Fellowships Will Advance Enteral Nutrition Therapy as a Necessary Component of Care For Acute and Chronically Ill Patients

MINNETONKA, Minn., Dec. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nestle HealthCare Nutrition, Inc. today announced the creation of a new Enteral Nutrition Fellowship Program designed to transform patient care by providing physicians specializing in trauma, surgery, gastroenterology, endocrinology and critical care with intensive training in nutrition therapy at some of the nation's leading medical centers.

A new initiative of the Nestle Nutrition Institute (NNI) and led by Nestle HeatlhCare Nutrition, the fellowship program is designed to integrate enteral nutrition therapy into medical practice, improve patient outcomes and better manage chronic diseases in clinical settings. Towards these ends, Nestle HealthCare Nutrition is committed to identifying, training and building a nationwide network of physician nutrition leaders working to advance clinical nutrition knowledge as they relate to various chronic diseases.

"The Nestle Enteral Nutrition Fellowship Program emphasizes the importance of nutrition therapy in the hospitalized patient, particularly calling attention to the mechanisms behind the fact that early, sufficient enteral nutrition therapy reduces complications, shortens hospitalization and possibly reduces mortality," said Stephen McClave, MD, president of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.). "This fellowship provides an intensive emergent course that raises the playing field of the mentee and hastens the pathway towards true expertise in clinical nutrition. Fostering the knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm for enteral nutrition therapy among medical practitioners is clearly an important first step."

David Yates, Regional Business Head of Nestle HealthCare Nutrition, said the fellowship program represents the company's commitment to build this professional knowledge. "Through this effort, Nestle HealthCare Nutrition will create a network of physician leaders with the knowledge and nutrition skills needed to become change agents in institutions where enteral nutrition is too often an after-thought, rather than part of the critical care equation," Yates noted.

Endorsed by A.S.P.E.N. and the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), the Nestle Nutrition Institute Enteral Nutrition Fellowship Program provides physicians a learning experience in nutrition therapy like no other in medical practice.

Over the course of a year, a core group of medical and surgery subspecialty fellows will receive intensive one-on-one mentoring and clinical training from recognized leaders in the field while taking part in professional development activities designed to build a national network of nutrition physician leaders. The 2010-2011 Fellowships will be awarded in March 2010 with individual start dates of August and October 2010 and March 2011. Some of the nation's leading experts in medical nutrition and nutrition research will serve as faculty for 2010-2011, including: Robert Martindale, MD, PhD, at Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU); Stephen McClave, MD, at the University of Louisville School of Medicine; Mark DeLegge, MD, at the Medical College of South Carolina; and Frederick Moore, MD, at Weill Cornell Medical College.

The new fellowship program will advance the practice of clinical nutrition by supporting a year of didactic and clinical experiences, including a four week clinical rotation where fellows are exposed to an intense educational curriculum while participating in hospital rounds and learning tube feeding related procedures. The fellowship also provides mentoring and professional support enabling participants to publish, identify research interests and participate in U.S. and international professional meetings, including the A.S.P.E.N. Clinical Nutrition Week meeting.

"Subspecialists need more education about the role of nutrition therapy in the care of patients who have chronic conditions and underlying nutritional deficiencies. Participants in the Nestle Nutrition Institute Enteral Nutrition Fellowship Program will develop a deep understanding of nutrition management as an invaluable healthcare tool that can improve patient outcomes," said Dr. DeLegge, chair of the AGA Institute Nutrition and Obesity initiative.

The launch of the Nestle Nutrition Institute Enteral Nutrition Fellowship Program follows a successful 2009 pilot program where two leading specialists in nutrition therapy - Dr. Martindale and Dr. McClave - trained Laszlo Kiraly, MD, assistant professor in trauma, critical care and acute care surgery at OHSU and Keith Miller, MD, surgical critical care fellow at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. Pilot program feedback indicates that intense immersion into the science and practice of specialized nutrition significantly increases the skill levels of physicians treating acute and chronically ill patients while creating a long term professional commitment to nutrition. These emerging nutrition experts further influence medical practice through their training of medical students and residents.

"It is fair to say this fellowship changed everything I ever knew or thought I knew about nutrition therapy," said Dr. Kiraly. "For most practitioners today, nutrition is a secondary consideration of treatment and not viewed as critical to patient care. After this fellowship, I intend to be on the front lines in changing this outdated view among my colleagues."

This competitive program is open to U.S. medical graduates currently enrolled in an ACGME-accredited specialty fellowship in trauma, surgery, pulmonary critical care, gastroenterology, gastroenterology surgery and endocrinology. Individuals interested in the fellowship can download the application package at www.nestlenutrition.com/us.

About Nestle Healthcare Nutrition and the Nestle Nutrition Institute

Through science-based nutrition products and services, Nestle Healthcare Nutrition, part of Nestle S.A., the world's largest nutrition, health and wellness company, offers complete nutritional solutions for people with specific illnesses, disease states or the ongoing challenges of different life stages. To contribute to proper nutrition information and education of healthcare providers, Nestle Healthcare Nutrition works in collaboration with the Nestle Nutrition Institute (NNI), which sponsors workshops, produces and distributes publications for health professionals, disseminates printed, audio-visual and electronic materials to health processionals for continued education and integration in healthcare settings, and provides scholarships for postgraduate study or training in fields related to health and nutrition. For information about the Nestle Nutrition Institute, health professionals can visit www.nestlenutrition-institute.org.

SOURCE Nestle HealthCare Nutrition, Inc.

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