Walter and Eliza Hall Institute
Melbourne, Australia

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Jason is a gastroenterologist and researcher who heads the Coeliac Research Laboratory in the Immunology Division of WEHI in Melbourne. His research examines gluten immunity in people with coeliac disease to improve its understanding and to develop better diagnostic, immunomonitoring and therapeutic approaches. He runs a Coeliac Clinic at the Royal Melbourne Hospital where his team also undertake sponsored coeliac trials. He leads the Coeliac Theme of the Australian ENDIA study examining the environmental factors important in the development of coeliac disease.

Independent Practice
Sydney, Australia

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Penny Dellsperger is an Australian Accredited Practising Dietitian, recognised as a leading voice in the field of coeliac disease. With nearly 20 years of dedicated experience in the area, she previously led Coeliac Australia's policy, advocacy, research, and knowledge translation efforts. Now operating as an independent consultant, she continues to be a passionate advocate for individuals with coeliac disease. Her lived experience with the condition fuels her commitment to empower those living with coeliac disease through expert, evidence-based and consumer-focused policy.

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute
Melbourne, Australia

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Melinda received her PhD from the University of Queensland studying human dendritic cells and ideal conditions to induce robust tumour-specific T-cell responses in cancer models. She currently holds a senior postdoctoral appointment within the Coeliac Disease laboratory at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne. Her research interests include understanding the gluten-specific T-cell response induced by gluten challenge in people with coeliac disease. She also aims to better understand why gluten induces severe symptoms in only a subset of patients and determine whether non-gluten containing grains induce detrimental immune responses in some patients.

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute
Melbourne, Australia

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Olivia Moscatelli is a coeliac disease researcher and immunologist. She is currently undertaking her PhD studies in the Coeliac Research Lab at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute led by Assoc Prof. Jason Tye-Din. Her project involves validating a novel diagnostic blood test for coeliac disease and understanding the acute immune response to gluten. She brings a unique perspective to her work, combining scientific expertise with a deeply personal understanding of the daily challenges faced by those living with coeliac disease. Olivia is a dedicated coeliac advocate and supports and educates the community through her Instagram profile, @coeliacliv.ing.

USA

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Founder and CEO Alice Bast has led Beyond Celiac, a US based non-profit with a constituency of 3.2 million Americans and a global reach, for more than 20 years, overseeing the organization’s efforts to improve the lives and health of those with celiac disease and gluten intolerance. Alice is dedicated to ensuring the patient experience and voice informs celiac disease research. Her personal journey with celiac disease and decades of experience in healthcare business development and marketing inspires Alice’s leadership.

Canada

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Alberto is an Assistant Professor at the Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute, McMaster University in Canada. He is an early career investigator and his research program focuses on diet microbiota interactions of relevance in food sensitivities such as celiac disease. Specifically, he is interested in microbial factors involved in the pathogenesis of celiac disease and the role of microbes in gluten metabolism.

UK

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Cristian is a gastroenterology dietitian specialising in adult celiac disease. With the support of gastroenterologists, he runs the dietitian-led celiac service at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in the United Kingdom. Cristian is also actively involved in celiac disease research. He is interested in exploring the impact of dietitian-led celiac services and finding novel ways of optimising celiac disease care. He has won multiple awards for his efforts in the field of celiac disease, due to his work in clinical practice and through social media, where he is also very passionate about advocating for celiac disease on different platforms.

France

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Bio coming soon

Finland

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Katri Lindfors is a professor of molecular biology and the vice director of Celiac Disease Research Center (CeliRes) at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University Finland. She has over 20 years of experience in basic/translational celiac disease research and currently her studies aim at understanding the molecular basis for the heterogenous clinical picture of celiac disease.

USA

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Sadie Nagle, MS, RD, LD, is a pediatric registered dietitian at the Colorado Center for Celiac Disease (Children’s Hospital Colorado). Her professional focus is on supporting individuals in managing a gluten-free lifestyle by applying clinical expertise and practical solutions. Her research interests include evaluating approaches to enhance dietary adherence through integrated care with psychologists in pediatric populations and validating gluten-free diet assessment tools for use by registered dietitians in both clinical and research settings.

Norway

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Professor at the University of Oslo and a senior consultant at the Oslo University Hospital – Rikshospitalet. Also director of the KG Jebsen Coeliac Disease Research Centre, Norway. Professor Sollid’s research interests are focused around genetics and immunology of autoimmune diseases in general and celiac disease in particular. His group has made important contributions to the understanding of the molecular basis of celiac disease, in particular the role of HLA genes, the existence of gluten reactive (HLA-DQ restricted) T cells in the celiac intestinal lesion, the identification of immunotoxic gluten peptide sequences and the involvement of the transglutaminase 2 in the pathogenesis of the disease. His group is currently working on the characterization of the antigen receptors of T cells and B cells that recognize the celiac disease relevant antigens gluten and transglutaminase 2.

Italy

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Professor Riccardo Troncone is a Professor of Pediatrics at the Department of Medical Translational Sciences, University Federico II, Naples. He is presently Director of the “European Laboratory for the Investigation of Food-Induced Diseases” at the University Federico II, Naples. He is Past President of the International Society for the Study of Celiac Disease and of the European Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN). Professor Troncone is Associate Editor of the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition (JPGN). His research interests are focused mostly on clinical and immunological aspects of celiac disease.

USA

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Vanessa Weisbrod is the Chief Education and Community Engagement Officer at the Celiac Disease Foundation where she drives change and innovation in healthcare through education. With a personal diagnosis of celiac disease in 2004, she’s dedicated nearly two decades of her career to bridging knowledge gaps, leading research initiatives, and creating national recommendations to support patients living with celiac disease. Her commitment extends to roles on prestigious committees, hosting a CME-accredited podcast, and authoring four gluten free cookbooks, all aimed at inspiring change through education and advocacy.