NOCSPEN Newsletter: January 2020
In this Issue
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Message from the President
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Upcoming Event
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CNSC tibits
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Latest in the News
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Member Spotlight
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Get Involved with NOCSPEN
I want to thank Evelyn Tsui for her leadership as President in 2019! I also want to thank you for your support and membership in ASPEN and NOCSPEN. As you can tell from the 2019 list of NOCSPEN activities, we continue our goal to provide education programs in parenteral and enteral nutrition. Advancements in research, including patients with special nutrition needs and new discoveries of the importance of the microbiome in health, challenge us to incorporate new changes in patient clinical medicine. I look forward to working with you this new year of 2020.
We are now 73 members strong, our membership grew from 59 last year! We continued to maintain our IRS tax-exempt status.
Here's a list of our 2019 activities and more to come!
Jan 2019 - Kick started new year with Quarterly Newsletter
Feb, 2019 - re-branded website: NOCSPEN.org
Mar, 2019 - Hosted a NOCSPEN get together at the ASPEN conference. Evelyn and Dan attended leadership meeting and had an invaluable opportunity to exchanges ideas with fellow ASPEN chapter leaders.
April, 2019 -Hosted a free Dinner event on "Evolution of Lipids available in the US, Specifically SMOF lipid & Omegaven" in Mountain View, CA.
July, 2019 - Hosted a Live CE Webinar on : Inflammation: Complexities, Critical Illness & Nutrition Support Considerations.
July, 2019- Hosted Free Dinner event on "Evolution of Lipids available in the US, Specifically SMOF lipid & Omegaven" in Sacramento, CA.
Sep, 2019 - Malnutrition Awareness Week promotion.
Please offer suggestions or recommendations as how NOCSPEN can support you as you continue your work in the area of nutrition support and healthcare.
Dan Furtado, Pharm.D., LFACHE
President, NOCSPEN 2020
1/24/20 – 1/25/20
International Pediatric Feeding Disorder Conference (Virtual)
2/13/20
Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infection Risk and Probiotic Use – Risk Vs Benefit
2/19/20
TF Shouldn’t Hurt: Management of Enteral Complications
3/16/20 – 3/20/20
UVA GI Training Program
3/18/20
SBS: Etiology, Pathophysiology, Medical and Surgical Management
3/28/20 – 3/31/20
ASPEN Conference
4/5/20 – 4/9/20
National Home Infusion Association annual conference
4/30/20 – 5/2/20
UVA GI Training Program
NOCSPEN does not endorse any external programs, training, products, or services.
CNSC tibits
If you’re looking for a free study tool, check out the app Quizlet, a community of students have created flashcards for various topics and exams – search for ‘CNSC,’ ‘Nutrition Support,’ ‘TPN,’ or ‘Enteral nutrition.’ You can conveniently use this to fit in studying while on the go.
Latest In the News
New Cysteine Hydrochloride Injectable Product Approved by FDA
Avadel Pharmaceuticals has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Nouress™, a cysteine hydrochloride injection, critical in treating neonatal patients requiring parenteral nutrition. ASPEN will provide further information on plans for this product launch in the United States as it becomes available.
Providing Optimal Nutrition to All People: The Global View
“Bold ideas and great achievements are often the results of collaborations across borders … as we all work toward the goal of providing optimal nutrition to all people under all conditions at all times,” believes ASPEN President, Dr. Lingtak-Neander Chan. Read more in the ASPEN President’s Column where Dr. Chan shares his thoughts on the importance of working with our colleagues across the world who have this same passion and vision.
JPEN Publishes Pediatric Teduglutide Multi-Center Trial
Findings of a recent phase III study evaluating the safety and efficacy of teduglutide in pediatric patients with short bowel syndrome-associated intestinal failure (SBS-IF) were published in the Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (JPEN) in September. Authors of the article conclude that treatment with teduglutide correlated with significant reductions in parenteral support for pediatric patients with SBS‐IF.
Information on the Latest Product Shortages From the FDA Now Available
A list of PN components considered in shortage by the FDA is now available on nutritioncare.org/ProductShortages. This list will be updated every two weeks. Clinicians can find recommendations from ASPEN to help manage PN therapy during times of drug shortages here as well.
Have an interesting article or news to share? Please send it to us at
Member Spotlight
Do you know an individual that you wish to spotlight their achievements? We will spotlight two individuals each newsletter. Contact us if you know of an individual, whether it is a dietitian, a nurse, a pharmacist or a physician.
Teresa Benetti, RD, CNSC, CSP
Pediatric Dietitian
I am the pediatric dietitian at Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center. I attended California State University, Sacramento for both my undergraduate degree and the dietetic internship. I have worked all over the Bay Area, including inpatient and outpatient positions. I knew I wanted to focus my career in neonatal and pediatric nutrition. In 2015 I became a part time NICU dietitian at Kaiser Oakland Medical Center, while also providing medical nutrition therapy to both pediatric and adult patient populations. In 2018 I transitioned into my current role as a pediatric dietitian. I am currently in the process of obtaining a Master of Advanced Study degree in Maternal and Child Nutrition from the University of California, Davis. NOCSPEN has been a great resource to me in both learning and networking with others in my profession. In my spare time I enjoy cooking, travel, and the great outdoors.
Harlan Husted, Pharm.D, MBA, BCPS, BCPPS
Pediatric Clinical Pharmacist
My name is Harlan Husted and I am a pediatric clinical pharmacist specializing in neonatal and pediatric intensive care in Fresno, California. I completed my Pharm.D at the University of the Pacific Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy nearly fifteen years ago and immediately found my calling in caring for pediatric patients of all ages during a year-long post-graduate residency at Valley Children's Hospital in Madera, California. After completing my residency training in general pediatrics, I narrowed my focus to providing critical care pharmacotherapy to ICU patients. With a stroke of luck and a bit of perfect timing, I was able to land a position with Community Regional Medical Center, where they were beginning to expand their nineteen-bed special care nursery into a full-blown sixty-five-bed Level III NICU! I was brought in to oversee clinical pharmaceutical services expansion for the unit and provide operational support in developing standardized protocols for medications, programming and maintaining medication infusion libraries, managing specialized concentrations for different drugs and expanding on IV nutrition support. One of the earliest significant challenges I faced was assisting in converting to an electronic medical records system and anticipating its impact on our pediatric care line. Our conversion required moving away from a physical paper order system to training prescribers on computerized physician order entry and translating these electronic orders over to our TPN compounding software.
This had been an enormous undertaking but was made infinitely more manageable through the support of ASPEN and its specialized list-serv communities and policy statements. I was able to reach out to many other facilities who were all experiencing a similar change-over in their practice sites and give and receive support on troubleshooting. In later years and to this day, I rely upon ASPEN and its many resources (webinars, clinical guidelines, and conferences) to help manage many ongoing drug shortages, new nutritional products and optimizing the care I am able to provide my patients.
My interest in nutrition support has grown immensely as I've developed in my career. My takeaway from school and residency was that nutrition support was a fairly static, routine part of overall patient care. ASPEN and life in the ICU opened my eyes to how dynamic the field truly is and how it continues to grow over time. I have since gone back to school to complete a Master's in Business Administration to further develop my career as a pharmaceutical care consultant, with dreams of expanding the role of the pharmacist clinician as a fee-for-service provider in the ever-expanding health-care marketplace.
Colleen Nespor, BSN, MSN, CNS, CNSC
Nutrition Support Nurse and Clinical Nurse Specialist Intestinal Rehabilitation
Nutrition support as a bedside nurse was an act of hanging tube feeds or TPN and managing the tubes and lines for its administration. As a bedside nurse for many years and then clinical nurse specialist for pediatric surgery I had seen many children with short bowel syndrome/intestinal failure going through their journey.
When the opportunity arose 14 years ago to put it all together as nutrition support nurse I was excited to delve deeper into my understanding of the patient as a whole. My nutrition minor from long ago was to come into play. Little did any of us now all the new and exciting medical and surgical advancements that would be coming into the field.
From the short term relationships of patients within the surgical realm I had no idea what I was missing. Our patients are dealing with chronicity and life impacting care needs. It is an honor to be able to be part of the team that guides them to successful adaptation and integration of medical management into an active and productive life.
As a new member of ASPEN I realized how incredibly much I had to learn in this field. Over the years of attending meetings, I have gained significant knowledge. Our team will now routinely share new and interesting aspects of our work via posters and presentations. ASPEN has provided a group to share the novelty of pediatric intestinal failure and its successes and frustrations. As a nurse I love the fact that ASPEN is a cohort of professionals (pharmD, RD, MD, RN) who work closely together in a team fashion for our families.
I hope to continue growing our program and serving those patients and families affected by intestinal failure with integrity and empathy.
As a nurse with 35 years experience I can truly say I continue to love being a nurse. The intimacy and progress I have been privileged to share with families over the years is sustaining
Cressy Potter MS RDN CSP RCEP
Senior Pediatric Dietitian/Nutritionist
During my internship I chose pediatric nutrition as my rotation of interest. I had the opportunity to work at a camp for kids who had diabetes. I learned so much and realized how much I enjoyed working with kids. From there, I applied for Pediatric Dietitian roles and have worked at children’s hospitals before starting my job here at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. My role here has gradually changed over time but I feel like my current role is ideal for me. I’m currently working at an outpatient Gastroenterology and Hepatology clinic and staff our Short Bowel Clinic. Nutrition support is a big part of my job and most of my day is spent providing education, recommendations, and counseling on enteral nutrition or parenteral nutrition.
Being a member of ASPEN has been beneficial to what I am able to offer the clinics I work in as well as the patients I see. I have learned so much through the ASPEN Conferences, The Pediatric and Adult Core Curriculum, JPEN and NCP Journals. I have been able to apply what I’ve learned to help patients and support staff. I regularly reference literature from ASPEN to help with complex patient care issues or staff questions. I am so proud to be a part of a group that is helping to advance care in nutrition and to create new boundaries for the practice of dietetics.
Other than nutrition support I’m passionate about all aspects of nutrition and cooking. I love to learn new recipes and learn about food from different cultures. This segues into my love for travel and exploring all aspects of culture and environment. To me, there is nothing better than hiking around a new place and finding a restaurant or café.
Get Involved with NOCSPEN
If you have general inquiries, questions or feedback for our chapter, or you would like to join the board or attend a board meeting, please let us know at NOCSPENchapter@gmail.com.