Episode 41 - Meghan McNeil - ​​Updates in Diet Therapy for Eosinophilic Esophagitis: From Elimination to Reintroduction 

In this episode of Nutrition Pearls: the Podcast, co-hosts Megan Murphy and Nikki Misner talk with Meghan McNeil about the latest updates in EOE management. Meghan is a Registered Dietitian at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. The first ten years of her career she worked in nutrition research studies that were  funded by the National Institute of Health. She was a part of a variety of studies looking at bone density, type 1 diabetes, and non-alcoholic liver disease. She currently works as a clinician dietitian, specializing in the nutrition management of patients with Eosinophilic Esophagitis. Meghan loves working with this patient population as she focuses on creating practical approaches to allowing patients to get the nutrients they need while also balancing allowing them to enjoy foods that are safe for them to eat given their diet restrictions.

Nutrition Pearls is supported by an educational grant from Mead Johnson Nutrition.

Resources:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28283156/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36863390/

https://godairyfree.org/

Produced by: Corey Irwin

NASPGHAN - Council for Pediatric Nutrition Professionals

[email protected]

Episode 40-  NASPGHAN/APGNN/CPNP Annual Meeting Recap

In this episode of Nutrition Pearls: the Podcast, host Jen Smith asks members of the CPNP executive committee questions about their experiences and learnings at the annual meeting.

Nutrition Pearls is supported by an educational grant from Mead Johnson Nutrition.

Produced by: Corey Irwin

NASPGHAN - Council for Pediatric Nutrition Professionals

[email protected]

Episode 39 - Mary Beth Feuling - From Data to Impact: Advancing Pediatric Nutrition in Hospital Systems

In this episode of Nutrition Pearls: the Podcast, co-hosts Nikki Misner and Bailey Koch speak with Mary Beth Feuling on how pediatric dietitians can use data, EMRs, and innovative tools to improve patient care and malnutrition identification at a systems level. 

Mary Beth is a pediatric nutrition specialist with expertise in nutrition informatics, quality, and research, dedicated to advancing care for children across all ages. Over the past thirteen years as an advanced practice dietitian, she has led quality improvement and research initiatives at Children’s Wisconsin, mentoring dietitians to develop their research skills and improving pediatric nutrition care locally, nationally, and internationally.

Nutrition Pearls is supported by an educational grant from Mead Johnson Nutrition.

Resources:

Feuling MB, Hilbrands J, Hettich K, et al. Registered Dietitian Nutritionist consultation is associated with improvement in nutritional status in chronically ill children: a retrospective cohort study. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2025;(Epub ahead of print). doi:10.1016/j.jand.2025.05.011.

Hilbrands J, Feuling MB, Szabo A, et al. Nutrition screening in the pediatric intensive care unit: evaluation of an electronic medical record–based tool. Nutrients. 2023;15(21):4591. doi:10.3390/nu15214591.

Umentum B, Kim HJ, Adkins A, et al. Are dietitian recommendations followed? A descriptive study of pediatric hospitalized and ambulatory patients. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2024;(Epub ahead of print). doi:10.1111/jhn.13291.

Crouse J, Feuling MB, Winter T, Goday PS, Smith A. Electronic health record time-tracking provides real-time data to measure and benchmark dietitian productivity. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2024;37(1):105-110. doi:10.1111/jhn.13236.

Hilbrands J, Feuling MB, Szabo A, et al. Evaluation of an electronic medical record–based pediatric nutrition screening tool. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2023;36(5):1912-1921. doi:10.1111/jhn.13177.

Sparapani RA, Teng BQ, Hilbrands J, Pipkorn R, Beth FM, Goday PS. Novel pediatric height outlier detection methodology for electronic health records via machine learning with monotonic Bayesian additive regression trees. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2022;75(2):210-214.

Rusnak S, Charney P. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Nutrition informatics. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2019;119(8):1375-1382. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2019.06.004.

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Quality Management 

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Malnutrition Care Score 

Nutrition Care Process 

Interoperability and Health Information Standards

Children’s Hospitals Solutions for Patient Safety

Six Domains of Health Care Quality 

Produced by: Corey Irwin

NASPGHAN - Council for Pediatric Nutrition Professionals

[email protected]

Episode 38 - Countdown to Chicago: What’s Ahead at the CPNP Nutrition Symposium

In this episode of Nutrition Pearls: the Podcast, host Nikki Misner speaks with Dr. Brock Williams and Tamara Sims Dorway about the upcoming CPNP Nutrition Symposium at the annual NASPGHAN meeting on November 6-8th in Chicago, Illinois. 

Brock Williams is a Registered Dietitian and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada). Over the past 10 years, he has worked as both a clinical and research dietitian at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids; Toronto), and at BC Children's Hospital (Vancouver) in areas such as Translational Medicine, Gastroenterology, and Allergy. His major clinical and research interests lie in micronutrients and childhood feeding (human milk feeding, complementary feeding and the prevention and treatment of food allergy). Brock currently serves as President-elect of CPNP. 

Tamara Sims Dorway is an experienced Registered Dietitian who is a board-certified specialist in pediatric nutrition. She is an integral part of the multidisciplinary team at the Center for Digestive Health and Nutrition at Arnold Palmer Hospital, where she provides comprehensive nutritional care for children and families facing a range of GI challenges. She has previously served on the CPNP planning committee for NASPGHAN and was the communications co-chair for POWER (Pediatric Obesity Weight Evaluation Registry).  She enjoys volunteering in her community and spending time with her family. She is the current CPNP Program Chair

Nutrition Pearls is supported by an educational grant from Mead Johnson Nutrition.

Resources:

NASPGHAN 2025 Annual Meeting 

NASPGHAN 2025 App 

Produced by: Corey Irwin

NASPGHAN - Council for Pediatric Nutrition Professionals

[email protected]

EPIsode 37 - Lauren Storch - Nutrition in Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI) and TPIAT (you see what we did there)

In this episode of Nutrition Pearls: the Podcast, co-hosts Jen Smith and Nikki Misner speak with Lauren Storch on nutrition in patients with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI). Lauren works as a registered dietitian at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, in Columbus Ohio, in the GI department working in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. She earned her undergraduate degree from Indiana University and her master's degree from The Ohio State University. Lauren has 11 years of experience in pediatric GI nutrition and is a Board Certified Specialist in Pediatric Nutrition. She has a wide variety of clinical interests all under the GI umbrella working with all the specialty centers within GI including the Pancreas and Liver centers.   Lauren enjoys seeing patients with all different GI conditions and needs, however she has a special interest in nutrition and EPI. When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband, 2.5 year old daughter and 12 year old Corgi. 

Nutrition Pearls is supported by an educational grant from Mead Johnson Nutrition.

Resources:

Freeman et al. Medical Management of Chronic Pancreatitis in Children: A Position Paper by the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition Pancreas Committee, JPGN. 2021;72(2):324-340.

Taylor CJ et al.ESPGHAN and NASPGHAN Report on the Assessment of Exocrine Pancreatic Function and Pancreatitis in Children. JPGN. 2015;61(1):144-153.

Sankararaman S et al. Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency in Children – Challenges in Management. Pediatric Health, Medicine and Therapeutics. 2023;14:361–378. 

Pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy for pancreatic exocrine insufficiency in the 21st century

Trang T, Chan J, Graham DY. Pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy for pancreatic exocrine insufficiency in the 21st century. World J Gastroenterol 2014;20(33):11467-11485. 

-has photos of enzymes for size reference - 

Nathan JD, et al. The Role of Surgical Management in Chronic Pancreatitis in Children: A Position Paper From the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition Pancreas Committee. JPGN. 2022;74: 706–719.

https://pancreasfoundation.org/patient-resources/camp-hope/

Produced by: Corey Irwin

NASPGHAN - Council for Pediatric Nutrition Professionals

[email protected]

Episode 36 - Mary Lesser - Sports Nutrition and Considerations for the Young Athlete with GI Disorders

In this episode of Nutrition Pearls: the Podcast, co-hosts Nikki Misner and Jen Smith speak with Mary Lesser PhD, RD, dietitian on the topic of Sports Nutrition.  Originally a Northern California native, Mary is currently an Assistant Adjunct Professor in the Nutrition and Metabolic Biology Department at the University of California, Berkeley as well as a Pediatric Sports Nutrition Dietitian at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals. Nutrition is and has been her major field of study for the past twenty+ years! The field has allowed her to pursue her passion for research, education, as well as practicing in the clinical setting. She obtained a Bachelor of Science degree at UC Davis in Clinical Nutrition with a minor in Human Development and then went on to complete her Master of Science Degree in Nutrition at Tufts University in Boston, MA. While working on her Masters, she completed her Dietetic Internship at Tufts Medical Center and is currently a Registered Dietitian. She then returned to UC Davis to complete her PhD in Nutritional Biology, with an emphasis in Developmental Nutrition and then moved down to the Bay Area to complete a postdoctoral fellowship at Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute.

Mary chose Nutrition because she has always felt that following a healthy lifestyle and eating pattern are very important and has always incorporated (as well as encouraged) this philosophy into her own life as well as the life of others. She is one who likes to have a little variety in her life so as of right now, her current (and future!) plans include a career that involves research, clinical work, teaching, and translating science into community outreach + policy/advocacy efforts.

In research, she is interested in investigating the nutrition environment during early development (pregnancy, lactation, early childhood) to observe (if any) persistent developmental effects (of the fetus, neonate, child) that may increase or decrease chronic disease risk later in life. And in practice, Mary enjoys working with young athletes on their Sports Nutrition needs and goals.

Nutrition Pearls is supported by an educational grant from Mead Johnson Nutrition.

Resources:

www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/-/media/project/ucsf/ucsf-bch/pdf/sports-nutrition-2016-meals-snacks.pdf?rev=177fc88db39d4ef096bc3760a73c5a8e

Produced by: Corey Irwin

NASPGHAN - Council for Pediatric Nutrition Professionals

[email protected]

Episode 35 - Jessica Carder - RD & IBCLC’s Insights into Breastfeeding and Neonatal Nutrition 

In this episode of Nutrition Pearls: the Podcast, co-hosts Megan Murphy and Jen Smith speak with Jessica Carder about breastfeeding and the role of human milk in supporting the health and development of infants from the NICU through the first year of life. Jessica is a registered dietitian and lactation consultant with almost 10 years of experience in the pediatric nutrition field,  almost 5 years' experience working with the NICU population, with a specialized focus on lactation since 2019.

Nutrition Pearls is supported by an educational grant from Mead Johnson Nutrition.

Resources:

Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine 

La Leche League International - Breastfeeding Support

Breastfeeding USA

Lactation Education Resources

Video Archive - Global Health Media Project

GOLD Lactation Online Conference 2025 | Lactation & Breastfeeding Conference

Produced by: Corey Irwin

NASPGHAN - Council for Pediatric Nutrition Professionals

[email protected]

In this episode of Nutrition Pearls: the Podcast, co-hosts Megan Murphy and Jen Smith speak with Megan Horsley on her involvement with an intensive tube feed weaning program.  Megan is a pediatric dietitian at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. She has 18 years of experience in pediatrics with a focus in cardiology and currently practices as a Lead dietitian as well as a cardiac float, serving all areas of cardiology (the Critical Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, the Acute Care Cardiology Unit and Outpatient Cardiology). Her most recent work has involved establishing a tube wean program in 2020 for heart patients which focuses on optimizing oral skills and getting them safely off their feeding tube.

She is a Certified Nutrition Support Clinician and in addition maintains her Certification as a Specialist in Pediatric Nutrition. She is involved in many projects, research, and quality improvement work, including the National Pediatric Cardiology Quality Improvement Collaborative (NPC-QIC), the Advanced Cardiac Therapies Improving Outcomes Network (ACTION) and the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society (PCICS). She has also served as a board member of the Congenital Heart Alliance of Cincinnati since 2017 and is a member of the Prolacta Clinical Advisory Board (PCAB) since 2019. Megan has eighteen years of professional practice in pediatric nutrition and twenty-one years of personal experience as a heart mom herself. She plans on continuing to concentrate her efforts on improving the nutritional care, experience and outcomes for all children affected by congenital heart disease.

Nutrition Pearls is supported by an educational grant from Mead Johnson Nutrition.

Resources:

Tool Kit: NPC-QIC Tube Weaning — NPC-QIC

Kaskie, S., Horsley, M., & Marcuccio, E. (2024). Experiences in Tube Weaning Children with Congenital Heart Disease and Oral Feeding Aversion. Pediatric Cardiology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00246-024-03515-8

Wong, J., Loomba, R., Allen, K. Y., Chan, T., Coolidge, N., Del Grippo, E., Horsley, M., Slater, N., Spader-Cloud, M., Steltzer, M., & Marcuccio, E. (2024). Structured Tube Weaning Using the Hunger Provocation Method in Infants with Single Ventricle Heart Defects: A Multicenter Study. Pediatric Cardiology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00246-024-03558-x

Horsley, M., Hill, G. D., Kaskie, S., Schnautz, M., Brown, J., & Marcuccio, E. (2022). Evaluation of an Outpatient and Telehealth Initiative to Reduce Tube Dependency in Infants with Complex Congenital Heart Disease. Pediatric Cardiology, 43(7), 1429–1437. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00246-022-02864-6

Weaning from a feeding tube in children with congenital heart disease: A review of the literature: www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1058981321000801?via%3Dihub

Cardiology Feeding Tube Wean Clinic

Produced by: Corey Irwin

NASPGHAN - Council for Pediatric Nutrition Professionals

[email protected]

Episode 33 - Christy Figueredo - Navigating GLP-1 Use in Pediatrics 

In this episode of Nutrition Pearls: the Podcast, co-hosts Bailey Koch & Megan Murphy speak with Christy Figueredo on the RD's role in patients on GLP-1 agonists. She is a member of the CPNP GLP-1 task force and shares her knowledge on managing pediatric patients on GLP-1 medications from her own clinical practice and the information gathered from the task force. Christy is a board-certified specialist in pediatric nutrition. She currently serves as the Dietitian for the department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the University of Miami where she manages the unique nutritional needs of complex patients from infancy to adolescents in the outpatient setting.  She is an invited textbook chapter author for Infant and Pediatric Feeding and speaker on an array of childhood nutrition topics from the local to national level. She is a staunch child health advocate. Appointed to both the Miami-Dade WIC and Public-School Wellness Advisory committees collaborating with local stakeholders in childhood health and nutrition to provide a more equitable built environment for all. 

Nutrition Pearls is supported by an educational grant from Mead Johnson Nutrition.

Resources:
The SCOFF Questionnaire 

Binge Eating Disorder Questionnaire

Alliance for Eating Disorders - a great place for families or providers to start their search if they are unfamiliar with providers and support in their area.

Food insecurity questionnaire 

Wadden TA, Chao AM, Moore MB, et al. The Role of Lifestyle Modification with Second-Generation Anti-obesity Medications: Comparisons, Questions, and Clinical Opportunities. Current Obesity Reports. 2023;12(4). doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-023-00534-z

Mechanick JI, Apovian C, Brethauer S, et al. CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES FOR THE PERIOPERATIVE NUTRITION, METABOLIC, AND NONSURGICAL SUPPORT OF PATIENTS UNDERGOING BARIATRIC PROCEDURES – 2019 UPDATE: COSPONSORED BY AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGISTS/AMERICAN COLLEGE OF ENDOCRINOLOGY, THE OBESITY SOCIETY, AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR METABOLIC & BARIATRIC SURGERY, OBESITY MEDICINE ASSOCIATION, AND AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ANESTHESIOLOGISTS. Endocrine Practice. 2019;25(12). doi:https://doi.org/10.4158/gl-2019-0406

Almandoz JP, Wadden TA, Tewksbury C, et al. Nutritional considerations with antiobesity medications. Obesity. Published online June 10, 2024. doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.24067

‌

Wharton S, Davies M, Dicker D, et al. Managing the gastrointestinal side effects of GLP-1 receptor agonists in obesity: recommendations for clinical practice. Postgraduate Medicine. 2021;134(1):14-19. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/00325481.2021.2002616

Produced by: Corey Irwin

NASPGHAN - Council for Pediatric Nutrition Professionals

[email protected]

Episode 32 -Heidi Quinn - Evaluating Nutrition in Children with Autism 

In this episode of Nutrition Pearls: the Podcast, co-hosts Nikki Misner and Jen Smith speak with Heidi Quinn on nutrition in patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder.  Heidi Is a registered dietitian working in the field of pediatric/young adult nutrition with special health care needs for 35 years across various settings which includes inpatient and outpatient settings at Franciscan Children’s Hospital (Brighton) , Boston Children’s Hospital, Early Intervention programs, schools for children with special needs, and specialty clinics ( feeding clinics, developmental disability programs) and Joslin Diabetes Center. Heidi currently works at Boston Children’s Hospital providing nutrition care  in multiple clinics including the out-patient GI clinic, the Growth and Nutrition Program, Autism/GI clinic, Cleft lip and Palate program and the Endocrine department. It is her work in the Autism/GI clinic which will be the focus of this episode.

Nutrition Pearls is supported by an educational grant from Mead Johnson Nutrition.

Resources:

How Food Chaining Therapy Works: A Solution for Picky Eaters  

Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children and Adolescents: Complementary and Integrative Medicine Therapies - UpToDate

The Managing Medical Issues in Autism video series developed by Tim Buie, Co-Director of the GI and Autism Clinic, Sonia Ballal, Stacy Kahn, Howard Shane and Julia Carmody. All 5 videos are free to families, caregivers and professionals.  Link to all the videos on the Boston Children’s Hospital YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/BuieVideos

Produced by: Corey Irwin

NASPGHAN - Council for Pediatric Nutrition Professionals

[email protected]