Eugenia Grand
Course session - Planning a pregnancy: preconception nutrition
Eugenia is a Registered Dietitian and member of the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) & the British Dietetic Association (BDA). She holds a Bachelor Degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Tartu and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nutrition & Dietetics from Aberdeen & Robert Gordon University. Over the years, Eugenia has worked both in the NHS and private sector, covering various specialities including; nutritional support in adults, gastroenterology, weight management in children and adults, gestational diabetes and type 2 diabetes prevention and remission, allergies in children, oncology, and nutrition in critically ill (intensive care). She currently works as a specialist fertility dietitian developing a new service for patients planning fertility treatments in NHS. As a freelancer, Eugenia specialises in women & health, female and male fertility and pregnancy nutrition.
Hazel Billson
Course session - Nutrition support in Hyperemesis Gravidarum & Low BMI, Case studies and Panel discussion
Hazel has more than 15 years experience working as dietitian in the NHS in a variety of roles, mainly in the acute sector. Three years ago Hazel was delighted to be offered a role working at Liverpool Women’s Hospital, one of the largest specialist maternity hospitals in Europe. Her role includes the nutrition support of women with hyperemesis, dietary advice for women with diabetes in pregnancy, and nutrition support referrals from midwives and obstetricians.
Hazel has a research interest in the nutritional requirements of women with a multiple pregnancy and hopes to start a study in this population group later this year.
Dr Julie Abayomi
Course sessions - Food, nutrition and food safety in pregnancy, Nutritional considerations for weight gain in pregnancy, Case studies and Panel discussion
Associate Head of Applied Health and Social Care (Edgehill University)
Dr Julie Abayomi is a Reader in Dietetics & Associate Head of Applied Health & Social care at Edge Hill University (EHU) in Lancashire, UK. She graduated as a dietitian in 1993 and
worked as an NHS dietitian for over 20 years, specialising in women’s health for 12 years. In 2010 Julie was awarded a PhD. Research interests include: overweight and underweight in
pregnancy; nutrition intake during pregnancy and nutrition education of midwives. Currently Julie manages the nutrition and health team at EHU and is responsible for the BSc Nutrition & health and MSc Public Health Nutrition programmes.
Dr Margaret Charnley (PhD, FHEA, RNutr (Public Health))
Course session - Nutrient considerations in pregnancyCourse session - Nutrient considerations in pregnancy
Lecturer in Nutrition & Food Sciences at Liverpool Hope University.
Margaret is an Association for Nutrition registered nutritionist in Public Health with a keen interest in the effects of nutrition on human health, particularly with regard to obesity, pregnancy and the trans-generational impact of intra-uterine programming on foetal development. Evidence from epidemiological, observational and animal model studies has shown a disparity between the intra-uterine nutritional environment and the obesogenic environment into which offspring are born, increasing the risk for obesity, coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes in later life. Margaret is interested in improving the nutritional status of pregnant women and particularly pregnant women with obesity and has provided nutritional education to both practising and student midwives at various institutions and locations in the UK.
Aisling Pigott (RD, BSc. Human Nutrition and Dietetics, PgCert Sports Nutrition, MSc Advanced Dietetic Practice, PhD Candidate)
Course session - Physical activity & exercise in pregnancy
Registered Dietitian at Dietitian Wales
Aisling is a Registered Dietitian working in NHS, academic and freelance settings. Aisling’s interests include: supporting healthy relationships with food, diabetes, women’s health and sports nutrition. As an endurance runner and Mum of two young children, Aisling has both a personal and professional interest in supporting all athletes achieve their sports nutrition goals.
Laura Logan
Course sessions - Maternal Weight Management: A redesign in the NHS, Case studies and Panel discussion
Advanced Specialist Dietitian - Fertility and Maternal Weight Management
Fife Adult Weight Management Service, Nutrition and Dietetic Department, NHS Fife
Laura graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Dietetics from Queen Margaret University College in 2002 and has been working in the NHS for almost 20 years. Laura has worked in many different clinical specialities within the adult setting but spent the majority of her career in Paediatrics in NHS Fife. In 2019, she took on a new role to redesign the fertility and maternal weight management service. Laura has really enjoyed developing the service and working with a new team of obstetricians and midwives. Laura is also a founding committee member of the BDA Maternal and Fertility Nutrition specialist group.
Anita Beckwith
Course Leader and sessions - Diabetes in Pregnancy, Case studies and Panel discussion
Anita works in both the NHS and private practice.
Anita has led the Specialist Diabetes Dietetic and DAFNE services at King’s College Hospital for over 17 years. Her roles at King’s and within the DAFNE UK Consortium have enabled her special interest in therapeutic patient education in intensified insulin therapies; developing and education packages for both patients and HCPs alike.
Anita works in both the preconception and pregnancy services at King’s, supporting patients with type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes through their pregnancy journeys.
In her private practice, Anita supports women and men with and without diabetes through their fertility, preconception and pregnancy journeys.
Anita is a certified fertility and prenatal dietitian through Nutrition Plus and is a Nutrition Plus member of Nutrition Plus, an internationally organisation which specialises in reproductive and prenatal nutrition.
Anita completed her Masters in Advanced Diabetes Practice at King’s College London in 2013. She is actively involved in continuing research programmes within both institutions and has undertaken research in Type 1 Disordered Eating, DAFNE including psychology and technology to enhance self-Management (DAFNEplus) and was educator lead for the King’s Diabetes Team in the national DAFNE REPOSE RCT.
Anita sits on both the BDA Diabetes and Maternal and Fertility Specialist Group (DSG and MNFSG) Committees, and is the dietetic representative of the iDEAL Diabetes Group. Within her role at DSG Anita developed the Advanced Practitioner role and specialist qualities of a dietitian practicing within diabetes, particularly focusing on pre- and post-qualification dietetic training. This resulted in the inception and development of a Masters level Medicines Management course and post-registration Diabetes Dietetic MSc modules.
Anita led on the pilot of this Nutritional Management in Pregnancy Course in 2020, and is pleased to lead on this iteration of the course again.
Sarah Ashley-Maguire (RD, BSc. Hons Nutrition/Dietetics, MSc. Advanced Practice)
Course session - Creating a management plan in pregnancy, Case studies and Panel discussion
Sarah is a freelance dietitian with an 18 year dietetic career spanning the NHS, pharmaceutical and private healthcare sectors.
Her interest in maternal nutrition was sparked when she supported a pregnant woman with hyperemesis gravidarum. Sarah made daily visits to the maternity ward to administer naso-jejunal feeding, to support the pregnancy to term successfully. Sarah has first-hand clinical nutrition support knowledge and experience of supporting women through all stages of pregnancy and the post-natal period.
Sarah has broad and in-depth clinical experience of hyperemesis gravidarum, nutrition support and weight management and bariatric surgery (from King's College Hospital), and has delivered training sessions to midwives on healthy eating and supporting healthier food choices.
During Sarah's role as Nutrition and Dietetic service lead, she was heavily involved in assessing the dietetic input into maternity services, and looking for new ways of working in this under-funded area of dietetics. She supported her staff to complete a maternity project, working with the midwives. A Christmas special Facebook live event was used to showcase how pregnant women could eat safely and healthily of the Christmas season.
Working closely with acute and community midwives, questionnaires reached service users. Their voices helped re-design services and improve accessibility. Looking at how and when nutritional information is best received is key to real engagement. Accessing dietetic services is problematic, and optimisation of online resources and sign-posting has helped.
Sarah has a professional interest in gestational diabetes and pre, ante and post-natal nutrition for exercise, due to her own experiences during pregnancy and post-partum. She also sits on the Maternal and Fertility Nutrition Specialist Group committee in the role of Social Media Co-ordinator.
Beth Greenslade
Course session - Pregnancy post-bariatric surgery
Beth Greenslade BSc (Hons) PG Dip RD, Lead Bariatric Dietitian, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
Beth began her dietetic career in 2005 and has gathered a wide range of clinical experience. She started her current role as the Lead Bariatric Dietitian at Musgrove Park Hospital in Somerset NHS Foundation Trust in 2012. The tier 4 Bariatric Surgery International Centre of Excellence accepts referrals from across the Southwest of England and is regularly involved in research studies. Beth’s role includes working closely with Consultant Endocrinologists to provide a specialist antenatal service for women who have had bariatric surgery and for people experiencing reactive hypoglycaemia.
She has recently completed the International Olympic Committee Diploma in Sports Nutrition and has started to focus this on athletes who have had bariatric surgery.