Do you know an outstanding ASPEN member? Nominate them to be featured in an upcoming ASPEN Member Spotlight! Nominate a member here or submit a self-nomination.
Check out who was previously featured in Member Spotlight below.
2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020
April 2024: Ashley Strickland, BS, RDN, LDN, CNSC
Ms. Strickland is the adult clinical dietitian supervisor and surgical/trauma intensive care dietitian at ECU Health, and a member of ASPEN’s Malnutrition Coding and Reimbursement Task Force. She was recently featured in the “Off the Record with Brian Murphy” podcast discussing how to become a dietitian, what nutrition support dietitians do, the dietitian’s role in treating critically ill patients, and coding for malnutrition. You can learn more or listen here. Congratulations on being interviewed, Ms. Strickland!
March 2024: ASPEN24 Card-Makers
This month, we’re spotlighting the ASPEN24 attendees who stopped by ASPEN’s Member Central to make cards for hospitalized patients. Your generous gifts of creativity, time, and thoughtfulness resulted in a donation of nearly 100 cards to Tampa General Hospital in Tampa, FL. Thank you! You can view a video of the hospital’s Patient Family Advisory Council describing the impact the cards will make here.
February 2024: Award Winners
Please join us in offering heartfelt congratulations to our elite group of award-winners! These esteemed awardees, fellows, grant recipients, and abstract winners will be recognized at ASPEN24, and the Harry M. Vars and Promising Investigator awardees will also be selected on Sunday, March 5, at the Rhoads Research Lecture and Awards Ceremony.
January 2024: Pat Anthony Award Donors
ASPEN is so grateful to the generous donors who have made the Patricia Anthony Future Leaders Award possible. Thank you to the contributors for helping to honor Pat and supporting the next generation of clinicians. Your contributions will make a lasting impact on the future of nutrition support.
This new award offers financial support for a deserving student or new practitioner member of ASPEN to attend the ASPEN Nutrition Science & Practice Conference. Congratulations to the first recipient, Amy Copes, who will be joining us at ASPEN24! Ms. Copes is a pharmacy student at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama.
December 2023: Ajay Jain, MD, DNB
Congratulations to Ajay Jain, MD, DNB! Dr. Jain currently serves as the President-Elect on ASPEN’s Board of Directors and was recently featured in a Becker’s GI & Endoscopy article highlighting five physicians on the cutting edge of gastroenterology. Thank you for your contributions to parenteral nutrition, Dr. Jain! Learn more about Dr. Jain and his work to mitigate injuries and side effects of pediatric PN patients here.
November 2023: ASPEN Members Who Received Recent Recognitions
Four ASPEN members were recently honored by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Congratulations to the following individuals who are recipients of the 2023 Academy National Honors and Awards for their contributions to the nutrition and dietetics profession!
- Honorary Membership: Robert G. Martindale, MD, PhD
- Medallion Award: Patricia Becker, MS, RDN, CSP, FAND
- Excellence in Practice Award, Clinical Nutrition: Britta D. Brown, MS, RD, LD, CNSC
- Excellence in Practice Award, Research: Marion F. Winkler, PhD, RD, LDN, CNSC, FASPEN
October 2023: Yimin Chen, PhD, RDN
Congratulations are in order for Dr. Chen, an ASPEN member and Rhoads Research Foundation Grant recipient, for receiving multiple media mentions in the Idaho State Journal; Moscow-Pullman Daily News ; and The Lewiston Tribune related to her successful request for a MAW proclamation from the state of Idaho. Thank you very much for your support of MAW, Dr. Chen!
September 2023: Dr. Teresa Johnson, DCN, RDN, FAND
Congratulations to Dr. Johnson on receiving Troy University’s Wallace D. Malone, Jr. Distinguished Faculty Award! The award recognizes exceptional faculty members who through teaching, meritorious and selfless service, and research, transform vision into reality. Dr. Johnson has also produced several ASPEN videos, for which the Society is very grateful! You can view them below:
Enteral Nutrition and Head and Neck Cancer: Blenderized Tube Feeding for Patients with Head and Neck Cancer
Blenderized Tube Feeding for Adult Enteral Nutrition Patients
Basics of Homemade Blenderized Tube Feeding Preparation
August 2023: Christina Ritchey, MS, RD, LD, CNSC, FASPEN
A hearty congratulations to Ms. Ritchey on her recognition as The Oley Foundation’s 2023 Distinguished Clinician Award recipient! The award recognizes a healthcare professional practicing in the field of home IV nutrition, tube feeding or a related field, who sets an example by promoting innovation in nutrition therapy, or by advocating for someone in their care, and demonstrates a willingness to give of themselves, to educate, empower, and improve the quality of life for home IV nutrition and/or tube feeding consumers.
July 2023: Ajanta Raman, MSN, AGACNP, CNSC
Congratulations to Ajanta Raman, MSN, AGACNP, CNSC, who received the APRN of the Year award from her hospital, University Health Truman Medical Center! The award recognizes an Advanced Practice Registered nurse who exhibits excellence in nursing professional practice, exemplary collaboration, and achieves quality patient care outcomes.
Thank you, Ms. Raman, for your professional excellence and above-and-beyond patient care! And thank you to Linda Lord, NP, ACNP-BC, CNSC, FASPEN, for nominating Ms. Raman for the spotlight!
June 2023: Carol Ireton-Jones, PhD, RDN, CNCS, FASPEN, FAND
Carol Ireton-Jones, PhD, RDN, CNCS, FASPEN, FAND, is a long-time ASPEN member who currently serves on the Clinical Practice Committee, and as a Group Leader on the Abstract Review Committee. She was recently recognized for outstanding achievement by Texas Woman’s University. Dr. Ireton-Jones received the Chancellor’s Alumni Excellence Award in recognition of her exceptional career and her contributions to clinical nutrition. Thank you to Dr. Ireton-Jones for her contributions and service to the field!
May 2023: ASPEN23 Card-Makers
This May, we’re spotlighting ASPEN23 attendees who stopped by Member Central to make cards for hospitalized pediatric and adult patients. Your generous gifts of creativity, time, and thoughtfulness resulted in a donation of nearly 200 cards to the Sunrise Health System in Las Vegas, NV.
April 2023: Paul Wischmeyer, MD, FASPEN, FCCM
ASPEN member Paul Wischmeyer, MD, FASPEN, FCCM was recently featured in an article by the Duke University School of Medicine that spoke to how his experience with ulcerative colitis and inflammatory bowel disease informs the patient care he provides as critical care physician and the physician director of total parenteral nutrition and the nutrition support service at Duke University Hospital.
In the article, he suggests, “Sit down at eye level with the patient, or stand there like you want to be there, not with one foot out the door. Never cross your arms in front of a patient. It looks like you either don't want to talk to them, or there's something you're not telling them. Families and patients are anxious enough."
He also believes that procedures that providers can see as routine may be scary and painful for patients. "Small amounts of sedatives and anxiolytics and better use of pain meds can change that dramatically," he adds. Congratulations on this recognition, Dr. Wischmeyer!
March 2023: Penny Allen, RD, CNSC, FASPEN, FNHIA
The National Home Infusion Association (NHIA) recently announced that ASPEN member Penny Allen, RD, CNSC, FASPEN, FNHIA is the recipient of its 2023 Gene Graves Lifetime Achievement Award. This is the highest honor that NHIA gives to a member of the home and alternate site infusion profession who has dedicated significant time, energy, and resources to advocating on behalf of patients and the industry.
The award announcement states, “Allen’s work with NHIA and the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) was instrumental in changing Medicare’s coverage policy for home parenteral nutrition (HPN) to reflect current clinical practices, an advocacy effort spanning 20 plus years and multiple reconsideration requests.”
It continues, “The revised Local Coverage Determination (LCD) was the first change to the HPN policy since it was created in 1984 and has resulted in significantly improved access to HPN therapy for beneficiaries. In the wake of Medicare’s decision, Allen leveraged her knowledge to promote the new coverage policies… to ensure that all home infusion providers were informed and able to act on behalf of their patients.”
Congratulations on this recognition, Ms. Allen, and thank you for your leadership and service!
February 2023: Mark Corkins, MD, CNSC, FASPEN, AGAF, FAAP
ASPEN member Mark Corkins, MD, CNSC, FASPEN, AGAF, FAAP, was recently featured in an article by The University of Tennessee Health Science Center for his impact and service.
In the article, he says of his service on ASPEN’s task force that constructed a new definition for pediatric malnutrition, “That’s probably one of the best things I’ve ever done.”
He added, “There are parameters we need to look at, and when those parameters are met, we make a formal diagnosis that the patient is malnourished, and we must put the resources in and work on their nutrition.”
Please join ASPEN in congratulating Dr. Corkins on having received this recognition! You can also view the ASPEN Physician Engagement Committee's Spotlight of Dr. Corkins.
January 2023: Kelly A. Tappenden, PhD, RD, FASPEN
The ASPEN Board of Directors is pleased and honored to announce that Kelly A. Tappenden, PhD, RD, FASPEN, has been selected to receive the 2023 ASPEN Champion Award in recognition of her significant and sustained contributions to the association. She will receive the Champion Award at the ASPEN 2023 Nutrition Science & Practice Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Thursday, April 20.
As a longtime ASPEN member, Dr. Tappenden has served on more than 20 committees and the board of directors. She took the helm as ASPEN’s 33rd president in 2008. Two years later, she was named editor-in-chief of the Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (JPEN), a position she held for an unprecedented 12 years.
Read more about Dr. Tappenden’s many contributions to the field of nutrition.
December 2022: Dr. Wilma Bato, Dr. Eliza Francisco, Dr. Melissa Sy, and Dr. Gail Turalba
Several ASPEN members participated in the recent PhilSPEN conference, sharing important education with several hundred attendees. Thank you, Dr. Wilma Bato, Dr. Eliza Francisco, Dr. Melissa Sy, and Dr. Gail Turalba for sharing your expertise. Dr. Turalba, Dr. Bato and Dr. Sy are recent recipients of ASPEN’s PN Fellowship award.
November 2022: Naniel Scott
Congratulations to Naniel Scott for receiving the 2022 Margaret Ware Scholarship for Nutritional Sciences! The scholarship is provided by the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Connecticut. Ms. Scott served as an intern at ASPEN during the summer of 2022. After her internship, she took what she learned back to UCONN and coordinated activities for Malnutrition Awareness WeekTM for other students. We look forward to her continued successes!
October 2022: ASPEN Members Who Received 2022 Academy National Honors and Awards
Several ASPEN members were honored recently by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Congratulations to the following individuals who are recipients of the 2022 Academy National Honors and Awards for their contributions to the nutrition and dietetics profession!
Honorary Membership
George Phillip (Phil) Ayers, BS, PharmD, BCNSP, FMSHP, FASHP
Praveen S. Goday, MB, BS
Medallion Award
Wendy Phillips, MS, RD, CD, CNSC, CLE, NWCC, FAND
Excellence in Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access Promotion Award
Christina M. Rollins, MBA, MS, RDN, LDN, CNSC, FAND
Excellence in Practice Award—Clinical Nutrition
Valaree Williams, MS, RDN, CSO, LDN, CNSC, FAND
Excellence in Practice Award—Communications
Kris M. Mogensen, MS, RD-AP, LDN, CNSC
Excellence in Practice Award—Entrepreneurial
Carol S. Ireton-Jones, PhD, RDN, LD, CNSC, FAND, FASPEN
Excellence in Practice Award—Executive Leadership
Mandy L. Corrigan, MPH, RD, CNSC, FAND, FASPEN
September 2022: ASPEN Members Who Requested Proclamations for Malnutrition Awareness Week
This month we’d like to celebrate and thank the many members who helped apply for over 50 proclamations for Malnutrition Awareness Week! From nearly every state plus Washington, D.C., and the Navajo Nation, requests were sent to state governments to acknowledge the importance of education related to malnutrition. ASPEN appreciates all the hard work members did for this effort!
Pictured are Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, signing a proclamation, along with ASPEN member Allison Gunnoe and other healthcare workers from Stormont-Vail Health and the Cotton O’Neil Cancer Center in Topeka, Kansas along with family, friends, and community members. The proclamation ceremony was featured in an article in the Stormont Vail Health newsletter.
August 2022: Berkeley Limketkai, MD, PhD, and Carolyn Newberry, MD
ASPEN members Berkeley Limketkai, MD, PhD, and Carolyn Newberry, MD, are featured in the Gastroenterology & Endoscopy News article “ Teasing out Malnutrition in IBD Patients,” published August 8, 2022. The article highlights the importance of the multidisciplinary approach in patient care.
June 2022: Mary Chew, RD
Mary Chew, RD, was recently featured in the online newsletter, VA Research Currents: Research News from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. Chew is a research dietitian for the VA and is focused on nutrition support. She is leading a project to evaluate Veteran screening for malnutrition. To learn more about the project including the preliminary results, click here.
April 2022: Beverly Holcombe, PharmD, BCNSP, FASHP, FASPEN
ASPEN congratulates Beverly Holcombe, PharmD, BCNSP, FASHP, FASPEN, on her upcoming retirement from her position as Clinical Practice Specialist at ASPEN (2013-present) at the end of April 2022. Throughout her career, Beverly’s contributions to nutrition support clinical practice and to ASPEN have been innumerable, and her career is truly an inspiration. In her role as Clinical Specialist at ASPEN, she has led several clinical committees to great success, presented and published extensively on various aspects of parenteral and enteral nutrition and served as a model advocate for parenteral nutrition safety. As a volunteer and clinical specialist, Beverly initiated and led ASPEN’s recommendations for the management of parenteral nutrition component and product shortages. Prior to her position at ASPEN, she was a Senior Clinical Specialist in the Department of Pharmacy at the University of North Carolina Health Care and Clinical Professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy for over 25 years.
Throughout her career, Beverly has been an active ASPEN member since 1981, serving on nearly every ASPEN committee, as the Chair of the Pharmacist’s Committee, on ASPEN Task Forces, and as a member of the Board of Directors (secretary 1997), to name a few. She was the recipient of the first ASPEN Distinguished Nutrition Support Pharmacist Award (1992) and the Stanley Serlick Award (2012). In addition, Beverly chaired the first Specialty Council on Nutrition Support Pharmacy for the Board of Pharmacy Specialties, helping to develop the first BCNSP exam. Her incredible career and contributions to nutrition support practice, patient care, and to ASPEN are certainly deserving a profound recognition and gratitude. Please join ASPEN in wishing Beverly all the best in her retirement and our most heartfelt congratulations.
January 2022: Robert Martindale, MD, PhD, FASPEN
The Board of Directors is pleased and honored to announce that Robert Martindale, MD, PhD, FASPEN, is this year’s recipient of the ASPEN Champion Award in recognition of his significant and sustained contributions to the association. The award will be presented to Dr. Martindale at the ASPEN 2022 Nutrition Science & Practice Conference on Sunday, March 27.
As a professor of surgery and the medical director for Hospital Nutrition Services at the Oregon Health & Science University, Dr. Martindale has focused his career on medical, surgical, and nutrition education and on caring for patients with complex nutrition issues. He has received numerous teaching awards for mentoring young physicians and investigators.
Read more about Dr. Martindale’s many contributions to the field of nutrition here. Please join ASPEN in congratulating and thanking Dr. Martindale during ASPEN22 in Seattle. If you are attending virtually, you can send him a message on the conference site.
December 2021: Ezra Steiger, MD, FACS, FASPEN, AGAF
Ezra Steiger, MD, FACS, FASPEN, AGAF, a visionary leader and pioneering researcher and practitioner, will be honored at ASPEN22 in March for his groundbreaking and lifelong contributions to parenteral nutrition and for his years of continuing service to ASPEN and the nutrition community. Read more about Dr. Steiger’s remarkable accomplishments here. You can share a short personal message, photo, or video for Dr. Steiger on our Kudoboard.
November 2021: Valaree Williams, MS, RDN, CSO, LDN, CNSC, FAND
Congratulations to Valaree Williams, MS, RDN, CSO, LDN, CNSC, FAND, for winning a prize from the recent Member Connect Challenge! Valaree is receiving a free year of ASPEN membership just for engaging with others on Member Connect, our online community.
October 2021: Rachel Bayse, MA, RDN, LD
Rachel Bayse, MA, RDN, LD, who is a member of the ASPEN Malnutrition Committee, was recently featured on the American Society on Aging's Generations Now, a blog that discusses aging-related issues. She explained how to diagnose and address malnutrition in older adults and the importance of early diagnosis and intervention. Read her article here.
September 2021: Leah Gramlich, MD, FRCP, FASPEN
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Leah Gramlich, MD, FRCP, FASPEN, recently participated in the Wall Street Journal’s Global Food Forum panel session “Tackling Malnutrition Sustainably.” This session provided valuable information on how malnutrition looks around the world, the importance of collaboration from all stakeholders, and solutions on combatting malnutrition. Dr. Gramlich is an active ASPEN member. She has served on many committees and task forces, and was on the ASPEN Board of Directors from 2018 - 2020. She is a huge advocate in the fight against malnutrition and is currently the co-chair of the Canadian Malnutrition Task Force under the Canadian Nutrition Society. Be sure to register for her Malnutrition Awareness Week™ webinar, Global Perspectives: Nutrition Care as A Human Right, on October 7.
August 2021: Christina Valentine, MD, MS, RD, FAAP
Congratulations to Christina Valentine, MD, MS, RD, FAAP, and team on their Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) funded study. They found that women taking 1,000 mg of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) daily in the second half of their pregnancy had a lower rate of early preterm birth than women who took the standard 200 mg dose. The study appears in EClinicalMedicine. Dr. Valentine is a longtime active member and the current Chair of the Neonatal Section.
July 2021: Linda Lord, NP, ACNP-BC, CNSC
Linda Lord, NP, ACNP-BC, CNSC recently presented at the Oley Foundation's annual conference. The Oley Foundation provides valuable education to patients and caregivers. Her session, "All in the Family - A Multidisciplinary Approach to Drug Nutrient Interactions - A Nursing Perspective", showed the correct ways to give medications through feeding tubes and reviewed the elements that should be included in medication orders. Lord is an active ASPEN member, currently serving as Chair-Elect for the Nutrition Support Nurses Section.
June 2021: Beth Lyman, MSN, RN
Congratulations to Beth Lyman, MSN, RN, long-time ASPEN nursing leader and chair of the NOVEL project. She was highlighted during National Nurses Week by Moog Medical for all her contributions to the clinical nutrition field. Beth has served on the ASPEN Board of Directors, is a fellow of ASPEN and the American Academy of Nursing, and is currently serving as a nutrition support nurse consultant.
May 2021: Peggi Guenter, PhD, RN, FAAN, FASPEN
Congratulations to Peggi Guenter, PhD, RN, FAAN, FASPEN, on being awarded an Honorary Membership to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. This honor is bestowed upon those who have made notable contributions to the field of nutrition and dietetics. Dr. Guenter has been outstanding in her dedication and support to the Academy and the nutrition and dietetics profession.
April 2021: Award Recipients
ASPEN annually recognizes and presents awards to members who have contributed to the field by exhibiting exceptional expertise in clinical practice, education, and advocacy. These award recipients have improved the quality and efficacy of the profession and are great examples for healthcare professionals. View the full list of 2021 Award Winners .
March 2021: Student and Trainee Section
ASPEN’s Student and Trainee Section has launched the first Section Instagram account. Follow them at @ASPEN_Students_Trainees. Meet other students and trainees, and hear about their clinical work and research. Congratulations, Student and Trainee Section!
February 2021: Vijay Srinivasan, MD
ASPEN member Vijay Srinivasan, MD, recently presented on pediatric critical illness with fellow ASPEN members Ann-Marie Brown, CCRN, CPNP, PhD, RN, and Sharon Y. Irving, CRNP, MSN, PhD, at this year’s Society of Critical Care Medicine’s Critical Care Congress. The talk regarding enteral nutrition in children in critical care was highlighted in Medscape Medical News. Check out his advice here.
January 2021: Peggi Guenter, PhD, RN, FAAN, FASPEN
The Nutrition Support Nurses Section dedicated their December meeting to celebrate Peggi Guenter—the second recipient of the ASPEN Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Guenter was presented the award during the ASPEN 2021 Nutrition Science & Practice Conference, held virtually on March 20-23, 2021. In her keynote address, "Tenets of Nutrition Support Clinical Practice," Dr. Guenter shared how her endless curiosity and focus on improving patient care formed her career and linked with the evolution and goals of ASPEN.
December 2020: Mary Baker, PharmD, MBA, FASPEN
Here is a shout out to a Fellow of ASPEN (FASPEN), Dr. Mary Baker. She is the recipient of the George DiDomizio Industry Award from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices. Congratulations, Dr. Baker!
November 2020: Kathleen Gura, PharmD, BCNSP, FASPEN
We would like to give a shout out to long-time member, Dr. Kathleen Gura. She is the recipient of the Pediatric Pharmacy Association’s (PPA) 2020 Richard A. Helms Award of Excellence in Pediatric Pharmacy Practice. Congratulations, Dr. Gura!