Dietary Advisory Council

Melinda Dennis, MS, RDN, LD, is a registered dietitian and Nutrition Coordinator of the Celiac Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Boston) specializing in Medical Nutrition Therapy for gluten-related disorders. She serves on the Executive Committee of the Celiac Research Program at Harvard Medical School, as Program Director of BIDMC’s website: CeliacNow.org, and as a researcher on NIH studies.

Melinda is Senior Nutrition Advisor to the National Celiac Association and serves on the Dietitian Advisory Council for the Celiac Disease Foundation. For two decades she has presented on the nutritional management of celiac disease in the U.S. and abroad. She recently co-authored papers on guidelines for dietary assessment and monitoring of adult patients with celiac disease and co-wrote the Academy’s Certificate in Training for Celiac Disease and Gluten Related Disorders. She is the founder of Delete the Wheat, LLC., offering nutrition education to patients, clinicians, and the gluten-free industry.

Anne Lee is an Assistant Professor of Nutritional Medicine in the Department of Medicine and the Institute for Human Nutrition at Columbia University and the dietitian for the Celiac Disease Center. Anne is involved in patient care, and research. Her research and many publications focus on the quality-of-life issues, dietary adherence, concerns of the nutritional quality of the gluten free diet and eating patterns and behaviors. The research on eating behaviors has provided insight into the impact of the rigidity of the gluten free diet on eating patterns and behaviors and has created a paradigm shift in the education and counseling of individuals with celiac disease. Currently she is working with an international group to define standards for nutritional assessment, education, and adherence of individuals with celiac disease.

Jessica Lebovits, RD is a registered dietitian living in New York City who is passionate about helping those with gastrointestinal conditions. She earned her undergraduate degree at Cornell University and completed her dietetic internship at Northwell Health. Jessica has been working as a clinical outpatient dietitian at Columbia University’s Celiac Disease Center for the past 7+ years. She also sees patients through her own private practice, Jessica Nutrition. Jessica is an expert in celiac disease and other gluten-related disorders. Jessica has celiac disease herself and is otherwise known as the @gfree_rd. Her research focuses on improving quality of life for those with celiac disease, especially related to dating and relationships. She also published guidelines for micronutrient considerations in celiac disease. Jessica is the co-leader of the celiac disease and gluten-related disorders workgroup. She loves helping others meet their goals, live a healthy lifestyle, and enjoy food to the fullest!

Joanna Perl, MS, RDN received her Master’s in Nutrition Education from Columbia University and trained with the Celiac Center at Columbia University before joining her current team at Center for Human Nutrition at Vanderbilt Medical Center. There she serves as the lead dietitian at the Celiac Clinic seeing patients from the throughout the Southeast.

Sharon Weston, MS, RD, CSP, LDN is a Senior Clinical Nutrition Specialist at Boston Children’s Hospital and a board-certified specialist in pediatric nutrition with over 30 years of clinical experience. She works with a diverse patient population across the Gastroenterology, Nutrition, and Endocrinology Departments and is deeply committed to the concept of “Food as Medicine.” Sharon empowers patients to incorporate food into their nutrition prescriptions in a practical and sustainable way, promoting long-term wellness and meaningful health improvements.

A dedicated member of North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (NASPGHAN), Sharon serves as co-chair of the NASPGHAN Culinary Medicine Working Group within the Nutrition Committee, leading initiatives to integrate culinary medicine into patient care and provider education. Her research has earned national recognition, including the NASPGHAN/CPNP 2022 Nutrition Research Award for her study, “Utilization of a Hospital-Based Food Pantry and Associated Nutrition Education and Cooking Program for Patients with Celiac Disease.” In 2023, she was also honored with the CPNP Dietitian of Excellence Award. She also serves on the Executive Committee of the Society for the Study of Celiac Disease (SSCD) and is co-chair of the SSCD webinar committee.

At Boston Children’s Hospital, Sharon hosts monthly cooking classes for the hospital’s food pantry, focusing on gluten-free recipes to support patients with celiac disease and other dietary needs. She is also a published author, most recently co-authoring “Applications of Culinary Medicine in the Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition Field” in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition (2024).

Sadie Nagle, MS, RD, LD, is a registered dietitian and nutrition expert specializing in celiac disease and the gluten-free diet. With a commitment to improving the lives of individuals affected by celiac disease, Sadie combines clinical expertise with a deep understanding of the challenges faced by those following a gluten-free lifestyle. Sadie is passionate about empowering individuals with celiac disease to lead healthy, fulfilling lives while managing their condition with confidence and practical solutions. Sadie’s research interests include investigating methods to improved dietary adherence and quality of life within the pediatric population and developing gluten-free diet assessment tools for registered dietitians to utilize in clinical practice as well as in research protocols.

Janelle Smith, MS, RDN, CEDS (she/her) is a registered dietitian nutritionist specializing in gluten related disorders as well as disordered and restrictive eating patterns in patients with digestive disorders. She is a Senior Dietitian with UCLA Health Digestive Diseases Nutrition Program, serving as the lead dietitian for their Celiac Disease Program. She has held several leadership positions in the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics group Dietitians in Gluten and Gastrointestinal Disorders, and is also former staff at Celiac Disease Foundation.

Renee Euler, MS, RDN is the owner of a private practice specializing in gastrointestinal conditions in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She understands the importance of receiving accurate nutrition advice for celiac disease as she herself has maintained a gluten free diet for celiac disease for almost 30 years. In addition to private practice, Renee is a Nutrition Department faculty member at Central New Mexico Community College.

Renee enjoys serving the celiac disease and dietitian community in a variety of ways. She is the past Chair for the Dietitians in Gluten and Gastrointestinal Disorders (DIGID), a subunit of the Dietitians in Medical Nutrition Therapy (DMNT) dietetic practice group within the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND). She has also held leadership roles with the American Gastroenterological Association and the Rome Foundation’s Diet and Nutrition Section. She also leads a local celiac disease support group. She received both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in nutrition from the University of New Mexico.