Celiac Disease: Getting the Supports You Need – A Live Virtual Event
As part of the educational content and resources we’ve planned for Celiac Disease Awareness Month, we’re hosting a free virtual panel featuring experts discussing the different ways you can get the support you need when living gluten-free.
WHAT: Celiac Disease: Getting the Supports You Need
WHEN: Wednesday, May 26, 2021 at 5pm PT/8pm ET
A celiac disease diagnosis can be both a shock and a relief: shock to hear your health condition means you have to make permanent changes to how you live and relief that you finally know what’s wrong.
Getting the supports you need after diagnosis can help you navigate the physical, mental, and emotional challenges you might face.
Know someone with celiac disease? This event can help you as you look for ways to support them!
In this dynamic panel, we’ll talk about:
- The pros and cons of support from family and friends
- How to find reputable sources of information online – and avoid misinformation
- The scientific benefits of peer-to-peer support and support groups
- Identifying and working with healthcare providers in addition to your doctor
Our guest experts include a medical doctor, a GI psychologist, and a GIG Support Group leader who is also a registered dietitian who works with celiac disease patients.
Our co-moderators are Lola O’Rourke, MS, RDN, GIG’s Education Coordinator (who has been gluten-free for over 20 years), and Aliza Sherman, GIG Communications Specialist (who has non-celiac gluten sensitivities).
Bring your questions and curiosity to learn more from our Guest Experts:
- Dr. Dale Lee, MD, Pediatric Gastroenterology, Seattle Children’s Hospital
- Alyse Bedell, GI Health Psychologist Assistant Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neuroscience, The University of Chicago
- Lori Welstead, RDN, U of Chicago Celiac Disease Center and GIG Chicago Support Group Co-Leader
This free virtual event is the first in a series of panel discussions GIG will host this year to help make life easier for everyone living gluten-free. All are welcome.
Register in advance for this event. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
About Our Guest Experts
We’re excited to bring you this knowledgeable panel to cover some of the different ways to get support for living gluten-free.
Dr. Dale Lee, MD, Pediatric Gastroenterology, Seattle Children’s Hospital
Dale Lee, MD, MSCE is a member of the Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology program at Seattle Childrens Hospital. He grew up in Oregon, but left the Pacific Northwest for many years before returning to Seattle. After graduating magna cum laude from Rice University in Houston, he earned a medical doctorate at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. He completed specialty training in pediatrics at the Childrens Medical Center of Dallas and was selected Chief Resident. Dr. Lee completed dual fellowship training in Pediatric Gastroenterology and also Nutrition at The Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. He also obtained a master’s degree in clinical epidemiology from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Lee is happy to be back in the Pacific Northwest and part of the team at Seattle Childrens Hospital. He is co-chair of the Seattle Childrens Nutrition Committee and director of the Celiac Disease Program.
Alyse Bedell, GI Health Psychologist Assistant Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neuroscience, The University of Chicago
Dr. Alyse Bedell is a gastrointestinal (GI) health psychologist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Chicago. Dr. Bedell earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, where she also completed her postdoctoral fellowship in psychogastroenterology. Dr. Bedell established the psychogastroenterology service at the University of Chicago, where she provides evidence-based brain-gut therapies to patients with gastrointestinal disorders and provides psychogastroenterology training and supervision to clinical psychology interns and externs.
Lori Welstead, RDN, U of Chicago Celiac Disease Center and GIG Chicago Support Group Co-Leader
Lori Welstead is a registered dietitian nutritionist from University of Chicago Medicine. Specializing in adult gastrointestinal diseases and functional GI disorders for over 16 years with both the Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Celiac Disease Centers at University of Chicago. Lori loves trying new foods and traveling. Her husband is a chef, and Lori’s celiac disease diagnosis almost six years ago really impacted not only her, but her husband as well. The diagnosis has changed and challenged the way the couple eat and socialize. Lori has a goal to help each patient find joy in eating and realistic changes to optimize their nutrition and quality of life.
About Our Co-Moderators
Lola O’Rourke, RDN is a registered dietitian nutritionist with degrees in biology, psychology, and nutrition. Her career has encompassed a variety of food- and nutrition-related work with positions in the food industry, public health, restaurants, catering, cookie businesses, and in public relations and media. As a national media spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, she delivered nutrition information to consumers through media interviews in print, radio, and television, including many in Spanish. She is GIG’s Education Coordinator.
Aliza Sherman is a writer and a published author of 12 books including The Happy, Healthy Nonprofit; Social Media Engagement for Dummies; and Mom, Incorporated. Her articles have appeared in magazines such as Entrepreneur and Costco Magazine and on websites including WeAreAgeist.com and Mashable.com. She has also filed radio segments for NPR affiliates in Wyoming and Alaska and for “Marketplace” on NPR. In her spare time, she podcasts. She is a Communications Specialist at GIG.
Remember to register in advance for this event.
We look forward to seeing you there!