Invited Speakers

Sweden

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Dr. Agardh is a senior investigator in major international longitudinal studies, including The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) study, where his work has contributed to defining environmental determinants of celiac disease in genetically at-risk children. He has published extensively in peer-reviewed gastroenterology, pediatrics, and immunology journals and is an active member of the ESPGHAN Special Interest Group on Celiac Disease. His long-term research goal is to identify and predict factors that trigger celiac disease, with the aim of enabling novel preventive strategies and interventions that could avert the need for lifelong treatment.

Australia

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Bob Anderson is a leading gastroenterologist, immunologist, and biotechnology innovator whose work has impacted the scientific and clinical landscape of celiac disease. 

Originally from New Zealand, Dr. Robert “Bob” Anderson completed his medical and doctoral training there before undertaking gastroenterology specialization in Melbourne, Australia, and post-doctoral research at Oxford University, where he pioneered studies into gluten-specific T cells. His subsequent work at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research defined immune mechanisms of celiac disease, identifying the key gluten epitopes that activate pathogenic T cells and establishing celiac disease as a systemic autoimmune condition. 

As scientific founder and executive of several biotech ventures — including Nexpep, ImmusanT, and now Novoviah Pharmaceuticals and JM Clinical, where he serves as Co-Founder and Director, and as Co-Founder and Chief Medical Director, respectively — Dr. Anderson has guided programs translating immunology into tangible patient applications. He led the development of Nexvax2, the first antigen-specific immunotherapy for celiac disease, advancing it through global clinical trials. Currently, through Novoviah Pharmaceuticals, he is advancing next-generation T-cell–based diagnostics that promise earlier and more accurate disease detection and monitoring. 

Dr. Anderson serves as President of the International Society for the Study of Celiac Disease (ISSCD) and as the Principal Science & Innovation Advisor to the Celiac Disease Foundation. His scientific leadership has been recognized worldwide, including the Celiac Disease Foundation Prize for Excellence in Celiac Disease Research and the Mäki Celiac Disease Tampere Prize for outstanding contributions to the field of gluten-related disorders.

Italy

Slovenia

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Associate Professor of Pediatrics Jernej Dolinšek, MD, PhD is currently serving as a head of Pediatric Department at the University Medical Center Maribor, Slovenia. He also serves as a head of the Gastroenterology Unit since 2008 and holds a teaching position at Medical Faculty, Faculty of Health Sciences and Faculty of Agriculture and Bio-Systemic Studies at University of Maribor.

Canada

Australia

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Jasmine a food safety expert with over 25 years of industry experience. She began her career in clinical pathology before transitioning to the food sector in 1998. Her roles have spanned laboratory, quality, and food safety management roles for Lactalis, Coca Cola Europacific Partners and leadership roles in commercial laboratories.

US

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Daniel Leffler, MD, MS, AGAF is a gastroenterologist caring for patients with celiac disease and other gastrointestinal disorders and is a founding member of the Celiac Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.  He is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, has received multiple National Institute of Health, foundation and industry sponsored grants and has published over 200 articles in peer reviewed literature. Dr. Leffler served as the Global Clinical Lead for Celiac Disease at Takeda Pharmaceuticals from 2016 to 2025. He is now the Global Project Strategy Lead at Chugai Pharma and the Head of the Celiac Disease DONQ52 Program.

Norway

US

UK

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Dr Paul Turner is Professor of Anaphylaxis, Paediatric Allergy & Clinical Immunology at Imperial College London. His research focusses on the pathophysiology of severe allergic reactions to food, and how this impacts upon allergen risk management and allergen labelling. Paul is a consultant to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and a previous senior advisor to the UK Food Standards Agency. He is also a panel member on the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation / World Health Organisation Expert Consultation on Risk Assessment of Food Allergens. He is vice-chair of the UK's National Allergy Strategy Group, and current chairperson of the WAO Anaphylaxis Committee. Paul was the recipient of the 2020 PhARf Award, awarded by the European Academy of Allergy & Clinical Immunology.

Australia

Australia

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Professor Thomas is Professor of Rheumatology at University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute, consultant rheumatologist at Princess Alexandra Hospital, fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and member of the Order of Australia. She has founded two spin-off companies Dendright (2006-2021), and Liperate in 2022. Liperate recently opened a trial of a liposome-based tolerance immunotherapy for type 1 diabetes. Ranjeny and her team were recently awarded a MRFF Frontiers grant towards the moonshot goal of a cure for rheumatoid arthritis.

Netherlands

Argentina

Italy

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Full Professor of Gastroenterology at the University of Salerno, Italy. 

Chief of Gastrointestinal Unit and Endoscopy AOU San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi d’Aragona Salerno.     

Head of the Center for the study of Celiac Disease, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, and Food Intolerances; 

Chief of The Liver Transplant Follow-up Clinic,  S.Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi D’Aragona  University Hospital, Salerno, Italy  (reference hospital for 1.000.000 inhabitants of the Salerno region, South Italy) 

Director of the Gastrointestinal Diseases Specialty School of the University of Salerno  

UK

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I am a gastroenterology dietitian specialising in coeliac disease. I run a dietitian-led coeliac service in Bradford, in the UK and I am also involved in coeliac disease research. My main interests are persisting symptoms in coeliac disease, practical strategies to support patients with the GFD and service development.

New Zealand

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Professor Andrew Day is a clinical academic paediatric gastroenterologist based in Christchurch, NZ. Prof Day has long-standing clinical and research interests in coeliac disease in children. As chair of the Medical Advisory Panel of Coeliac NZ, he has contributed to many related projects and activities.    

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. 

Penny is actively engaged in the research space, championing meaningful consumer and patient involvement in research, and contributing to protocol design and the ethical conduct of trials to ensure studies reflect the real-world needs of those living with coeliac disease. She is equally committed to shaping the food legislation and regulatory landscape, contributing through submissions to government and regulatory bodies, advising on food labelling standards, and participating in stakeholder consultation and policy development. 

Her lived experience with the condition fuels her commitment to empower those living with coeliac disease through expert, evidence-based and consumer-focused policy. 

UK

US

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Marilyn G. Geller is Chief Executive Officer of the Celiac Disease Foundation and a globally recognized leader in celiac disease research, advocacy, and health policy. Her 2019 testimony before the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee helped lead to the first U.S. National Institutes of Health Notice of Special Interest for celiac disease and the first inclusion of celiac disease in the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program. During her tenure, the Foundation convened the bipartisan U.S. Congressional Celiac Disease Caucus, launched the Celiac Disease Foundation Impact Fund, a venture philanthropy initiative with a $15 million fundraising goal, and established the Society for the Study of Celiac Disease as its Scientific Advisory Committee. She serves on the U.S. delegation to the Codex Alimentarius Committee on Food Labelling, where she works with international partners to advance the first science-based reference dose for cereals containing gluten. Marilyn created iCureCeliac®, the world’s first celiac disease patient registry, and iRecruitCeliac, the only global clinical trial recruitment network for verified celiac patients. She serves on the ISSCD Gluten Safety and Standards Committee and holds an MSPH from UCLA. At this International Celiac Disease Symposium, the Foundation is proud to present the ISSCD-SSCD Research Prizes for Excellence, recognizing outstanding contributions to celiac disease science. 

Australia

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Peter Gibson is Professor and Director of Gastroenterology at The Alfred and Monash University. From a background of research in epithelial cell biology, he now is actively involved in a large program of translational research and has active clinical interests in inflammatory bowel disease, coeliac disease and irritable bowel syndrome.

A major focus of his work is the use of diet to control gut symptoms and influence outcomes in chronic intestinal conditions. He is a Past-President of the Gastroenterological Society of Australia and was awarded the Distinguished Research Prize by them in 2010.

Australia

US

Netherlands

Australia

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Simon is an Associate Professor of Clinical and Health Psychology and a Clinical Psychologist at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia. As an active clinical researcher, Simon has attained over AUD$8.5 million in competitive funding, 150 peer-reviewed publications, and four co-edited books, including the adult and paediatric handbooks for Psychogastroenterology. His research is cited in major medical texts and national/international treatment guidelines for gastrointestinal conditions. Simon has also developed a free 7-week support program (Mindovergut.com) and multiple eHealth resources and accessed by over 600,000 people worldwide. Simon is also Director of the Swinburne Brain-Gut Service providing low-cost counselling to Australians living with a gastrointestinal condition. 

Australia

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Professor Nicole La Gruta is Head of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and heads the T cell development and function laboratory at Monash University. Nicole is an NHMRC Leadership Fellow, whose program of research focuses on deepening our understanding of the fundamental determinants of effective T cell immunity, aging related immune decline, and T cell mediated autoimmunity. Nicole completed her PhD at Monash University, studying T cell mediated initiation of autoimmune disease. She then undertook postdoctoral studies with Dario Vignali at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, in Memphis, Tennessee, before returning to the University of Melbourne in 2002 with Laureate Prof Peter Doherty, to study antiviral T cell immunity. Nicole established her independent research program in 2007 and was recruited to the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, in 2016, where she engages in a comprehensive program of discovery, clinical and industry-based research. Over the course of her career, she has been the recipient of multiple prestigious fellowships, including the Sylvia and Charles Viertel Senior Medical Research Fellowship, an ARC Future Fellowship, and most recently the Monash University Maureen Brunt Award. Her laboratory continues to engage in a comprehensive program of discovery, clinical and industry-based research. 

US

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Anne Lee is an Assistant Professor of Nutritional Medicine in the Department of Medicine and the Institute for Human Nutrition at Columbia University and the dietitian for the Celiac Disease Center and Nutrition Education Advisor for the Celiac Disease Foundation. At the Celiac Center Anne is involved in patient care and research. Her research and many publications focus on quality-of-life issues, dietary adherence, concerns of the nutritional quality of the gluten free diet and eating patterns and behaviors. The research on eating behaviors has provided insight into the impact of the rigidity of the gluten free diet on eating patterns and behaviors and has created a paradigm shift in the education and counseling of individuals with celiac disease. In addition to her work on the ISSCD Directions committee, she is working with an international group to define standards for nutritional assessment, education, and adherence of individuals with celiac disease. As Nutrition Advisor for the Celiac Disease Foundation Anne is taking the results from research and incorporating them into practical education programs for both patients and health care providers.

US

Australia

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Professor Fabio Luciani is Director of Immunogenomics and Functional Genomics Research Strategy at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research and Professor at UNSW Sydney. His research integrates systems immunology, single-cell genomics, immune repertoire analysis, and artificial intelligence to understand how T cells drive autoimmune disease and cancer. 

His laboratory focuses on antigen-specific and clonally expanded lymphocyte populations in type 1 diabetes, coeliac disease, refractory coeliac disease, and T cell lymphoma. Using single-cell and spatial multi-omics approaches, his team investigates the mechanisms underlying loss of immune tolerance and the relationship between intestinal immunity and pancreatic autoimmunity. 

Professor Luciani also leads translational programs developing AI-enabled approaches to predict TCR specificity and engineer precision immunotherapies targeting pathogenic immune cell clones. His work bridges computational biology, immunology, and clinical translation to develop new biomarkers and targeted therapies for autoimmune disease. 

India

US

US

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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.

Africa

Australia

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In the late 1980’s I trained in protein and peptide separation and the very sensitive detection and characterisation of peptides at Monash University. In 1994 I joined Jim McCluskey’s laboratory at Flinders University and began a fascination with immune recognition and the key role peptides play in modulating health and disease. I soon found that my skills in analytical biochemistry and mass spectrometry had found the perfect niche. After further post-doctoral studies at the University of Melbourne I was awarded the CR Roper Fellowship in 2003 and began an independent research career in which I have applied cutting edge mass spectrometry techniques to key questions in immunology. In 2005 I moved to the Bio21 Institute as the Grimwade Senior Research Fellow in the Biochemistry Department at University of Melbourne. In 2008 I was awarded an NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship and in 2009 appointed as a Reader in the same Department. In July 2012 I was recruited back to Monash as Head of Quantitative Proteomics as a Professorial Fellow.

US

UK

UK

UK

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Mohamed Shiha is an NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer and Honorary Registrar in Gastroenterology at the University of Sheffield, UK. His research focuses on optimising the diagnosis of coeliac disease and related conditions.

US

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Debra Silberg is the Chief Scientific Officer for Beyond Celiac and a consultant for the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to her current roles, Debra was the Global Vice President, Head of Clinical Science/Development for GI at Takeda/Shire (Shire was acquired by Takeda).  Prior to joining industry, Debra was a faculty member in the Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology at the University of Pennsylvania where she treated patients and was the principal investigator of an NIH funded molecular biology laboratory.  Debra has a Ph.D. in Immunology from Wayne State University School of Medicine, and an M.D. from Albert Einstein College of Medicine.  She completed her Internal Medicine Residency and Gastroenterology Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania Health System.  She has published over 40 peer reviewed articles primarily in the field of Gastroenterology in both the areas of clinical and basic science research. 

US

Norway

Norway

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Jorunn Stamnæs is a Researcher at the University of Oslo, Norway. Originally trained as a Pharmacist, Jorunn has a long research track record in Coeliac Disease from her PhD and postdoctoral work in the group of Prof. Ludvig M. Sollid. Her research interest has in the recent years steered towards the use of mass spectrometry-based proteomics approaches, in particular for analysis of clinical biopsy material, to develop novel tools for disease monitroing and to understand disease mechanisms. She is currently a full-time researcher at the Proteomics Core Facility, University of Oslo and affiliated with the Norwegian Coeliac Disease Research Centre. She is also the Administrative Manager for National network of Advanced Proteomics Infrastructure (NAPI), a national research infrastructure funded by the Research Council of Norway. 

US

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Amelie Therrien, MD, MS, is a physician-scientist at the Celiac Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr Therrien completed GI and clinicial-scientist fellowship training at Universite de Montreal, Canada, and then advanced training in celiac disease and clinical research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She holds a Master's of Science in experimental medicine, with a thesis on granulocytes in Crohn's disease. Her clinical practice focuses on small bowel disorders and nutrition, and she leads clinical and translational research in celiac disease and mast cells disorders.

UK

UK

Canada

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Dr. Elena Verdu is Professor in Medicine and a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Microbial Therapeutics and Nutrition in Gastroenterology. Verdu is the Director of the Farncombe Family Digestive Health Institute at McMaster University since July 2024. Her research aims at deciphering the microbial-dietary interactions that influence the development of inflammatory intestinal diseases such as celiac disease and Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. Verdu obtained a medical degree in Argentina, trained as clinical research fellow at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland and pursued a Ph.D. degree in immunology and gnotobiology at the Czech Academy of Science. She is Senior Associate Editor (basic Science) for the journal Gastroenterology, Board Member and Secretary of the International Society for the Study of Celiac Disease and serves in many American Gastroenterology Association Institute committees. She has received many awards including the Master’s Award in Gastroenterology in Basic Science (American Gastroenterology Association), the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology (CAG) Research Excellence Award, and the Crohn’s and Colitis of Canada (CCC)-Pfeizer Women in IBD: Outstanding Research Achievement Award. She was awarded the King Charles III coronation medal for working alongside the community and Celiac Canada, and is an elected member of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

US

Finland

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I'm Keijo Viiri, PhD, a Senior Researcher at the Tampere University and an Associate Professor (tenure) of Molecular Medicine at the University of Oulu, Finland, and the group leader of the Intestinal Signalling and Epigenetics (ISE) group.

US

Italy