Dietetics research

The Dietetics department works closely with many clinical teams in the hospital where nutrition, growth and development may be an issue.

Allied Health Professions are: art therapists, drama therapists, music therapists, chiropodists/podiatrists, dietitians, occupational therapists, operating department practitioners, orthoptists, osteopaths, prosthetists and orthotists, paramedics, physiotherapists, diagnostic radiographers, therapeutic radiographers, speech and language therapists.

Find out more about the research being undertaken by the Dietetics department, often in collaboration with our research partner, the UCL Institute of Child Health, in our research section and also on the ICH website.

Ridd MJ, Brown SJ, Beattie P, Yerlett N et al. Reply to Comment on 'Food Allergy Test-Guided Dietary Advice for Children With Atopic Dermatitis: A Consensus Study'. Pediatr Dermatol. Published online January 15, 2026. doi:10.1111/pde.16026

L. A. Zahed, R. R. Iniesta, M. Fewtrell, J. Lanigan, B. Gardiner, and G. O'Connor, “ Changes in Body Composition in Children and Young People Undergoing Treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Pediatric Blood & Cancer (2026): e70097. https://doi.org/10.1002/1545-5017.70097

McAlister L, Shaw V, Pugh P, et al. Barriers to and Facilitators of Phosphate Control in Children With CKD. Kidney Int Rep. 2025;10(12):4252-4263. Published 2025 Oct 10. doi:10.1016/j.ekir.2025.09.045

Lovell AL, Gardiner B, Henry L, Bate JM, Brougham MFH, Iniesta RR. The evolution of nutritional care in children and young people with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: a narrative review. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2025; 38:e13273. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.13273

L. McAlister, V. Shaw, P. Pugh, T. Joyce, E. Snauwaert, F. Bathgate, et al.Development of a Questionnaire to Assess Phosphate Knowledge in Children With Chronic Kidney Disease and Their Caregivers.Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics 2025 Vol. 38 Issue 3 Pages e70067.DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.70067

Gardiner B, Wardill HR, O'Connor G, Hargrave D, Lett AM. The impact of fibre and prebiotic interventions on outcomes in cancer and haematopoietic stem cell transplantation: A systematic review. Clin Nutr. 2025;44:86-100. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2024.11.022

Rothman, B; O’Connor, G; Kakat, S; Hoskote, A. Nutritional challenges and support in the pediatric cardiac intensive care unit: An updated narrative review. Journal of Pediatric Critical Care 12(4):p 195-207, Jul–Aug 2025. | DOI: 10.4103/jpcc.jpcc_30_25

Ruggiero C, Alfano G, Jackman L, et al. Eosinophilic esophagitis in children: new kids on the block. Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2025;26(10):1117-1132. doi:10.1080/14656566.2025.2517801

O'Connor G, Cheng L, Cunjamalay A. Case Report: Food-based enteral formula in the nutritional management of children with hyperinsulinism: single center retrospective case series. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2025;16:1574093. Published 2025 Sep 25. doi:10.3389/fendo.2025.1574093

Gordon E, van den Brink M, van der Linden N, Ringwald-Smith K, Gardiner B, Murphy-Alford AJ. Pediatric oncology nutritional practices in high-income countries: A survey from the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP). Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2024; 71:e31353. https://doi.org/10.1002/pbc.31353

Rothman, B., Marino, L.V., Darlington, AS.S. et al. Feeding behaviour in children and young people with a ventricular assist device (VAD): a scoping review. Intensive Care Med. – Paediatr. Neonatal 3, 10 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44253-025-00065-6

O’Connor, G and Mansell, Melissa (2025) The dietetic practice of prescribing amino acid-based formulas in paediatrics patients without cow’s milk allergy: a single centre retrospective study. Clinical Nutrition Open Science, 60. pp. 101-110. ISSN 2667-2685

Jackman L, Arpe L, Thapar N, Rybak A, Borrelli O. Nutritional Management of Pediatric Gastrointestinal Motility Disorders. Nutrients. 2024;16(17):2955. Published 2024 Sep 2. doi:10.3390/nu16172955

Elfeky R, Broderick V, Ewins A-M, Rivers E, Roberts W, Slatter M, Gardiner B, et al. Workforce consensus recommendations for paediatric haematopoietic stem cell transplant centres on behalf of the Paediatric Sub-Committee of the British Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. Br J Haematol. 2025; 00: 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjh.70230

Chan J, Flynn DM, Gordon M, Jackman L et al. Swallowed topical steroid therapy for eosinophilic oesophagitis in children: practical, evidence-based guidance by the BSPGHAN Eosinophilic Oesophagitis Working Group. BMJ Paediatr Open. 2024;8(1):e002467. Published 2024 May 23. doi:10.1136/bmjpo-2023-002467

McAlister L, Shaw V, Shroff R. Dietary Phosphate Educational Materials for Pediatric Chronic Kidney Disease: Are Confused Messages Reducing Their Impact?. J Ren Nutr. 2024;34(5):401-409. doi:10.1053/j.jrn.2024.02.004

Pescarin M, Day Hannah, Thapar N, et al. Optimizing nutrition IN pediatric intestinal pseudo-obstruction syndrome. Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2023;35(5):e14562. doi:10.1111/nmo.14562

O'Connor G, Velandia AC, Capriles ZH. The impact of an enteral formula with food-derived ingredients on dietetic practice at a specialist children's hospital in the UK: Retrospective study. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2025;38(1):e13374. doi:10.1111/jhn.13374

Rebecca Saad, José Duipmans, Natalie Yerlett, et al, Neonatal epidermolysis bullosa: a clinical practice guideline, British Journal of Dermatology, Volume 190, Issue 5, May 2024, Pages 636–656, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjd/ljae006

Rothman B, Cheng L, Fienberg J, O’Connor G. A single centre retrospective study evaluating the discharge process of newly placed feeding tubes from a specialist children’s hospital. Archives of Disease in Childhood 2023;108:A30-A31