Konstantina Morogianni holds a B.Sc. in Nutrition and Dietetics from Harokopio University and an M.Sc. in Nutrition and the Microbiome from the Medical School of Democritus University. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Clinical Dietetics at the Laboratory of Dietetics and Quality of Life at the Agricultural University of Athens, under the supervision of Prof. Kalliopi-Anna Poulia. Konstantina’s doctoral research focuses on nutritional aspects in Crohn’s disease (CD). Her initial goal for pursuing this Ph.D. was to delve deeper into the complex interactions of CD with diet, and to highlight the quintessence of nutritional care in disease progress, which is often neglected. Towards that direction, she has completed a pilot randomized controlled trial exploring dietary therapies for adult Crohn’s disease at Evangelismos General Hospital of Athens, driven by the fundamental patients' question: “What should I eat and what should I avoid?”. Konstantina has always been enthralled by the universality of science, and the Fulbright Foundation made it possible for her to collaborate with the global academic community.

As a Fulbright Visiting Research Student during her six-month academic visit, she will collaborate with Prof. James Lewis’s team at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research will focus on the body composition assessment with computed tomography and outcomes of surgery for Crohn’s disease. The aim of the project is to leverage novel imaging modalities developed at the host institution to assess body composition, including sarcopenia, among CD patients undergoing CD-related surgery. The project has great potential to advance preoperative care and our understanding of factors contributing to postoperative complications for patients with CD. A formal assessment of sarcopenia may facilitate early intervention. The potential benefits of the outlined initiative are broad and extend far beyond the enhancement of perioperative care in CD patients. The acquired expertise is likely to be the engine of leveraging National Healthcare System registries. Sarcopenia screening optimization via new technologies can advance preoperative care of all surgical patients and reduce surgery-related burden.