Cancer Treatment Centers of America Clinicians to Receive the "Clinical Nutrition Team of Distinction Award" from the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition

CTCA to be recognized at A.S.P.E.N  Conference in January 2014

SCHAUMBURG, Ill., Jan. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA) has been recognized by  the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.) with the organization's  "Clinical Nutrition Team of Distinction Award".  Members of the CTCA professional staff will be honored by A.S.P.E.N  at its Clinical Nutrition Week Conference in Savannah , GA this January 2014.  This award is presented to multi-discipline clinical teams that exemplify excellence in interdisciplinary clinical nutrition practice in compliance with A.S.P.E.N. standards, guidelines and values. 

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"It is an honor to be receiving this award, mainly because it is recognition of our excellent care for patients," said Carolyn Lammersfeld, MS, RD, CSO, LD, CNSC, and CTCA Vice President of Integrative Medicine.  "We are excited for this recognition because this is about developing talent and doing what is in the best interest of our patients.  As an organization, A.S.P.E.N. is a leading professional organization in the field of clinical nutrition.  To be recognized with this distinction is quite a remarkable feat.  Participating in Clinical Nutrition Week is something we always look forward to, and receiving this award will make the conference even more memorable for our team."

Clinical teams being considered as recipients for this distinguished award must meet the following qualifications:

• A minimum of three evidence based ASPEN standards, clinical practice guidelines, and/or practice recommendations are used in the care of patients;
• Teams must have at least two members from different disciplines that are A.S.P.E.N. members;
• The team must demonstrate involvement with a nutrition support quality improvement project;
• At least two team members must  have demonstrated involvement with nutrition support organizational activities in the past three years;
• A minimum of 2 clinicians from different disciplines are board certified in nutrition support;
• Team members must have presented and/or published at least 2 abstracts and/or papers in the last 3 years at an ASPEN event or in one of their journals;
• And all team members must have had at least two contact hours annually of continuing education in nutrition support in the past three years.

In addition to being recognized with the Clinical Nutrition Team of Distinction Award, CTCA representatives will have a strong presence at Clinical Nutrition Week. Pankaj Vashi, MD, will be presenting an oral abstract on the patients receiving home parenteral nutrition and the low infection rate at CTCA, as compared with the national average.  Dr. Vashi and Kristen Trukova, MS, RD will also be presenting a roundtable on the role of Vitamin D in cancer prevention, treatment and survivorship.  Mae Walrath, RD will be presenting a poster abstract on "Gastrointestinal Side Effects and Adequacy of Enteral Intake in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Patients."  Brooke McIntyre, RD and Jessica Engelbrecht, RD will be presenting a poster abstract on "A retrospective analysis of thiamine deficiency in oncology patients."  Dr. Vashi, Digant Gupta, MD, MPH, Brenten Popiel, BS, Gwen Lambert, and Lammersfeld, will be presenting a poster abstract on "Outcomes of Systematic Nutritional Assessment and Medical Nutrition Therapy in Pancreatic Cancer."  Additionally, Dr. Vashi and Popiel will be presenting "Catheter-related Bloodstream Infection Rates in Advanced Oncology Patients on Home Parenteral Nutrition:  Impact of a Standardized Catheter Care Protocol" both orally and through a poster presentation.   

"While the award is going to be an outstanding reflection of our approach and dedication to patient care, presenting our work to peers is equally rewarding," said Dr. Vashi.  "Our team has done amazing work in the past year and we are honored to be recognized by A.S.P.E.N. and share research with other clinical teams for the advancement of patient care."

About Cancer Treatment Centers of America^®

Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Inc. (CTCA) is a national network of hospitals focusing on complex and advanced stage cancer.  CTCA offers a comprehensive, fully integrative approach to cancer treatment and serves patients from all 50 states at facilities located in Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Tulsa.  Known for delivering the Mother Standard^® of care and Patient Empowerment Medicine^®, CTCA provides patients with information about cancer and their treatment options so they can control their treatment decisions. For more information about CTCA, go to www.cancercenter.com.

SOURCE Cancer Treatment Centers of America