Making sense of microbiome testing: From data overwhelm to clinical clarity

This course...

is: an online live course

is for: Nutritional therapy practitioners, nutritionists, dietitians, naturopaths, integrative GPs, other appropriately qualified healthcare providers and final-year nutrition students who want to interpret stool testing and microbiome data more critically and apply findings in an evidence-based, person-centred way.

is led by: Hannah Braye, MSc

spans: 1 day

provides: ION CPD 5 hours, BANT CPD 5 hours, NNA CPD 5 hours

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This course focuses on how to use functional stool and microbiome testing confidently in clinical practice. It explores what different testing methods can, and cannot tell us, how to recognise clinically meaningful patterns, and how to translate complex results into actionable clinical insights.

Stool testing can provide a valuable window into gastrointestinal physiology, microbial ecology and clinically relevant patterns, but the expanding range of tests and volume of data can make both test selection and interpretation challenging. Practitioners are often faced with apparently conflicting markers, long lists of microorganisms, and uncertainty about whether a detected organism is clinically meaningful. This course aims to build confidence in selecting appropriate, high-quality testing, critically interpreting results in context, and looking beyond individual organisms to understand the microbiome through a functional lens.

The course will begin by exploring the evolving landscape of stool and microbiome testing, examining how different testing methodologies, technologies and quality standards influence what can be detected and reported. It will then explore how key gastrointestinal health markers can be integrated with microbiome findings to identify patterns of physiological and microbial imbalance, using examples such as intestinal inflammation, impaired barrier function and slow transit. The course will consider pathogens and pathobionts through this wider ecological and clinical context, exploring when detection is clinically meaningful and how this can inform management. Finally, participants will take a deeper dive into functional dysbiosis and use case-based learning to translate patterns within test results into prioritised, personalised and evidence-informed interventions.

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About the presenter:

Hannah Braye MSc, mBANT, CNHC Registered

Hannah Braye is a Registered Nutrition Practitioner accredited by the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT). She holds a Master’s degree in Personalised Nutrition, with her research focused on the gut microbiome, alongside a Clinical Practice Diploma in Naturopathic Nutrition.
Hannah currently works as Clinical Education Director at Invivo Healthcare and UK Education Lead at Microba, working at the intersection of microbiome science and clinical practice. Her expertise spans microbiome diagnostics, clinical interpretation and nutritional therapeutics, with a particular focus on translating complex and emerging microbiome science into practical, evidence-based approaches for healthcare practitioners.
Prior to her current roles, Hannah was Head of Technical Advice at probiotic specialists ADM Protexin (Bio-Kult) and ran her own nutrition practice specialising in gut health. She is an experienced clinical educator and scientific communicator, supporting practitioner education and professional development in evidence-based gut health and microbiome science.