Coeliac Research Fund - Clinical Advisory Committee
The Clinical Advisory Committee to the Coeliac Research Fund (CRF) is comprised of eminent paediatricans, dietitians, general practitioners, researchers and pathologists. The Clinical Advisory Committee advises on best practice, advices on issues relating to coeliac disease and also oversees the annual grant assessment process.
Prof. Peter Gibson (Chair) is Professor of Gastroenterology at Monash University and Director of Gastroenterology, Eastern Health, Victoria. He was formerly the Deputy Director of Gastroenterology at The Royal Melbourne Hospital and an Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Melbourne. He has active clinical and research interests in inflammatory bowel disease, coeliac disease and irritable bowel syndrome. He is Chairperson of IBD Australia, President of the Gastroenterological Society of Australia, and on the board of the Australian Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.
Dr Robert Anderson is an international authority in coeliac disease. He is a specialist gastroenterologist, medical researcher, and also leading the commercial development of the “coeliac vaccine”. In 2003 he founded the Coeliac Research Fund and has lead a national education campaign to raise the awareness of doctors to ensure better medical management of coeliac disease. His research at Oxford University and the WEHI in Melbourne has defined the toxic components of gluten causing coeliac disease. To test whether this breakthrough could be used to benefit people with coeliac disease he founded Nexpep Pty Ltd. Nexpep is the world leader in development of new therapies and diagnostics for coeliac disease using the gluten peptides recognized by the immune system.
Associate Professor Don Cameron FRACP is a Paediatric and Adolescent Gastroenterologist who has been involved in the care of children with coeliac disease for 30 years. He is Head of the Paediatric Gastroenterology Unit at Monash Medical Centre, a Gastroenterologist at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, and in private practice. He has been an honorary adviser to the Coeliac Society of Australia since 1980 and has contributed to the Coeliac Society literature and other publications on coeliac disease. He is a member of the World Congress Working Group on Coeliac Disease, a member of the Nutricia Paediatric Advisory Board, and a council member of the Gastroenterological Society of Australia.
Associate Professor Andrew Day is a Paediatric Gastroenterologist based at Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand. Andrew has particular clinical and research interests in Coeliac disease and Inflammatory Bowel disease in children and young people. Andrew has a particular research focus on interactions occurring at the surface of the bowel, and runs an active laboratory group focusing on these aspects. Andrew is a member of the editorial boards of a number of international scientific journals, and has been a Member of the Scientific Advisory Panel of several Australian organisations, including the Health Food Guide, for several years.
Ms Penny Dellsperger (B.Sc. Nutrition (Hon) is an Accredited Practising Dietitian employed by The Coeliac Society of NSW Inc. Penny has coeliac disease herself. Her role at the Coeliac Society extends from patient consultation to education of dietitians in the field of coeliac disease. Penny is member of the working party set up by the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology and the Australian Food & Grocery Council to review allergen labelling and is involved in the development of educational material for members of The Coeliac Society.
Associate Professor Chris Hogan is a GP & has worked in Sunbury since 1979. He is Provost of the Victoria Faculty of Royal Australian College of General Practitioners & past Director of the Victorian Research & Health Promotion Unit for RACGP. He is a foundation member of VicReN the Victorian (General Practice) Research Network for Melbourne University, is Chair of the Ministerial Asthma Expert Advisory Group Department of Human Services (Vic) and Chair of the Central Highlands GP Network. He has been a member of Council of Australian Resuscitation Council and the Cancer Council (Vic).
Ms Gill Keuskamp was formerly Marketing Communications Manager for Tower New Zealand and worked exclusively in the health insurance market for both Tower and previously AXA Health. She was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease in 2004 and soon became involved with the Society helping out with day to day activities and was appointed to the management team in 2006 when she took on the role of website management, marketing and funding. In 2007 she was appointed President. Gill is passionate about developing the Society’s network to promote the welfare of children and adults with Coeliac Disease and support further research into the condition.
Mr Graham Price (OAM, B.Sc.Hons) is the Technical Officer (honorary) of The Coeliac Society of Australia. In this capacity he gives advice to members and food manufacturers on gluten labelling issues and runs the Coeliac Society’s endorsement programme. He is a member of Food Standards Australia new Zealand external team on gluten labelling issues, a member of the working party set up by the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology and the Australian Food & Grocery Council to review allergen labelling, a member of the editorial team for The Australian Coeliac magazine and President of The Coeliac Society of NSW. Several years ago he was the consumer representative on the team set up by the Therapeutic Goods Administration to review pharmaceutical labelling. Graham is a board member of The Coeliac Society of Australia.
Dr Sue Shepherd (PhD, B.App.Sci.(Health Promotion), M. Nut. & Diet.) is an Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian specialising in coeliac disease. She is recognised nationally and internationally as a leading dietitian in the field, and has completed her PhD, researching nutrition and health in people with coeliac disease. She has been awarded the Dietitian’s Association of Australia Annual Award for Achievement for outstanding contribution to the profession, and the Gastroenterological Society of Australia’s Young Investigator Award. Sue is also the dietitian representative for the Digestive Health Foundation (the educational arm of the Gastroenterological Society of Australia). She is a member of the Victorian Coeliac Society, and chairperson for the Victorian Dietitian’s Coeliac Disease Working Party.
Dr Richard Steele was born and grew up in Wellington, New Zealand before moving to Dunedin to study medicine. He emigrated to Sydney Australia in 1993 where he developed an interest and trained in immunology. He obtained both Physician and Pathology fellowships in immunology in 1999. He has practised within clinical immunology and immunopathology since that time. Clinically he has manages patients with primary Immunodeficiency, connective tissue diseases, HIV and allergy. He returned to New Zealand 2003 to work in Wellington in 2003. Richard is a consultant at Wellington Hospital and works as a pathologist at Aotea Pathology, Wellington and Hutt Hospitals. Richard has a particular interest in autoimmune serology, particularly coeliac disease and in other connective tissue diseases. He is also the New Zealand Vice President of the College of Pathologists. He is also a senior lecturer in Pathology at the University of Otago and at Victoria University, Wellington.
Dr Jason Tye Din is a gastroenterologist and postdoctoral researcher with an interest in translating basic immunology research to benefit patients with coeliac disease. He is based at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research where, over the past seven years, he has undertaken studies to understand the immune reaction to gluten in coeliac patients. He practises gastroenterology at The Royal Melbourne Hospital and privately, and is a lecturer at Melbourne and Monash Universities. He is a consultant to Nexpep Pty Ltd and Nexgrain Pty Ltd.