Committee

Chair                  Mary Phillips, Royal Surrey County Hospital                       

Mary Phillips graduated as a Dietitian from the University of Surrey, and following general surgical posts started work in the hepato-pancreatico-biliary surgical unit at the Royal Surrey County Hospital in 2005. She has a particular interest in managing patients with pancreatic exocrine insufficiency.  She is clinical lead (pancreas) for the Gastroenterology Specialist Group of the British Dietetic Association (BDA), President of the Pancreatic Society (2013-14) and Chair of the Nutrition Interest Group of the Pancreatic Society. She has recently authored the chapter on Pancreatic disease in the new Manual of Dietetic Practice, and has jointly written the PENG guidelines for pancreatic disease and the BAPEN best practice guidelines for feeding in acute pancreatitis. 

Vice-chair          Sinead Duggan, Trinity College Dublin  

Sinead graduated from Trinity College Dublin/Dublin Institute of technology in 2002, with a BSc in Nutrition and Dietetics. She worked for 8 years as a clinical dietitian in Tallaght Hosptial, mostly in the area of pancreatic disease. She won a HRB grant in 2009, and completed a PhD in the Department of Surgery, trinity College Dublin on Nutrition in Pancreatitis. Currently she is engaged in post-doctoral work including a study examining endocrine function in patients following severe acute pancreatitis, and is an author on a Cochrane review (revision) on pancreatic enzymes in chronic pancreatitis. She authored the Irish Institute of Nutrition & Dietetics Nutrition Support Reference Guide section on Pancreatic Disease, and was co-author on the PENG guidelines for pancreatic disease along with her Nutrition Interest Group colleagues. Sinead is also an expert group member for the HaPanEU guidelines on chronic pancreatitis for both Nutrition and Type 3c Diabetes (in process). Sinead is vice-chair of the Nutrition Interest Group of the PSGBI, and is nutrition-representative on the PSGBI council. 

Secretary           Laura McGeeney, Addenbrooke's Hospital Cambridge                         

Laura is the secretary of Nutrition Interest Group of the Pancreatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland and a Specialist Pancreatic Dietitian at Addenbrooke's hospital in Cambridge. Her role involves supporting the nutritional care of any patient referred with pancreatic cancer at any stage from suspected diagnosis, through their treatment and afterwards, as well as surgical pancreatic patients and those with pancreatitis. Laura began her dietetic career at Barts and the London and during her time at Addenbrooke’s has worked as a Gastroenterology dietitian and then a Liver transplant and hepatology dietitian before becoming a Pancreatic dietitian.

With the other committee members Laura has written guidelines and patient information on the nutritional management of pancreatic cancer and pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy. She is particularly keen to increase the knowledge of patients and professionals on the appropriate management of pancreatic insufficiency and has taught various different professional groups on this topic. She is also working on improving the care of patients with type 3c diabetes and those experiencing the 'late effects' of cancer and it's treatment.

Treasurer            Kathryn Freeman, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust                                       

Kathryn graduated in Nutrition and Dietetics at King’s College, London, in 2005 and has worked as a Dietitian in clinical practice in the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust for 11 years.  During that time she has covered various specialities including Renal, GI medicine, Head and Neck  surgery, Neuro surgery, ITU, HDU, and TPN.  She started working in UGI and HPB surgery in 2007, and has been working as a specialist Dietitian in HPB surgery for the past 6 years, also becoming the treasurer for NIGPS  in 2010.  During this time she has contributed to the development of patient information, and the Pocket Guide to Clinical Nutrition – providing guidance to  Dietitians about nutritional  therapy for  patients with pancreatic disease.

Other member      Oonagh Griffin, Trinity College Dublin                            

Oonagh has worked as Senior Pancreatic Dietitian at the National Surgical Centre for Pancreatic Cancer based at St Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin since 2011.  A graduate of Dubin Institute of  Technology /Trinity College Dublin  in 2002, she began her dietetic career as a basic grade Dietitian at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital in Dublin.  In 2003 she moved to the UK to gain experience in oncology. She spent over 7 years working in the NHS from 2003 to 2010, including Addenbrooke’s Hospital - Cambridge, St Bartholomew’s Hospital – London, and finally as dietetic manager at the Royal Marsden Hospital.  A former tutor on the British Dietetic Association’s PENG Clinical Update Course, Oonagh now delivers the nutritional education component for trainees attending Surgical Boot camp, at the National Surgical Training Centre at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.  Oonagh is a member of the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute, and has recently received a Health Research Board Research Training Fellowship, allowing her to undertake a full time PhD at Trinity College Dublin.  Research Interests include Cancer Cachexia, Body Composition Assessment, Pancreatic Exocrine Insufficiency and Artificial Nutritional Support.

Other member        Sarah Dann, Royal Free NHS Trust