Sarah Melton, APD
Sarah Melton is an Accredited Practising Dietitian with extensive experience across hospital and private practice settings in metropolitan Melbourne. She is known for her compassionate, evidence-based approach to supporting individuals with complex gastrointestinal conditions.
Sarah completed her Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics at Monash University and currently works as a senior clinical dietitian at a major tertiary public hospital. In this role, she provides expert nutritional care to patients with a broad range of gastrointestinal conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), disorders of gut-brain interactions (including Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and those undergoing gastrointestinal surgery.
Sarah is also undertaking a PhD at Monash University, where she is investigating the effects of Exclusive Enteral Nutrition in patients with Crohn’s disease. Her research is supported by a publicly funded research grant and a Crohn’s & Colitis Australia PhD scholarship, reflecting her commitment to advancing clinical care through research. Sarah has published her work in peer-reviewed journals and presented at international and national Gastroenterology conferences. Sarah is a Co-Founder, board member and Head of Communications and Engagement at GI Dream (Gastrointestinal Dietitians in Research Education Advocacy and Mentoring), a health promotion charity focusing on improving the role of diet in gastrointestinal disease.
Sarah has a special interest in the role of diet in managing inflammatory bowel disease and is passionate about delivering high-quality, personalised nutrition support for people living with IBD, eosinophilic oesophagitis, coeliac disease, and functional gut disorders such as IBS. Her approach blends scientific knowledge with practical, real-world strategies to help her clients improve their gut health and quality of life.
Research
Melton S, Abdelmalak J, Burgell R, Fitzpatrick JA. The Importance of Dietary Measures for
Clinical Utility. Am J Gastroenterol. 2025;00-1. DOI: 10.14309/ajg.0000000000003260
Melton S, Swaminathan A, Fitzpatrick J. Letter: Exclusive Enteral Nutrition in Ulcerative Colitis— The Path Ahead Needs Careful Consideration. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2025;61: 1577-
1578. https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.70091
Melton SL, Day AS, Bryant RV, Halmos EP. Revolution in diet therapy for inflammatory bowel disease. JGH Open. 2024;8:e13097. DOI: doi:10.1002/jgh3.13097.
Melton SL, Halmos EP. Editorial: One step closer to personalised nutrition therapy for irritable bowel syndrome. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2023;58:554-554. https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17633
Commins I, Clayton-Chubb D, Melton S, Majeed A, Kemp W, Roberts SK. Initial outcomes of a
dedicated multidisciplinary non-alcoholic fatty liver disease clinic: a retrospective cohort study. Intern Med J. 2023 Mar 7. doi: 10.1111/imj.16055. Epub ahead of print
Melton SL, Taylor KM, Gibson PR, Halmos EP. Review article: Mechanisms in underlying the effectiveness of exclusive enteral nutrition in Crohn’s disease. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2023;00:1-16. Doi:10.1111/apt.17451
Fitzpatrick J, Melton SL, Burgell RE. Dietary management of eosinophilic oesophagitis. Med J
Aust 2023; 219 (8): 340-343. || doi: 10.5694/mja2.52101
Melton SL, Fitzpatrick JA, Taylor KM, et al. Lessons from an audit of exclusive enteral nutrition in adult inpatients and outpatients with active Crohn’s disease: a single-centre experience. Frontline Gastroenterology. 2022 June 24. doi: 10.1136/flgastro-2022-102173
Fitzpatrick JA*, Melton SL*, Yao CK, Gibson PR, Halmos EP. Dietary management of adults with IBD – the emerging role of dietary therapy. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 2022 Oct;19(10):652- 669. doi: 10.1038/s41575-022-00619-5. Epub 2022 May 16. *equal first-author contribution
Day A, Wood J, Melton S, Bryant R. Exclusive Enteral Nutrition: An optimal care pathway for use in adult patients with active Crohn's disease. JGH Open. 2019 Sep 10;4(2):260-266