IAPEN INDIA CORE GROUP : Nutrition in Transplant
Aim :-
To advance scientifically validated, evidence-based medical nutrition therapy in solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation across the pre-transplant, peri transplant, and long-term post-transplant continuum, through rigorous research, clinical standardization, multidisciplinary integration, and India-contextualized nutrition strategies.
Vision :-
To position nutrition as a foundational, evidence-informed determinant of transplant outcomes in India, contributing to optimized graft function, improved metabolic and neurocognitive health, enhanced quality of life, and sustained long-term survival across diverse healthcare settings.
Mission :-
- To conduct, synthesize, and disseminate India-specific translational and clinical research, and to develop consensus-driven clinical practice guidelines and standardized protocols for nutritional care in transplant recipients, addressing metabolic, gastrointestinal, neuro-nutritional, immunological, and infection-related challenges.
- To establish national competency standards in transplant nutrition by delivering structured education, certification pathways, and clinical decision-support tools for multidisciplinary transplant teams, including physicians, surgeons, dietitians, nurses, and allied health professionals.
- To engage in strategic collaboration and policy advocacy with national regulatory bodies, academic institutions, and transplant programs to embed nutrition within transplant care pathways and health policy, while fostering the development and validation of cost effective, culturally appropriate, and scalable nutrition therapies tailored to Indian transplant populations for better outcome.
Meet The Team:
Founder
Dr. Eileen Canday
Head of Department- Nutrition & Dietetics
Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospital
- Founder of IAPEN India Nutrition in Transplant Core Group
- Secretary IAPEN Mumbai Chapter
- On the Indian Dietetic Association RD Board.
- ESPEN Certified (European Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition)
- Pediatric Onco Nutritionist (SIOP)
- IBS Certified from Monash University (Australia)
- Certified Body Composition Analyst
- Nutrigenetic Counsellor
- Certified Diabetic Educator (IDF)
Chief Programme Officer
Reeta Anand
- Dept. of Gastroenterology Medicine, Surgical Gastro., Hepatology ( Centre for Hepatobiliary Diseases & Transplantation) SGPGIMS, Lucknow
- Experience: +20 Years in Hepatobiliary Nutrition, Liver Transplant Nutrition, Surgical Nutrition & GI Nutrition.....
- Clinical Interests: Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition with special focus on formulation of disease specific different tube feeding formulae
- Mentoring : Dietetic Interns, Residents , Doctors (DM & Mch.)
- Invited Talks: CPLD - INASL Silver Jubilee (November 2025), INASL Penalist on world Liver day ( June 2025) , CCFI – Faculty for IBD 2025, IAPEN India GI Nutrition Congress & Conferences, 2022, 2023, 2024, Several talks in medical colleges & universities Medical Students, Interns & nursing staffs
- Events Organized: Short Courses and Hands on training conference June 2025, Nutrition Masterclass in Hepatobiliary Diseases May 2023, NUTRICON 2020, 2022, International NUTRICON 2023, 2024,
Clinical Nutrition course in Liver Diseases, Nutrition Week/Month Camps
- Life Member: Poshan Dhara Association (Secretary), Colitis & Crohn’s Foundation of India, & Indian National & Association for the Study of Liver (INASL), SAPEN,IDA etc.
- Paper Presented & Published – Tropical Gastroenterology , UPISG, IDA.
Advisor
Dr. Anand Prakash
Affiliations :
Director, GI Surgery, GI Oncology & Bariatric Surgery at Medanta Hospital, Lucknow
Qualifications :
Completed MBBS and MS (Surgery) from the Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
Fellowships :
Holds fellowships from the American College of Surgeons (2006) and the Royal College of Surgeons of England (2012).
Current Role:
Director, GI Surgery, GI Oncology & Bariatric Surgery at Medanta Hospital, Lucknow.
Experience:
Performed over 10000 advanced Laparoscopic and Robotic GI surgeries and several pioneering procedures.
Advisor
Dr. Biju Pottakkat
Affiliations :
Professor and Head, Surgical Gastroenterology, JIPMER, Pondicherry
Qualifications :
MS, MCh, PDF (HPB Surgery), DNB, MNAMS, FICS, FACS, MRCS
- National Secretary- International HPB Association, Indian Chapter
- National EC member, Association of Minimal Access Surgeons of India (AMASI)
- Member, State organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (SOTTO), Govt. of Puducherry
- Member, Expert Committee on Liver Transplantation, Ministry of Health & FW, Govt of India
- Member- Expert committee on artificial intelligence, ICMR
- 161 Publications, 9 book chapters, author of 11 guidelines
- Completed research projects- 39.
- Guide for MCh, PhD, clinical and research Post Doctoral Fellows.
- Examiner to 16 universities and colleges
- Principal investigator for research projects with DST, SERB, ICMR with a grant amount of 1.2 crores
- Formerly Associate Dean Research, JIPMER, Puducherry
Program Officer
D. Uma Sankari
MSc. (DFSM), DND., CNCC., R.D
DIETICIAN JIPMER PUDUCHERRY
Work experience:
Registered dietician with 20 years of experience in the field of Clinical nutrition.
Qualification:
MSC., FOOD SERVICE MANAGEMENT AND DIETETICS
P.G.Diploma in Dietetics from CMC, Vellore, (Got Best Outgoing Student award of the year 2001-2002)
Completed ESPEN LLL Live Modules, on nutrition in Renal Diseases, Cancer, G.I disorder and critical illness.
Certified Breastfeeding & Infant and Young Child Feeding Counsellors
Other Activities:
Conducted Nutrition awareness program in industries, schools and colleges.
Organized various seminars and national conferences
CHAPTER SECRETARY, IAPEN, Puducherry chapter.
Life member -BPNI
Executive Member
Dr. Karthigaiselvi A.
Head of the Department , Gleneagles BGS Hospitals , Bangalore . Practicing since 1999 and has been a Chief Dietitian at Wockhardt hospital , Vikram Hospitals , Bangalore and Senior Dietitian at Apollo Hospitals ,Madurai, Bangalore.
Qualification :
M Sc ., M Phil ., PhD ., UGC NET., SET., Certified Sports Nutritionist , LLL ( Peri operative Nutrition , Screening ,Diagnosis and Assessment of Malnutrition)
University Rank Holder in Under graduation
Publications in National and International Journals.
Speaker at National and International Conferences.
Awarded First Prize in oral paper presentation in AICNU(2016),SRILANKA.
Contributed many Nutrition articles.
Areas of Interest :
Critical Care Nutrition
Transplant Nutrition
Renal Nutrition
Cardiac Nutrition
Diabetic Nutrition
Weight loss and Bariatric Nutrition
Oncology
Holistic Nutrition
Executive Member
Fagun Gandhi
Designation :Assistant Dietician at ACTREC
Qualification :RD, M.Sc. Clinical nutrition and dietetics, CDE
Experience :Over 8 years experience in field of dietetics. Experience at BMT Specific diets at ACTREC.
Publications:
Presented papers at national and international conferences
Co-author for IAPEN India : Nutrition Consensus Guidelines in Oncology Clinical Practice,IAPEN India : Consensus statement on nutritional management in head and neck cancers
Author of 2 chapters in book on IAPEN Recommendation of standardization of blenderized feeds in various clinical conditions.
Additional Information :
- Certified in Advanced program in clinical care nutrition by Royal college of physicians of the United Kingdom(RCP) and TACT academy for clinical training
- Certified FODMAP dietician, MONASH university.
Executive Member
Vedika Premani
Clinical Dietician and Lead Critical Care Dietician at Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital with over seven years of comprehensive experience in Therapeutic Dietetics and Advanced Clinical Nutrition. Specialized expertise in Critical Care Nutrition and Organ Transplant Nutrition, including renal, heart, lung, bone marrow, and liver transplants. Actively involved in high-acuity clinical care, including patients on ECMO support. Proven ability to develop and upgrade evidence-based nutrition care protocols and patient education materials in alignment with the latest clinical guidelines. Recognized contributor to professional forums, including participation in a roundtable discussion on Nutrition in Heart and Lung Transplantation organized by the Transplant Core Group of the Indian Association of Enteral and Parenteral Nutrition. Actively engaged in public health and preventive nutrition through corporate wellness programs conducted at organizations such as Capri Global and Mumbai International Airport. Regular contributor to leading national media platforms, with published articles in The Times of India, Vogue, Indian Express, Femina, Mid-Day, Tweak India, India Today, Rediff, Times Now, Hindustan Times, and HT Health Shots.
CERTIFICATIONS :
- Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE)
- Life Long Learning (LLL) in Critical Care Nutrition – ESPEN
- Training in Low FODMAP Diet for IBS – Monash University
- Translational Nutrigenetics – Institute of Nutrigenetics
- Certified Internal Auditor Trainer – Dutch HACCP
-Certification in Food Microbiology – Jai Hind College, Mumbai
AWARDS, RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS :
- Author contribution: Nutritional Management for Pre- and Post-Heart Transplant Patients – IAPEN Transplant Core Group
- Co-author: Critical Care Nutrition for a Low-Resource Hospital Set-Up (Published 2025)
- Research study on lung transplantation selected for presentation at the Criticare Conference, ISCCM (March 2025)
- Excellence Award for Nutrition Digitalization and Innovation – ICNC 2025, Varanasi
- Best Poster Paper Presentation – ISCCM Conference, February 2023
- Excellence Award in Continuous Quality Improvement – QualTech Prize Healthcare-Qimpro Foundation, February 2023
- Dr. K.U. Naram Award – AFST (I), Mumbai Chapter (Second Rank, M.Sc.)
Executive Member
Payal Thakkar
Career Progression:
- Determined nutrition professional with 2.5 years of experience as a Senior Clinical Dietitian in Kiran Super-Multispecialty Hospital – Surat.
- Determined nutrition professional with 3 years of experience as a Clinical Dietitian in Nirali Cancer and Multispecialty Hospital – Navsari.
Experience Summary:
- Skilled in providing evidence-based nutritional counselling and medical nutrition therapy in multi-
speciality hospitals and clinical settings.
- Excelled in developing personalized meal plans and providing nutritional education to diverse patient populations.
- Consult and provide medical nutrition therapy of 20+ transplant patients.
- Worked in GI nutrition and transplant nutrition therapy. Counselled pre-post transplant patients of renal,
liver, hand and bone-marrow transplant.
- Strong communication skills and collaborative approach enhance dietary adherence and promote health outcomes along with team management.
- Worked as moderator in different CNEs.
Achievements:
- M.Sc. Thesis project on “Study of adaptation of different immunity boosting foods During COVID- 19 Pandemic”.
- Awarded district level in Excellence in Medical Nutrition Therapy- ICNC Varanasi 2025, by IAPEN
- Published chapter on “Nutrition as a pillar of support in Hepatic Transplantation from Malnutrition to Metabolic stability” in the book: Integrative Approaches in Modern Life Sciences Volume I.
Executive Member
Vidhi Chauhan
Educational Qualifications :
MSc in Foods and Nutrition, Certified Advance Diet Plan Making (FSTN) , Cerfified GI Nutrition Therapy (FSTN).
Affilation -
Executive Clinical Dietitian, Nutrition & Dietetics – Kiran Multi Super Speciality Hospital & Research Centre.
Experience :
1.5 years of experience in Clinical Dietetics .
Association with other societies : Life Member IAPEN INDIA.
Achievements:
Best Team Practice – Medical Nutrition Therapy – Surat District Award at ICNC International Conference at Varanasi Feb – 2025, Secured third position in paper presentation at the National Conference on Underutilized Food Resources: Nutrient Composition, Value Addition and Quality Assurance, organized by the Department of Food Technology, Mizoram University, held in May 2023.
Executive Member
Reshma Aleem
M.Sc., RD. CDE
- Chief clinical dietitian and Manager, department of clinical nutrition and dietetics , - Dr. Rela Institute & Medical Centre Hospitals Chennai.
- Registered Dietician (Indian Dietetic Association) in the field of clinical and therapeutic nutrition.
- LEC member, Chennai Chapter, Indian Dietetic Association
- Experience in adult and pediatric multiorgan transplant
- Contributed to consensus on oncology nutrition for Bone Marrow Transplant Children Journal of nutrition research 2021.
- Contributed as faculty for UJJWAL REFRESHER COURSE
- Member of organizing committee of various National conferences.
- LLL certified in PN, EN, Pulmonary diseases, neurological diseases, metabolic syndrome, peri-operative nutrition, Pediatric, metabolic, diabetes and dyslipidemia, GI diseases, ICU nutrition by ESPEN