Elena Tsompanaki

I am an HCPC registered dietitian with research interests in type 2 diabetes, behavioural interventions and the impact of weight loss programmes on mental health and disordered eating.

I recently completed a DPhil(PhD) under the supervision of Professor Susan Jebb, Dr Dimitrios Koutoukidis, Professor Rebecca Park and Dr Paul Aveyard. During my DPhil, I investigated the impact of total diet replacement for type 2 diabetes remission on disorder eating, by conducting a clinical trial to monitor the changes in disordered eating symptoms during the programme. I also collected qualitative data on the experiences of participants during the programme. I was awarded the 2021 Novo Nordisk Research Foundation Fellowship in Clinical Diabetes to fund my research and pursue my DPhil. 

I have previously worked as a senior Specialist dietitian in various hospitals in London (Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust), where I had the opportunity to conduct service evaluations in various specialties to improve patient care, in addition to my clinical role. I was also the Research Champion for Dietetics, as I aspire to encourage more Allied Healthcare Professionals to be involved in research. My first post in the NHS was a dietetic research assistant role, investigating the gastrointestinal tolerance of pre-digested feeds in critically ill patients (Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust).

Prior to working as a clinical dietitian, I completed my MSc in Clinical and Public Health Nutrition at UCL with distinction. My MSc thesis focused on the impact of diet on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Prior to my MSc, I completed my undergraduate training on Nutritional Science and Dietetics in Harokopio University of Athens, with my dissertation focusing on identifying dietary patterns in people with a history of cardiovascular disease in a large longitudinal trial.