Dr Katerina Vasilaki | Staff Profile

Lecturer in Dietetics and Nutrition

Dr Katerina Vasilaki is a Lecturer in Dietetics and Nutrition, within the DNBS Division.

Overview
Research Interests
Research Publications
Teaching and Learning

Katerina graduated from Harokopio University Athens with a BSc(Hons) in Dietetics & Nutritional Science in 2002. She then undertook an MSc (MedSci) in Human Nutrition with specialisation in Clinical Nutrition (2003), and a PhD (2010) at the University of Glasgow where she conducted a research study on micronutrients’ assessment in patients with critical illness. As part of her post-doc research project, she conducted an audit in the early nutritional support in the prevention of weight loss and cachexia in patients with pancreatic cancer. She has completed training in intuitive eating counselling and non-diet approaches to obesity management, and the implementation of low-FODMAP diet for the management of functional GI disease at the King’s College London. In a clinical capacity, she has worked as a registered dietitian in the NHS in obesity and weight management, gastroenterology and general medicine. She also has extensive experience as a freelance dietitian having been featured in a number of social and mass media, such as BBC news, BBC Good Food Show, STV, The Sunday Mail, etc., and was a finalist at the “Health Blogger of the Year” awards (2018).

Her career as an academic teacher started with a visiting lecturer’s post at ��Ƶ in 2008. She has worked as a visiting lecturer in Glasgow Caledonian University and the University of Glasgow. In 2019, she was appointed as a Lecturer in Nutrition at Medical School of the University of Dundee. In 2020, she became a Lecturer in Human Nutrition and a co-lead of the obesity and weight management specialisation for the MSc in Human Nutrition course at the University of Glasgow. In 2021, she became an Honorary Lecturer at the section of Surgery at the University of Glasgow where she continues to collaborate in pancreatic cancer research.

She was appointed as a Lecturer in Dietetics and Nutrition at ��Ƶ in August 2021.

Affiliations (including memberships) to other organisations:

Health and Care Professions Council
British Dietetic Association
Association for Nutrition
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
BAPEN
Hellenic Dietetic Association
Association for the Study of Obesity (Scotland)

Katerina is a published research author in micronutrient assessment in critical illness. Her research has shown how red cell micronutrient concentrations reflect status more accurately than plasma levels during the systemic inflammatory response in patients with critical illness, and that this is in line with the acute changes in the white cell micronutrient concentrations. Her post-doc studies investigated the effect of early nutritional intervention on body composition, muscle function and outcome in patients with pancreatic cancer, an ongoing collaboration with the department of Surgery, University of Glasgow. She has also participated in the multi-centre pre-MENAC study (University of Edinburgh) and has received research grants such as the Pump Priming Grant of the British Pancreatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland. Katerina has presented in several national and international congresses by organisations such as BAPEN, and ESPEN, and has been participating as an invited speaker and member of the scientific committee for the Hellenic Dietetic Association Congresses.

Active research interests:

Changes in body composition and outcomes in cancer cachexia

Non-diet approaches in obesity management

Inflammatory response and nutritional status

Micronutrient assessment in critical illness

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Research Methods:

Body composition assessment (BIA, CT scan analysis, anthropometric measurements)

Functional assessment (handgrip dynamometry)

Plasma, red cell and white cell extraction and preparation for micronutrient analysis by HPLC

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Dr Katerina Vasilaki is also an Affiliate of the University of Glasgow, School of Medicine.