Dr Mohamed Hassanein
Chair
Diabetes and Ramadan International Alliance
He the first author or a co-author in almost 80 papers in various topics particularly diabetes and Ramadan where he co-authored recommendations on this subject for the IDF in 2016, ADA in 2005 & 2010, and for the BMJ in 2010 and presented on numerous occasions at international meetings. He also developed 3 educational programs for diabetes and Ramadan in collaboration with various international centres. He is a co-recipient of the Diabetes–UK Structured Education first prize in 2008 and 2009 as well as the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) education prize in 2009.
Dr Hassanein has also helped develop various national and international Guidelines and is an examiner with the Royal College of Physicians for the MRCP clinical exam. He has been closely associated with a number of educational projects in many regions. He’s the associate editor for Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice Journal as well as Dubai Diabetes and Endocrinology Journal.
Assoc. Prof. Dr Osama Hamdy
Medical Director
Obesity Clinical Program and In Patient Program
Joslin Diabetes Center - Harvard Medical School
Osama Hamdy, MD, PhD is a world expert and recognized thought leader in area obesity and nutrition in diabetes. Dr. Hamdy is a senior endocrinologist and Medical Director of the Joslin Obesity Clinical Program and Director of the Inpatient Diabetes Program at Joslin Diabetes Center. He is also Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Plus his 34 years of extensive clinical experience, he is very active in nutrition and obesity clinical research. His lab led to many innovations and discoveries that changed how we currently manage obesity in patients with either type 2 or type 1 diabetes.
Dr. Hamdy research led to the first discovery that 7% weight loss in obese patients with and without diabetes significantly improve vascular endothelial function, insulin sensitivity and markers of inflammation. This improvement may eventually prevent progression to coronary artery disease. Dr. Hamdy was a co-investigator in two landmark studies; the “Diabetes Prevention Program” and “the Look AHEAD Study”. In 2005, Dr. Hamdy founded the “Weight Achievement and Intensive Treatment (Why WAIT) program, which is currently implemented nationally and internationally with great success. His program helps patients with diabetes to be less dependent on diabetes medications. Dr. Hamdy co-chaired the task force that developed the global transcultural Diabetes Nutrition Algorithm (tDNA). His research led to several changes in the standards of diabetes care and lifestyle management by the American Diabetes Association and American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.
Dr. Hamdy joined Joslin Diabetes Center in 1998, where he founded the obesity clinical program and restructured the inpatient diabetes program. At the inpatient side, he developed an Advanced Quality Improvement model for inpatient diabetes service that reduced 30-day readmission rate by 30% and developed EVADE program for management of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in emergency department that reduced ICU admission for DKA by 25%. Dr. Hamdy won the 2015 Michaela Modan Award of the American Diabetes Association for his research on long-term diabetes weight management. He was given the Compassionate Caregiver Award of the Kenneth Schwartz Center. Dr. Hamdy has more than 150 peer-reviewed original articles, reviews and book chapters. He is also the author of the Harvard Health Publication “The Diabetes Breakthrough” reversing diabetes through weight management. He is on the editorial review board of many medical journals including Lancet, JAMA, British Medical Journal, Diabetes Care and 2 times section editor of the Current Diabetes Report.
Assoc. Prof. Dr Barakatun Nisak Mohd Yusof
Dietitian
Universiti Putra Malaysia
Barakatun Nisak Bt Mohd Yusof, is an Associate Professor and a practicing dietitian in the Department of Dietetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). She currently holds a position as a Deputy Dean Academic and Student Affairs for Health Sciences, UPM. Dr Nisak completed the Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at Joslin Diabetes Centre, Harvard Medical School in the field of Diabetes Nutrition. She has contributed to Diabetes and Ramadan Parctice Guide 2016 and 2021 for the Ramadan Nutrition Plan Chapter.
Ms Salma Mehar
Consultant Dietitian
London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust
Salma Mehar RD PGdip - A Specialist Dietitian working in the field of community health and wellbeing for over 15 years. Her work has been acknowledged in many communities, improving health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and obesity through education and health promotion. She has written a number of resources on Diet and Ramadan. Salma Mehar is also the co Author of World Food book by Carbs and Cals which is the first Visual Carbohydrate awareness resource for ethnic communities Her role has extended working across the globe with various communities and charities teaching and developing educational tools and resources to improve the lives of local communities. Her passion to improve health through better nutrition and dietary habits and lifestyle has reflected in many projects related to Ramadan.
Practical Guidance on Providing RNP to Diabetes Patients
The session will cover how you can advise patients on how to enjoy cultural foods throughout the month without having to worry about gaining weight or impacting our medical conditions. How setting up a pre Ramadan Structured education programme on Dietary information on foods and cooking methods is provided to people living Diabetes. Health Care professionals can learn about dietary habits and food choices made during fasting, and how cultural diets can be adapted to a specific calorie counted diet plan, cooking and food preparation methods to use. The session will reflect on the IDF DAR Ramadan Nutrition Plan and its menus and meal examples developed for different countries and looking at the evidence is available to provide more up to date nutrition advice to people with diabetes that are seeking to fast during Ramadan.
The session is delivered by a Specialist Dietitian, who has over 15 years of experience working with communities and in public health, while ensuring the dietary advice and suggestions are scientific, culturally sensitive and significant. Salma will give an update on how her book “World Food book” a visual Carbohydrate awareness resource is improving patient engagement and dietary management.