Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health

Faculty

Aoife Ryan

Assistant Professor of Nutrition

Aoife Ryan

Phone: 212 998 5593
Email:

Aoife Ryan graduated from Trinity College Dublin with a BSc in Human Nutrition and Dietetics in 1999, and later went on to complete her PhD in 2008 at the Department of Surgery. She is Registered Dietitian and has 9 years of dietetics experience in both clinical research and acute care both in Ireland and the US.

Aoife's main interests are in the metabolic consequences of central obesity and how they relate to cancer risk. Aoife is also interested in modulation of the immune system and inflammation by nutritional means. While working as a PhD student Aoife was awarded research grants totallying 0.4 million Euro. The first from the Health Researh Board in Ireland was for a study she designed to examine the effect of central obesity and metabolic syndrome, on cancer stage and survival in esophageal, colorectal and breast cancer, and the second grant she received from Abbott Laboratories to design and conduct a randomised double-blinded clinical trial with a tube feed enriched with Omega 3 fatty acids in the setting of major cancer surgery.

She has taught Nutrition at Trinity College Dublin to Nursing, Medical and Dietetic students in the past, and has presented her research at several international scientific meetings. As well as publishing several peer reviewed articles she enjoys writing on nutritional issues for the general nursing and medical media.


Degrees Held

  • BS, RD (Trinity College Dublin) 1999
    Human Nutrition & Dietetics
  • PhD (Trinity College Dublin) 2008

Publications

  • Ryan A, Power DG, Reynolds JV. Immuno-nutrition in Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgery. Annals of Surgery, 2009, 249 (6):1062-3
  • Ryan A, Reynolds JV, Healy L, Byrne M, Moore J, Brannelly N, McHugh A, McCormack D, Flood P. "Enteral Nutrition enriched with Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) Preserves lean body mass following Esophageal Cancer Surgery: Results of a Double-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial". Annals of Surgery (2009) 249(3): 355-363. (link)
  • Ryan A, Healy L, Power DG, Reynolds JV. "Modifiable Risk Factors Related to Barrett Esophagus". Annals of Surgery (2009), 249(2):352-353
  • Ryan A, Healy L, Power DG, M Byrne, S Murphy, PJ Byrne, JV Reynolds. Feature Article: "Barrett’s Esophagus: Prevalence of Central Adiposity, Metabolic Syndrome and a Pro-Inflammatory State". Annals of Surgery (2008) 247(6): 909 – 915. (link)
  • Ryan A, Healy L, Rowley SP, Reynolds JV. "Short-term Nutritional Implications of Total Gastrectomy for Malignancy, and the Impact of Parenteral Nutritional Support." Clinical Nutrition, (2007) 26; 718-727 (link)
  • Ryan A, Hearty A, Prichard RS, Cunningham A, Rowley SP, Reynolds JV. "Hypoalbuminaemia on the first day post esophagectomy may predict short-term adverse outcomes". Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery (2007) Oct; 11(10):1355-1360 (link)
  • Ryan A, Rowley A, Healy L, Flood P, Ravi N, Reynolds JV. "Post-Oesophagectomy Early Enteral Nutrition via a Needle Catheter Jejunostomy: 8 year Experience at a Specialist Unit." Clinical Nutrition (2006) 25(3):386-93 (link)
  • Ryan A, Rowley S, Fitzgerald A, Ravi N, Reynolds JV "Adenocarcinoma of the Oesophagus and Gastric Cardia: Male preponderance in association with obesity." European Journal of Cancer (2006) 42(8):1151-1158 (link)
  • Healy L, Ryan A, Gopinath B, Ravi N, Rowley S, Byrne PJ, Reynolds JV. "Impact of Obesity on Outcomes in the Management of Localized Adenocarcinoma of the Oesophagus and Oesophagogastric Junction" Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, (2007), 134(5): 1284-1291. (link)
  • Healy LA, Ryan A, Connolly E, Boyle T, Rowley S, Kennedy MJ, Reynolds JV. "Obesity increases the risk of Postmenopausal Breast Cancer and is associated with more advanced stage at presentation but no impact on survival". The Breast Journal (Accepted for Publication, In Press)
  • Healy LA, Ryan A, Moore J, Rowley S, Reynolds JV. "Health Related Quality of Life (HRQL) Assessmemt May Predict Complications and Early Relapse in Patients with Localised Cancer of the Esophagus". Diseases of the Esophagus (2008) 21(6):522-8 (link)
  • Reynolds JV, Ravi N, Hollywood D, Kennedy MJ, Rowley S, Ryan A, Hughes N, Byrne PJ. "Neoadjuvant chemoradiation may increase the risk of respiratory complications and sepsis after transthoracic esophagectomy." Journal Thoracic and Cardiothoracic Surgery, 2006 Sept;132(3):549-55. (link)
  • Azim K, McManus R, Brophy K, Ryan A, Kelleher D, Reynolds JV. "Genetic polymorphisms and the risk of infection following esophagectomy. positive association with TNF-alpha gene -308 genotype." Annals of Surgery (2007) Jul; 246(1):122-8. (link)

Courses

E33.2061 Research Applications

E33.1260 Diet Assessment & Planning

E33.2209  Seminar in Advanced Nutrition: Diseased Gut

Research Interests

Immunonutrition

Cancer Cachexia

Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome & Cancer