Hibah Ilyas

Hibah has more than 11 years of experience as a dietitian, specialising in diabetes management and prevention. She is a former NHS dietitian with hands-on clinical experience across diverse patient populations and is currently freelancing as a BDA-registered Work Ready Dietitian, offering strategic guidance to enhance the nutritional status of the modern workforce.

In addition, she provides consultancy for health‑related startups and offers private dietitian services for individuals seeking personalised nutrition care. She also has a strong track record of engaging with BAME communities to address culturally relevant dietary needs and health outcomes.

Dr George Thom

Dr George Thom work’s in Public Health at NHS Tayside, leading the type 2 diabetes prevention and remission service. His clinical and research interests are in the field of obesity, weight management and type 2 diabetes. George originally trained as a dietitian and worked for several years in a specialist obesity service in the NHS. He then went on to work at the University of Glasgow, where he was part of the Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT) team. His PhD investigated the role of physiological, psychological and clinical factors in weight loss maintenance. A list of his research publications can be viewed here: ‪George Thom‬ – ‪Google Scholar‬

Dr Chloe Broughton

Chloe Broughton is a Consultant in Diabetes and Endocrinology at The Royal United Hospital, Bath. She is the co-clinical lead and lead for antenatal endocrinology and diabetes. She has developed joint virtual clinics with primary care to improve both the care of people with diabetes and also educate and upskill the community healthcare professionals caring for these patients. Alongside her clinical work, she is interested in medical education and in improving training for junior doctors and allied healthcare professionals.

Shona Brearley

Shona currently works as a part-time Diabetes Specialist Nurse for NHS Fife, as well as working as Diabetes Education Coordinator for My Diabetes My Way. Shona has worked in the diabetes field since 1999, mainly working in research into new drugs and has worked on the clinical trials for all the diabetes drugs now in common use. She has also written a regular column for the Journal of Diabetes Nursing for several years. Away from work, Shona enjoys walking her dog, Charlie, and riding her 2 horses.

Dr Patrick English

Patrick English enjoyed a boyhood in Cornwall before studying Medicine at Bristol University1986-1991. He pursued a varied early career before training in Diabetes, Endocrinology and General Internal Medicine in Liverpool. He became a Lecturer in Medicine at the University of Liverpool where he pursued research interests in the pathophysiology of Type 2 diabetes and Obesity. He came to Derriford Hospital, Plymouth as a Consultant in Diabetes and Endocrinology in May 2004 and became the Diabetes Service Lead, being active in service redesign alongside general interests in diabetes, type 1 diabetes and exercise, endocrinology, obesity and the diabetic foot.

Dr English works as part of the diabetes team at Derriford Hospital providing inpatient general medical care and inpatient and outpatient diabetes services. In the secondary care service he specialises in the use of pumps and diabetes technology in type 1 diabetes. In the community, he is working with colleagues in primary and secondary care to develop a community service focussed on improving clinical outcomes and the experience of clinical care for those with type 2 diabetes

Su Down

Su Down is a Nurse Consultant in Diabetes and is the Clinical Lead for the Intermediate Diabetes community service in Somerset. Her Diabetes nursing career started in 1989, when she set up the diabetes specialist nursing service in Yeovil District Hospital. Su took up the role of Nurse Consultant in 2005 and played a key part in redesigning the diabetes service across the whole of Somerset. She continues to work tirelessly to evolve and improve this service to cope with the growing demands of the health care economy.

Nationally she is the Editor in Chief of the Journal of Diabetes Nursing and joint Vice Chair of the PCDS (Primary Care Diabetes Society). Former national roles have included being a TREND associate, board member of FIT (Forum for Injection Technique) and committee member of the Health Care Professionals Council of Diabetes UK.

She has published on topics including the challenges of redesigning services, the importance of injection technique in diabetes, future challenges for DSN services and the importance of empowerment. She has won a national award (2013) for work relating to FIT4Safety.

The constant challenge of ensuring that an equitable service is delivered to the ever-growing population of Somerset is one that Su finds highly rewarding. Furthermore, she has relished being able to have an influence on both national and international projects.

Ms. Vilasini Bhaskaran

Ms. Vilasini is a Specialist Registered Dietitian with over 22 years of extensive experience in both Clinical and Public Health Dietetics, emphasising diabetes, weight management, and bariatric nutrition. She has worked across diverse healthcare settings in the UK and India, developing a global perspective on nutrition science and patient care.

Her career includes significant tenures with globally renowned organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), where she served as a Programme Officer for diabetes research, prevention, and awareness, and UNICEF, where she contributed as a Consultant in Maternal and Child Health Nutrition.

Currently, Ms. Vilasini holds multiple leadership roles, including:

Highly specialised eating disorders dietitian, UK
Lead Primary Care Diabetes Specialist Dietitian, UK
Guest Lecturer, Coventry University, UK
Collaborator with Diabetes UK, Digibete, and Derby NHS Trust Bariatric Service

She is a regular speaker at national and international conferences, having presented abstracts and shared evidence-based insights in various academic and public forums. She has published several articles on diabetes and obesity in both online and print media, and actively contributes to educational initiatives, including webinars and Q&As (e.g., Nutridoc, USA; MyWay, UK; Nutritank UK), as well as lectures for medical students pursuing diabetes fellowships.

A passionate advocate for preventive healthcare and lifestyle management, Ms. Vilasini blends scientific rigour with practical, culturally sensitive approaches to diet and wellness.

In her personal time, she enjoys cooking, baking, travelling, and practising classical dance — all of which contribute to her holistic approach to health and well-being.

Dairy

Opt for low-fat varieties of yoghurt, cheese and milk, or you could swap cow’s milk for nut milk.

Fish

A lean source of protein, including white fish such as haddock or cod and oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines, contains omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for heart health.

Wholegrain foods

These release their energy slowly and are an important source of fibre, vitamins and minerals.

Fruit & vegeatables

Try to eat at least 5 portions a day. They are full of vitamins, minerals, and fibre, which will keep you feeling full for longer.

Lean meats

Choose meats such as skinless chicken and turkey. They are low in fat and high in protein, which is important for the growth and repair of tissues and muscles in the body.

Lentils, beans & pulses

These are low in fat and a good plant source of protein as well as fibre, vitamins and minerals.

Lentils, beans & pulses

These are low in fat and a good plant source of protein as well as fibre, vitamins and minerals.

Carol Mayl

Hi! Carol Mayl here. When I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, I decided to treat myself with kindness and care by taking control of the situation. I didn’t go on a diet or make radical changes. Instead, I took it step by step, and along the way, I lost 35kg and achieved what I thought was impossible — remission! Now, I find myself enjoying running—another thing I once thought was impossible. My story is one of an ordinary person making small, incremental changes, proving that if I can do it, so can you!

Denis Collen

My name is Denis Collen a person living with Heart Failure and Type 2 diabetes for 15 years and I specialise in problem-solving and driving meaningful change.

With over 30 years of extensive experience in various sectors—including retail, aviation, sustainable energy, and healthcare—I’ve honed my skills in both B2B and B2C environments, as well as in the non-profit community. My passion is all about enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of organisations.

Throughout my career, I’ve been committed to making a significant impact. I’ve had the honour of collaborating with remarkable teams and individuals to achieve transformative outcomes. Let’s explore how we can create lasting change together.

Vilasini Bhaskaran

Ms. Vilasini is a Specialist Registered Dietitian with over 22 years of extensive experience in both Clinical and Public Health Dietetics, emphasising diabetes, weight management, and bariatric nutrition. She has worked across diverse healthcare settings in the UK and India, developing a global perspective on nutrition science and patient care.

Her career includes significant tenures with globally renowned organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), where she served as a Programme Officer for diabetes research, prevention, and awareness, and UNICEF, where she contributed as a Consultant in Maternal and Child Health Nutrition.

Currently, Ms. Vilasini holds multiple leadership roles, including:

Highly specialised eating disorders dietitian, UK
Lead Primary Care Diabetes Specialist Dietitian, UK
Guest Lecturer, Coventry University, UK
Collaborator with Diabetes UK, Digibete, and Derby NHS Trust Bariatric Service

She is a regular speaker at national and international conferences, having presented abstracts and shared evidence-based insights in various academic and public forums. She has published several articles on diabetes and obesity in both online and print media, and actively contributes to educational initiatives, including webinars and Q&As (e.g., Nutridoc, USA; MyWay, UK; Nutritank UK), as well as lectures for medical students pursuing diabetes fellowships.

A passionate advocate for preventive healthcare and lifestyle management, Ms. Vilasini blends scientific rigour with practical, culturally sensitive approaches to diet and wellness.

In her personal time, she enjoys cooking, baking, travelling, and practising classical dance — all of which contribute to her holistic approach to health and well-being.

Alison Campbell

Alison Campbell is the Learning Resource Administrator with MyWay Digital Health.

Alison supports the development of our eLearning courses, graphics and educational resources on our public access websites.

Heather Preston

I am a registered dietitian who has worked in the NHS for over 25 years. Over the past 5-6 years, I have been involved in setting up, implementing, and delivering the diabetes remission programme. I have also been involved in evaluating the programme, particularly from a patient perspective.

I have a keen interest in public health, having completed a postgraduate diploma in this subject.

Professor Roy Taylor

Roy Taylor qualified in medicine at the University of Edinburgh, and is Professor of Medicine at Newcastle University. He founded the Newcastle Magnetic Resonance Centre in 2006 to develop innovative research techniques. Using these new methods, he showed that his 2008 Twin Cycle Hypothesis of the aetiology of type 2 diabetes could be proven in clinical practice. Type 2 diabetes is a reversible condition of excess fat within liver and pancreas. This has led to widespread practical application including in the NHS with the national ‘NHS Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission’ programme. Between 1985 and 2002 he developed and validated the method of screening for diabetic retinopathy and established the profession of retinal screeners with recognised training and qualification.

He has published books in lay language explaining type 2 diabetes (eg ‘Life Without Diabetes’) and books on retinal screening (eg ‘Handbook of Retinal Screening in Diabetes). He was awarded an MBE in 2023. His work has been recognised by the 2012 Banting lecture of Diabetes UK. The 2024 International Rank Nutrition Prize and the 2024 Claude Bernard Prize lecture of EASD.

Dr Debbie Wake

Debbie is CEO and clinical lead at MWDH. She is a qualified consultant diabetologist and senior academic (University of Edinburgh – MBChB (Hons), BSc, PhD, Clin Ed Dip), a 2017–18 NHS Innovation Accelerator Fellow and one of nine 2019 UK Women in Innovation award winners.

Debbie is a national leader in diabetes artificial intelligence and an international leader in diabetes education. Previously, she was a health columnist for a national UK newspaper and TV doctor/presenter for STV. She has trained in business development through the Boston MIT Entrepreneurship programme, the Unlocking Ambition and Converge Challenge initiatives, and the University of Edinburgh AI Accelerator and has delivered more than £5m in innovation funding. Debbie has led MWDH since 2017, delivering a high-growth globally operating company with a best-in-class diabetes platform.

Dr Alex Bickerton

Alex is a Diabetes Consultant and was the Clinical Lead in Diabetes and Endocrinology at Yeovil District Hospital for many years; driving a process of modernisation from delivering general diabetes care to delivering high quality specialist care.

He was also a core member of the diverse stakeholder team who designed and implemented an integrated Diabetes Service for Somerset; aiming to put specialist knowledge at the fingertips of people with diabetes.

Alex’s specialist interests include technology in diabetes, supporting young people with diabetes as they transition from children’s to adult services and cardiovascular disease prevention, with a focus on lipids (blood fats).

Lyn Wilson

Lyn is a Diabetes Specialist Nurse (DSN) working in NHS Lanarkshire and is part of the MyWay Digital Health Education group. She has been a Registered General Nurse for 18 years and has specialised in Diabetes Nursing for over 14 years. Initially working in Diabetes Research in Lanarkshire and then as a DSN working in Glasgow, before taking a post in Secondary Care within Lanarkshire.

In addition to working in general diabetes clinics and delivering inpatient diabetes care, Lyn is a DAFNE (Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating) Educator and Specialises in Insulin Pump Therapy.

Salma Mehar

Salma is a Consultant Dietitian working in the field of community health and wellbeing for over 20 years. Salma is interested in delivering diabetes care through digital platforms and is currently supporting the Northwest London Diabetes Transformation programme. She is also the co-author of the Carbs and Cals World Food Book. The first visual carbohydrate awareness resource for ethnic minority communities.

Dr Scott Mackenzie

Scott Mackenzie is an academic foundation doctor in Edinburgh, Scotland. He has worked with MyWay Digital Health for a number of years to develop educational resources for people with diabetes and is passionate about improving the quality and accessible of diabetes patient education.

Tracey Flax

Tracey Flax is a Learning Technologist with MyWay Digital Health. Her primary dedication lies in advancing structured education and resources for individuals living with diabetes. With a profound passion for the intersection of healthcare, technology, and social equality, Tracey is committed to making a meaningful impact in these domains.

Kirsten Cumming

Kirsten Cumming is the Clinical Education Lead with MyWay Digital Health.

Kirsten studied Food Nutrition and Health at Abertay University. Her work with MyWay focuses on developing structured education and resources for people with diabetes. Her sister was diagnosed with Type 1 when she was 11 years old and after developing a number of complications, had a pancreas and kidney transplant 4 years ago.

Rahab Hashim

Rahab is a PhD Fellow within the Diabetes Team, Division of Care in Long Term Conditions in the Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care at King’s college, London.

She has been working as a Diabetes Specialist Nurse at Weston General Hospital in North Somerset since 2015 and she is currently co-leading the diabetes nurses team.

Rahab has completed an MSc degree at King’s College in February 2021. The aim of her research was to explore the experience of sexual dysfunction in women with type 1 diabetes.

She was awarded a Doctoral Fellowship from the Foundation of European Nurses in Diabetes (FEND) and joined King’s College as a PhD fellow in September 2021. For her PhD topic, Rahab aims to develop a psychometric scale for the measurement of sexual dysfunction in women with Type 1 diabetes.

Dr Harni Bharaj

Dr Harnovdeep Singh Bharaj is a Consultant Physician in General Medicine, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust and was formerly a clinical lecturer at the University of Manchester. Dr Bharaj pioneered the role of lay educator and diabetes support nurses for South Asians and developed a twilight multidisciplinary clinic for young people with diabetes and a nurse-led diabetes clinic; both initiatives improved access and reduced inequalities in health care delivery.

Dr Bharaj is a Member of the Greater Manchester Structured Patient Education Steering Group; a Member of the Diabetes UK Community Education Insight Advisory Group, and Chair of the North West Youth Diabetes Steering Group.

Dr Bharaj was awarded an MBE in January 2021 in recognition of his services to people with diabetes in the South Asian community

Dr Hibbah Osei-Kwasi

Hibbah Osei-Kwasi is a Lecturer in the School of Sport, Exercise & Health Sciences in the field of Nutrition. She has a BSc in Community Nutrition from the University for Development Studies, Ghana. She then obtained a master’s degree in Nutrition and Rural Development from Ghent University, Belgium, and a PhD in Public Health Nutrition from the University of Sheffield. Prior to commencing her PhD, Hibbah worked as a Research Assistant at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Ghana, where she was involved in various nutrition and intervention research.

Hibbah’s PhD project adopted a mixed method research approach to explore the determinants of dietary behaviour, dietary acculturation and household food insecurity among Ghanaians living in Europe.

After her PhD in 2017, she worked as a research associate on two global public health nutrition projects, and led the development of “The African urban food environment framework for creating healthy nutrition policy and interventions in urban Africa”.

Hibbah was then employed as a lecturer in Public Health Nutrition in the Department of Clinical Sciences and Nutrition at Chester University (2018-2019). Hibbah was awarded the prestigious AXA post-doctoral research fellowship at the University of Sheffield to explore culinary practices of African immigrant women in Greater Manchester and their readiness to prevent overweight/obesity (2019-2022).

Charles Odiase

Charles is a member of the Herts Valley clinical commissioning group diabetes clinical forum. He is a Life and Medical Sciences visiting lecturer at Hertfordshire University, and provides primary care practice based experience training to the school of pharmacy undergraduate students. He also provides diabetes specialist training to postgraduate healthcare professionals such as doctors, pharmacists and nurses etc. Charles is also an Associate of Education for Health UK

Charles is also an existing member of the UK diabetes expert panel IDEAL.

In his Consultant Pharmacist primary care and diabetes specialist role, he runs regular complex diabetes specific surgeries, and other routine long-term condition clinics such as asthma, hypertension and COPD clinics. He provides leadership, support, training and mentorship to other healthcare professionals especially in the area of general practice and diabetes specialist care professional development. Charles’s goal is to help create a world where diabetes can do no harm, fighting the good fight to reduce the human and economic burden of diabetes.

Dr Emma Stapley

Emma grew up in London and completed her undergraduate Psychology degree at the university of Hull and then returned to London and worked in a number of roles with people with Learning Disabilities, Older people with Dementia and in Community Adult Mental Health throughout the early 1990s.

After completing her doctorate at the University of Exeter in 1998, she spent the next 20 years working in Children and Family services with a specialism of working with children and young people with Additional Needs and with behaviour change in general. Emma has been working in Weight Management at Musgrove Park Hospital in Somerset for over six years and for the last 4 years has also worked alongside those having Bariatric Surgery.

She is a peer reviewer for the journal Obesity and has had an active role representing Psychology at national conferences on Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery.

Gemma Mason

Hi all!

My name is Gemma, and I am a nutritionist for Everyone Health’s Weight Management Programmes for Adults and Children. I have a degree in Human Nutrition and a master’s degree in Sport and Exercise Nutrition. I am also accredited with the Association for Nutrition and the British Dietetic Association’s Sport and Exercise Nutrition Register. I joined the Healthy You Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Adult Weight Management team in February 2022 and transferred down to Bracknell in September 2022.

I have taught the fundamentals of nutrition from what a healthy plate looks like to skills to help support behaviour changes and food choice to a more varied and balanced healthy diet. I have also taught parental and pre/post-natal nutrition to help encourage families to eat more healthier together. This support me in my delivery of the children’s healthy school programme during my time with Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and Bracknell Forest during 2022 and 2023 to 2024. In October 2022 I was appointed to be the Weight Management Co-ordinator for both of the Adult and Child Weight Management teams and continue support the teams the best I can. I have also had experience working at multiple events engagement members of the public to help raise awareness of the service Everyone Health provides.

I really enjoy my job as it is shows that even the smallest changes can make a difference. I have always found nutrition interesting as I love cooking and baking. Food is such an important part of our lives and can bring people together. Nutrition is one of the most beneficial ways to help improve health – but it is knowing where to start! That’s why I began my nutrition journey to help individuals with an area of our lives that we can find confusing, and we sometimes neglect.

By joining an Everyone Health Weight Management Programme, not only will you get support with nutrition and physical activity, but it also helps you to connect with others making the same journey too.

Georgia Miller

Hi Everyone,

My name is Georgia and I am the Deputy Operational Manager for the Healthy You Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Contract. I have a Bachelors Degree in Science specialising within Dance and Fitness, alongside a range of exercise qualifications assisting children, adults and the elderly population.

I first joined Healthy You in 2021 as a Physical Activity specialist supporting a range of individuals with their weight loss goals through group exercise sessions and providing 1:1 plans for those requesting more personalised support. Within 2022, I then progressed within the company as weight management coordinator managing a team of 10+ individuals with the expertise in the line of nutrition or physical activity/exercise. Within this role, I would structure programmes to support the local public and targeting particular audiences in specilised programmes such as learning disabilities, pre/post natal and mental health.

After some time within this position, I then progressed within my current role which oversees the FALLS prevention service, Tier 2 weight management and I also assist with Tier 3 weight management operations. Our services are much in demand and keep the team and I very busy. However, its always wonderful to see the amazing yet positive outcomes our services users receive from the expertise of the entire team.

Alongside this position, I am also apart of a working group to update and develop new content for our teams across the entire organisation to share with their service users. Content can range from fact sheets, workbooks, professional exercise/nutritional recordings etc. Its great to be apart of this working group and always finding new methods to support those within our care.

I strive to continue implementing positive strategies to enhance the services I oversee and will always take the time to support with individual cases to make the most out of the service users experiences and opportunities whilst they are within our care.

I much look forward to meeting you all soon and sharing my expertise/knowledge to assist yet support you on your weight management journey.

Catherine Cassell

Catherine has worked in Primary care as a practice nurse for 19 years and for the last 18 months has been supporting GP practices as a diabetes specialist nurse. She is passionate about helping people living with diabetes to improve their health and well being.

https://understandingtype2.mydiabetes.com/register/

Current Status

Price

Get Started

Understanding Type 2 Diabetes and Remission

A clearer understanding of type 2 diabetes starts here.

Explore what type 2 diabetes means for you.

All About Type 2 Diabetes

Weight Management

Move More

Maintaining Type 2 Diabetes Remission

Professor Roy Taylor

People joining our live Q&A.

Join our live Q&A.

Want to join our community?

Need help?

Course Content

Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply