through data with Crohn’s & Colitis UK.

Katie Keetarut has worked as a Highly Specialist Dietitian in Inflammatory Bowel Disease at University College London Hospital (UCLH) since 2010. Her current role involves responsibility for the dietetic management of the inpatient and outpatient dietetic service for adolescents and adults with IBD. The role involves providing dietary advice for patients after surgery, and using exclusive enteral nutrition for induction of remission and for pre-surgical nutritional optimisation in Crohn’s Disease. Katie has represented the British Dietetic Association for the update of the IBD standards document, and wrote the current chapter on IBD in the Manual of Dietetic Practice.

Professor Kevin Whelan is the Professor of Dietetics in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at King’s College London. He leads research on the effect of nutrition and diet on disease activity, gut microbiome, nutritional status and quality of life in Inflammatory Bowel Disease and other gut disorders. He has published over 240 journal papers, including clinical trials of fibre, probiotics, prebiotics, FODMAPs and food additives. Kevin is a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition that provides independent risk assessment and advice to UK Government Departments. He was an expert member of the panels developing the NICE Quality Standards for IBD and the ECCO Guidelines for Diet in IBD. He led a large clinical trial investigating of the role of food additive emulsifiers in Crohn’s disease (ADDapt trial).

Isabella Sewell was diagnosed with Crohn's disease in the summer of 2018. She reached remission in April 2024, and is keen to share her experiences and knowledge from the last 7 years of battling Crohn's disease. She will be presenting a patient's perspective, from her experiences following a hospital-prescribed liquid diet through to eating a solid and balanced diet. In her day job she works as a Principal Social Researcher within the Civil Service, following a degree and masters in Psychology at the University of Kent. Isabella also volunteers as the Vice President of her department's disability network. She is passionate about improving the support and resources available for IBD patients, especially around their diet, and is currently in the scoping stage for a potential new and innovative app idea. 

Catherine Winsor has worked in the healthcare charity sector for over 20 years, including senior roles at Prostate Cancer UK and Bowel Cancer UK, leading teams focused on improving healthcare pathways and the provision of patient support services. Catherine is passionate about health inequality and improving access to support for everyone.