Beyond Weight: Nutritional Insights and New Evidence for Catch-Up Growth

Aydan Kansu, MD

Professor, Ankara University, School of Medicine
Head of Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Ankara, Turkey 

Dr Aydan Kansu is a distinguished expert in pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition. She completed her fellowship in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at Ankara University, School of Medicine in 1995. Since 2009, she has been serving as the Head of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at the same institution. Her main areas of interest include celiac disease, focusing on its prevalence in Turkey, diagnostic methods, and its effects on bone metabolism; chronic viral hepatitis B, particularly treatment modalities and side effects; cow’s milk allergy, with an emphasis on awareness tools and treatment; inflammatory bowel diseases, especially early-onset cases and nutritional status; and malnutrition, including diagnostic approaches and management of treatment. Professor Dr Kansu has over 100 publications and more than 1500 citations, reflecting her significant contributions to the field.

Mandy YL Ow, PhD, BPharm

Senior Clinical Scientist
Abbott Nutrition Research & Development
Asia-Pacific Center, Singapore 

Mandy is a Senior Clinical Scientist at Abbott Nutrition Research & Development, Asia-Pacific Centre. She specializes in designing and leading clinical research that translates into evidence-based nutrition care, with a focus on oral nutritional supplementation (ONS) for diverse populations—including children with undernutrition, adults with malnutrition, and individuals with diabetes.

At Abbott, Mandy is the lead scientist for the SPROUT (Supporting Pediatric GRowth and Health OUTcomes) trial, which has delivered pivotal evidence on the benefits of ONS combined with dietary counseling. SPROUT demonstrates that this approach drives true linear catch-up growth and improves body composition and bone mineralization, while reducing sick days and illness-related school absences—findings presented at major international conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals.

Previously, Mandy directed clinical evidence generation for nutrition and health products at Suntory Beverage and Food Asia through randomized trials and meta-analyses. She also brings real-world evidence expertise from her tenure at the Observational and Pragmatic Research Institute. Mandy earned her PhD in Health Economics & Outcomes Research and a First-Class Honours Bachelor of Pharmacy from the National University of Singapore. Earlier in her career, she served as a Regulatory Specialist at Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority and as an Instructor at Duke-NUS Medical School’s Centre of Regulatory Excellence—experiences that shaped her holistic approach to evidence generation and translation.