Staff profile

Dr Sue Shepherd

Senior Lecturer

Faculty of Health Sciences

School of Allied Health
Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition

Melbourne (Bundoora)

 

Qualifications

B.App.Sci.(Health Promotion), M.Nut. & Diet., PhD (Monash), AdvAPD, AdvAN.

Membership of professional Associations

Dietitians Association of Australia, Gastroenterology Association of Australia, Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders, American College of Gastroenterology, Coeliac Australia.

Area of study

Dietetics

Brief Profile

Dr Sue Shepherd is a senior lecturer within the Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition at La Trobe University Bundoora campus.  She is an Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian and an Advanced Accredited Nutritionist.

Dr Shepherd's research specialties are food intolerances and gastrointestinal nutrition.  She completed her PhD in 2008 researching the role of FODMAPs in IBS and gluten in coeliac disease. Dr Shepherd is the founder of the Low FODMAP Diet, which has revolutionised the management of irritable bowel syndrome globally. She won the Douglas Piper Young Investigator of the Year Award (Gastroenterological Society of Australia) in 2006 for her FODMAP research. Her international reputation as an expert in the area of gastrointestinal nutrition has led to her invitations to present at many national and international medical and health conferences. Dr Shepherd is the dietitian representative on a number of national medical advisory groups including Digestive Health Foundation, and the medical advisory group to Coeliac Australia, and has recently been honoured with the invitation to join the "Food and Functional GastroIntestinal Disorders" working party of the international medical organisation, The Rome Foundation. She has authored more than 20 highly cited peer-reviewed journal papers (442 citations, 8/1/13) and has an impressive H-index score of 12 (Web of Science 8/1/13). Dr Shepherd has also been a successful recipient as a co-investigator on two NHMRC funded competitive research grants. 

Dr Shepherd is a  member of the editorial board of "Healthy Food Guide" magazine, is a regular guest on 3AW (Melbourne) and 6PR (Perth) radio stations, and is a regular spokesperson to the media.  She has authored 9 cookbooks for gluten free and low FODMAP diets, one of which (Gluten Free Cooking) won the "Best Health and Nutrition Cookbook in Australia" Groumand Coookbook Awards (Cordon Bleu) 2007.  She heads a team of specialist dietitians at her private Practice, Shepherd Works, consults to food industry and conducts cooking demonstrations. In recognition of her enthusiasm to improve the quality of life for people with food intolerances, Dr Shepherd has been awarded State Finalist (Vic) for the Telstra Australian Businesswoman of the Year in 2009 and 2012. She is also the co-founder of the Melbourne Op Shop Ball - an annual fundraising event for charities.

 

Teaching Units

  • HLT1IPA Interprofessional Practice A
  • DTN1FFU Food Fundamentals
  • DTN3FSC Food and Society
  • DTN4CPA Community and Public Health Nutrition A
  • DTN4FSI Food Science

 

 

Recent Publications

  • Gibson PR, Shepherd SJ, Tye-Din JA For celiac Disease, Diagnosis Is Not Enough, Clin. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 2012;8:900-901
  • Shepherd SJ, Gibson PR Nutritional inadequacies of the gluten‐free diet in both recently‐diagnosed and long‐term patients with coeliac disease J. Human. Nutr. 2012 DOI: 10.1111/jhn.12018
  • Gibson PR and Shepherd SJ  Food Choice as a Key Management Strategy for Functional Gastrointestinal Symptoms  Am. J. Gastroenterol. 2012; 107:657–666
  • Biesiekierski JR, Newnham ED, Irving PM, Barrett JS, Haines M, Doecke JD, Shepherd SJ, Muir JG, Gibson PR. Gluten causes gastrointestinal symptoms in subjects without coeliac disease: a double blind randomised placebo controlled trial  Am. J. Gastroenterol.  2011;106:508-514
  • Biesiekierski JR, Rosella O, Rose R, Liels K, Barrett JS, Shepherd SJ, Gibson PR, Muir JG. Quantification of fructans, galacto-oligosacharides and other short-chain carbohydrates in processed grains and cereals J. Human Nutr. Diet. 2011;24:154-176 
  • Halmos EP, Muir JG, Barrett JS, Deng M, Shepherd SJ, Gibson PR Diarrhoea during enteral nutrition is predicted by the poorly absorbed short-chain carbohydrate (FODMAP) content of the formula  Aliment. Pharmacol. Therapeutics. 2010 Jul 28;32(7):925-33 
  • Ong DK, Mitchell SB, Barrett JS, Shepherd SJ, Irving PI, Biesiekierski JR, Smith S, Gibson PR, Muir JG. Manipulation of dietary short chain carbohydrates alters the pattern of hydrogen and methane gas production and genesis of symptoms in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. J Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 2010 Aug ;25(8):1366-73 
  • Barrett JS, Muir JG, Gearry RB, Irving PM, Rose R, Rosella O, Haines ML, Shepherd SJ, Gibson PR.  Dietary FODMAPs increase delivery of water and fermentable substrates to the proximal colon Aliment. Pharmacol. Therapeutics. 2010;31(8):874-882 
  • Gibson PR and Shepherd SJ  Evidence-based dietary management of functional gastrointestinal symptoms: The FODMAP approach J. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 2010; 25:252–258 
  • Barrett JS, Shepherd SJ, Gibson PR Strategies to manage gastrointestinal symptoms complicating enteral feeding. J. Parent. Enter. Nutr. 2009; 33:21-6.
  • Barrett JS, Irving PM, Gearry R, Shepherd SJ, Gibson PR  Comparison of the prevalence of fructose and lactose malabsorption across chronic intestinal disorders Aliment. Pharmacol. Therapeutics 2009;30(2):165-74  
  • Gearry R, Irving PM, Barrett JS, Nathan D, Shepherd SJ, Gibson PR Reduction of dietary poorly absorbed short-chain carbohydrates (FODMAPs) improves abdominal symptoms in patients with inflammatory bowel disease—a pilot study J. Crohn’s Colitis 2009;3(1):8-14  
  • Muir JG, Rose R, Rosella O, Liels K, Barrett JS, Shepherd SJ and Gibson PR  Measurement of Short-Chain Carbohydrates in Common Australian Vegetables and Fruits by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) J. Agric. Food Chem. 2009;57(2):554–565
  • Shepherd SJ, Parker FJ, Muir JG and Gibson, PR Dietary triggers of abdominal symptoms in patients with irritable bowel syndrome- randomised placebo-controlled evidence Clin. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 2008;6(7):765-771
  • Croagh C, Shepherd SJ, Berryman M, Muir JG, Gibson PR.   Pilot study on the effect of reducing dietary FODMAP intake on bowel function in patients without a colon.  Inflamm. Bowel Dis. 2007;13(12):1522-8 
  • Muir JG, Shepherd SJ, Rosella O, Rose R, Gibson PR.  Fructan and free fructose content of common Australian fruit and vegetables.  J. Agric. Food. Chem.  2007;55:6619-6627
  • Gibson PR, Newnham E, Barrett JS, Shepherd SJ, Muir JG Review article: fructose malabsorption and the bigger picture Aliment. Pharmacol. Therap. 2007; 25(4):349-363
  • Shepherd SJ and Gibson PR Fructose malabsorption and symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome: guidelines for effective dietary management J. Am. Diet. Assoc.2006;106:1631-1639    
  • Shepherd SJ and Gibson PR Understanding the Gluten Free Diet for Teaching in Australia  Nutr. Diet. 2006;63: 155–165 
  • Gibson PR & Shepherd SJ Food for thought: Western Lifestyle and Susceptibility to Crohn’s Disease - The FODMAP Hypothesis  Aliment Pharmacol Therapeutics  2005;21:1399–1409   

 

Older Publications

Books:

  • Shepherd, SJ Allergy Free Cooking Recipe Book, Penguin Books, Sydney, April 2012
  • Shepherd, SJ Wheat and Gluten Free Diabetes, Fortiori Publications, Melbourne, November 2011
  • Shepherd SJ  and Gibson PR Food Intolerance Management Plan, Penguin Books, Sydney, May 2011
  • Shepherd, SJ Gluten Free Kitchen, Penguin Books, Sydney, September 2009
  • Shepherd, SJ Gluten Free Cooking, Penguin Books, Sydney, September 2007
  • Shepherd, SJ The low FODMAP Diet, Fructose Malabsorption Shopping Guide, Shepherd Works Pty Ltd Melbourne, September  2008 and  July 2010: a food product guide
  • Shepherd, SJ Two Irresistible for the Irritable, Shepherd Works Pty Ltd ,Melbourne, May  2006
  • Shepherd, SJ Irresistibles for the Irritable, Shepherd Works Pty Ltd ,Melbourne, April  2004
  • Shepherd, SJ A Wealth of Health, Shepherd Works Pty Ltd, Melbourne, April 2000

Book Chapter:

 

  • Gibson PR and Shepherd SJ Reducing Dietary Symptoms in Irritable Bowel Syndrome and IBD in Advanced Therapy of Inflammatory Bowel Disease 3rd edition Volume 1. IBD and Ulcerative Colitis. Bayless TM and Hanauer SB editors. Chapter 40. People’s Medical Publishing House – USA, 2011. pages 249-255

 

 

 

Research projects

PhD supervision of the following projects:

  • The role of the low FODMAP diet and hypnotherapy in patients with IBS
  • The effect of dietary FODMAPs on gastrointestinal symptoms
  • The colic, irritability, reflux, intolerance and allergy study
  • FODMAPs Intolerance in children with functional gut pain