Session Format: Virtual

Fueling the Failing Liver: Nutrition Therapy for Liver Disease (M33)

Breakout

Date & Time:

February 16, 2026

2:00 PM – 3:30 PM PT

Format:

In Person & Virtual

CE Credits:

1.5 Hours

UAN: JA0002345-0000-26-036-L01-P

Course level:

Intermediate

session objectives:

What You'll Learn

  • Identify key micronutrient deficiencies commonly seen in patients with chronic liver disease, interpret appropriate laboratory markers for diagnosis, and apply evidence-based strategies for repletion and monitoring.
  • Define frailty in the context of chronic liver disease, describe validated clinical assessment tools, and explain the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms and contributing factors that lead to frailty in this population.
  • Describe the role of prehabilitation in improving clinical outcomes in frail and malnourished patients with cirrhosis, including key components of interprofessional healthcare team care involving nutrition, physical therapy, and medical management.

Topics & Presenters

Micronutrient Minefield: Identifying and Treating Deficiencies in Chronic Liver Disease

Astrid Ruiz Margain
MSc, PhD

Head of Liver Nutrition Clinic

Division of Hepatology and Liver Transplant, National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition, Salvador Zubirán

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Frailty in Focus: Etiology, Mechanisms, and Measurement in Chronic Liver Disease

Puneeta Tandon
MD

Associate Professor

Department of Medicine, University of Alberta

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Liver in Limbo: Prehabilitation to Improve Outcomes Before Transplant

Jeanette Hasse
PhD, RD, LD, CNSC, CCTD, FASPEN, FADA

Transplant Nutrition Manager

Baylor Simmons Transplant Institute, Baylor University Medical Center

Dallas, TX

Moderators:

Jeanette Hasse

PhD, RD, LD, CNSC, CCTD, FASPEN, FADA

Transplant Nutrition Manager

Baylor Simmons Transplant Institute, Baylor University Medical Center

Dallas, TX

Knowing What to Ask: A Crucially Overlooked Component of Shared Decision Making (M32)

Breakout

Date & Time:

February 16, 2026

2:00 PM – 3:30 PM PT

Format:

In Person & Virtual

CE Credits:

1.5 Hours

UAN: JA0002345-0000-26-035-L99-P

Course level:

Intermediate

session objectives:

What You'll Learn

  • Describe the key principles of the shared decision-making model of practice and the feasibility of the shared decision-making model in the current state of nutrition support care.
  • Define the importance of bi-directional care ownership.
  • Demonstrate how to better equip patients on their nutrition support journeys to be informed decision makers and active care participants.

Topics & Presenters

Is Shared Decision-Making Truely Shared?

Kalee Eichelberger
MS, RD, LD/N, CNSC, CHES

Education Manager

The Oley Foundation

Nutrition Support Dietitian

Orlando Health

Orlando, FL

Knowing What to Ask: The Patient Perspective

Vincent Rosche

Community Engagement Coordinator

The Oley Foundation

Tampa, FL

The Role of the Provider: Questions We Should be Addressing Throughout the Nutrition Support Journey

Berri Burns
MSEd, RD, LD, CNSC

Advanced Practice II Registered Dietitian, Center for Human Nutrition

Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland, OH

The Role of the Provider: Questions We Should be Addressing Throughout the Medical Care Journey

Lindsey Russell
MD, MSc, CNSC, FRCPC

Gastroenterologist

Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland, OH

Moderators:

Andrea Taylor

RD, CNSC

Outpatient Clinical Nutrition Specialist

Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, University of Rochester Golisano Children's Hospital

Rochester, NY

Bruce R. Bistrian Nutrition Mentorship Award Lecture: The Future of Clinical Nutrition is Bright: Through Mentoring and Networking, With a Little Help from My Friends (SU31)

Breakout

Gil Hardy
PhD, FRSC, FASPEN

This lecture in honor of past ASPEN president Bruce R. Bistrian MD, PhD will highlight milestones in my own journey that, with the invaluable support of many mentors and mentees, have made a small contribution to our understanding of the clinical role, pharmaceutics, and practicalities of nutrition support therapies.

When the group of physicians got together in 1975, few could have imagined the massive impact that ASPEN would have on the nutrition care of patients worldwide. The early research programs established by Dr. George Blackburn and Dr. Bruce Bistrian in Boston exemplify the important role that ethical cooperation and mentorship with industry partners have played in providing insights into nutritional management of the critically ill. Subsequent grants by governments, professional societies and industry have influenced many researchers and stimulated my own interest in parenteral administration of amino acids, glutamine, micronutrients, novel lipids and latterly chyme fistuloclysis.

The privilege of involvement in international patient support groups has helped identify key attributes for successful mentoring and multidisciplinary networking. Mentoring can be confidence building, encourage development of specific skills and/or wider practical experience for addressing challenges as an essential part of one’s vocation. By inspiring mentees to follow the high standards set by pioneering giants like Dr. Bistrian, who always advocated close attention to study design to demonstrate efficacy, we can successfully tackle disease-related malnutrition.

Global implementation of the Vienna Declaration for a multidisciplinary and human rights approach, and consideration of other more speculative strategies that will empower patients to be at the center of parenteral, enteral and chyme reinfusion nutrition therapy can contribute to achieving ASPEN’s vision for a world in which every patient receives safe, effective and high-quality nutrition care. “With a little help from our friends”

Read Biography

Gil Hardy is Emeritus Professor of Clinical Nutrition in New Zealand. He conducted research with Nobel Prize winner Professor Sir Hans Krebs in Oxford and, with colleagues in London, developed the first 3L PN bag. A founder member of BAPEN and BPNG, Gil served on AuSPEN, UK and NZ Nutrition Society Councils, and is a faculty member of ESPEN. Since the first clinical congress in 1977, he has been associated with ASPEN, serving on various committees, including the Board of Directors from 2020 to 2022, and the international human rights working group for clinical nutrition. He has an international reputation with 250+ publications on lipids, glutamine, selenium, and chyme reinfusion therapy, with awards from Asia, Australia, Europe, and Latin America, including the Distinguished International Nutrition Support Specialist Award from ASPEN in 2014, and was the first chairman of the International Clinical Nutrition Section (ICNS). He is the 2025 ASPEN Nutrition Champion award recipient.

Date & Time:

February 15, 2026

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM PT

Format:

In Person & Virtual

CE Credits:

1.0 Hours

UAN: JA0002345-0000-26-034-L99-P

Course level:

Intermediate

session objectives:

What You'll Learn

  • Summarize the rewards of mentoring in pharmaceutical and clinical nutrition.
  • Identify professional benefits that can be obtained from international networking and interprofessional mentoring with examples of good mentor and mentee relationships.
  • Explore how mentoring can advance clinical practice and speculate on possible scenarios for achieving a bright future for clinical nutrition.

Topics & Presenters

The Future of Clinical Nutrition is Bright: Through Mentoring and Networking, With a Little Help from My Friends

Gil Hardy
PhD, FRSC, FASPEN

Director

Ipanema Research Trust

Emeritus Professor of Clinical Nutrition

Massey University

Auckland, New Zealand

Moderators:

Angela Bingham

PharmD

Chair

Department of Pharmacy Practice, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy at Saint Joseph's University

PharmD Program Director

Department of Pharmacy Practice, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy at Saint Joseph's University

Clinical Professor

Department of Pharmacy Practice, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy at Saint Joseph's University

Philadelphia, PA

Unraveling the POTS, MCAS, and EDS Triad: Gastrointestinal Manifestations and Nutritional Challenges (M30)

Breakout

Date & Time:

February 16, 2026

1:30 PM – 3:30 PM PT

Format:

In Person & Virtual

CE Credits:

2.0 Hours

UAN: JA0002345-0000-26-033-L01-P

Course level:

Intermediate

session objectives:

What You'll Learn

  • Analyze the overlapping gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with POTS, MCAS, and EDS to improve differential diagnosis and interprofessional healthcare team planning.
  • Evaluate the nutritional challenges and risks associated with these disorders, including the recognition and management of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID).
  • Develop individualized nutrition support strategies, incorporating diet modifications and supplementation, to address the complex needs of patients with POTS, MCAS, and EDS.

Topics & Presenters

Nutritional Issues in POTS/MCAS/EDS: Background and Foundational Context

John DiBaise
MD, FACG, FASPEN

Professor of Medicine

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic

Consultant

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic

Phoenix, AZ

Dysmotility and Nutrition Support

Manpreet Mundi
MD, FASPEN

Professor of Medicine

Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism, and Nutrition, Mayo Clinic

Rochester, MN

ARFID and GI Disorders: Best Practices

Janelle Smith
RD, MS

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

Gastroenterology Nutrition, UCLA Health

Torrance, CA

Moderators:

Jennifer Katz

MD, FACG, PNS

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Gastroenterology and Hepatology , NYU Langone Health

New York, NY

Current Insights Into Critical Care Nutrition (SU44)

Breakout

Date & Time:

February 15, 2026

3:45 PM – 5:15 PM PT

Format:

In Person & Virtual

CE Credits:

1.5 Hours

UAN: JA0002345-0000-26-025-L99-P

Course level:

Intermediate/Advanced

session objectives:

What You'll Learn

  • Interpret results from large RCTs and understand potential translation to bedside practice.
  • Identify readiness for feeding initiation and advancement.
  • Evaluate the changing picture of energy and protein requirements throughout the ICU stay.
  • Utilize currently available biomarkers and emerging strategies for patient monitoring.

Topics & Presenters

Clinical Trials Influencing Daily Practice

Zheng Yii Lee
PhD, MSc

Senior Lecturer

Department of Anesthesiology, University of Malaya

Faculty of Medicine

University of Malaya

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The Changing Picture of Energy Expenditure, Delivery and Tolerance

Meghan Lewis
MD, FACS

Associate Professor of Clinical Surgery

Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California

Director, Surgical ICU and Director, TPN Services

Los Angeles General Medical Center

Los Angeles, CA

Are Protein Requirements Patient and Time Specific?

Zheng Yii Lee
PhD, MSc

Senior Lecturer

Department of Anesthesiology, University of Malaya

Faculty of Medicine

University of Malaya

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Precision Medicine in ICU Nutrition: The Role of Biomarkers Today and Tomorrow

Christian Stoppe
FAHA, FESC

Professor of Medicine

Department of Cardiac Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, German Heart Center Charité

Berlin, Germany

Moderators:

Chet Morrison

MD, FACS, FCCM

Trauma Medical Director

Washington Hospital Healthcare System

Fremont, CA

Nutrition Interventions for Patients With Cardiovascular Diseases: An Outcome-Oriented Approach (SU43)

Breakout

Date & Time:

February 15, 2026

3:45 PM – 5:15 PM PT

Format:

In Person & Virtual

CE Credits:

1.5 Hours

UAN: JA0002345-0000-26-024-L01-P

Course level:

Advanced

session objectives:

What You'll Learn

  • Create personalized strategies for optimizing macronutrient delivery in patients with cardiovascular diseases to improve clinical outcomes.
  • Evaluate the eligibility of and approach towards iron supplementation in patients with chronic heart failure.
  • Assess and monitor body composition in patients with cardiovascular diseases using the best approaches.

Topics & Presenters

Body Composition in Cardiovascular Diseases: Moving Beyond BMI to What Truly Matters

Salvatore Carbone
PhD, RDN, FHFSA, FASPEN

Associate Professor and Director

Nutrition Program, EVMS School of Health Professions

Division of Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders

Strelitz Diabetes Center, EVMS Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA

Personalized Nutrition Support Strategy for Patients with Chronic Cardiovascular Diseases

Amanda Vest
MBBS, MPH

Section Head, Heart Failure & Transplant Cardiology, George M. & Linda H. Kaufman Endowed Chair, Miller Family Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute

Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH

Cleveland, OH

Improving Outcomes of Patients With Chronic Heart Failure – Focusing on Iron Status

Leo F. Buckley
PharmD, MPH

Assistant Professor

Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical Center

Assistant Professor

Department of Epidemiology, UT Southwestern Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health

Dallas, TX

Moderators:

Lingtak-Neander Chan

PharmD, BCNSP, FASPEN

Professor of Pharmacy, Interdisciplinary Faculty in Nutritional Sciences

School of Pharmacy, University of Washington

Seattle, WA

Charles Van Way III Nutrition Research Discoveries Symposium and Celebration (SU41)

Breakout

Date & Time:

February 15, 2026

3:45 PM – 5:15 PM PT

Format:

In Person & Virtual

Course level:

Advanced

session objectives:

What You'll Learn

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about cutting-edge research from two previous recipients of grants from the ASPEN Rhoads Research Foundation. You will have an opportunity to learn about their Foundation-funded work and their research trajectories.

Following the presentations and discussions, join the Foundation in recognizing a new class of grant recipients and celebrating all those who provide support to fund nutrition research. Light refreshments will be served.

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe the study rationale, inclusion criteria, timing, and primary endpoints for indirect calorimetry.
  • Differentiate prescriptions derived from indirect calorimetry from those estimated using other methods and quantify the effects on energy and protein adequacy.
  • Evaluate outcomes from monitored nutrition interventions across cohorts, including complications, length of stay, readmission, and cost.
  • Apply an implementation pathway that selectively uses indirect calorimetry, sets protein and energy targets, defines escalation thresholds, and tracks adherence.
  • Describe the degree of gut dysbiosis caused by surgery and perioperative care.
  • Identify microbiome-targeted options for mitigating surgery-induced dysbiosis.

Topics & Presenters

The Road to Measurable Outcomes in Perioperative Nutrition

Krista Haines
DO

Assistant Professor of Surgery

Duke University School of Medicine

Assistant Professor in Population Health Sciences

Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine

Durham, NC

The Impact of Microbiome-targeted Prehabilitation on Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Progression

Richard Jacobson
MD

Assistant Professor

University of South Florida

Tampa, FL

Moderators:

Hassan Dashti

PhD, RD, FASPEN

Investigator

Mass General Research Institute

Assistant Professor

Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School

Boston, MA

Evolution of Pediatric Weight Management: Nutrition and Obesity Medication Therapy (SU40)

Breakout

Date & Time:

February 15, 2026

3:45 PM – 5:15 PM PT

Format:

In Person & Virtual

CE Credits:

1.5 Hours

UAN: JA0002345-0000-26-022-L01-P

Course level:

Intermediate

Pediatric Content Included

session objectives:

What You'll Learn

  • Assess the current data on obesity medications with a focus on efficacy and safety.
  • Apply nutritional principles that optimize treatment outcomes for patients on GLP-1s.
  • Evaluate ethical considerations for obesity management.
  • Determine the landscape of insurance coverage and access challenges for GLP-1s.

Topics & Presenters

Obesity Medications and Evidence for Use in Children and Adolescents

Celtina Reinert
PharmD, CSP

Clinical Pharmacist Specialist

Weight Management, Allergy, Severe Asthma, Rheumatology, Dermatology, Children's Mercy Kansas City

Kansas City, MO

Nutrition Highlights for Patients on Obesity Medication

Lora Edwards
MSEd, RD, CSSD, CSOWM, LD

Clinical Nutrition Specialist

Nutrition Department, Children's Mercy Kansas City

Kansas City, MO

Ethical Considerations of Obesity Treatment

Cristina Fernandez
MD

Professor

School of Medicine, University of Missouri Kansas City

Physician

Center for Children's Health Lifestyles and Nutrition, Children's Mercy Kansas City

Kansas City, MO

Obesity Medication Coverage and Access Challenges

Kristin Streiler
MD

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

University of Kansas Health System

Kansas City, KS

Moderators:

Celtina Reinert

PharmD, CSP

Clinical Pharmacist Specialist

Weight Management, Allergy, Severe Asthma, Rheumatology, Dermatology, Children's Mercy Kansas City

Kansas City, MO

Nutrition and Metabolism Research Paper Session: Malnutrition and Nutrition Assessment (SU34)

Paper Session

Date & Time:

February 15, 2026

2:00 PM – 3:30 PM PT

Format:

In Person & Virtual

CE Credits:

1.5 Hours

UAN: JA0002345-0000-26-020-L99-P

Course level:

Advanced

session objectives:

What You'll Learn

Today’s medical environment demands evidence-based practice, replicable results, and improved patient outcomes. Our abstract authors conduct research to help meet these challenges and provide breakthroughs in our knowledge and in our patient care. These sessions are dedicated to presentations of high-ranking abstracts. Abstracts are presented by topic, so you can explore cutting edge research on issues that interest you. The abstracts will also be published in the Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (JPEN), making them part of the body of evidence available to guide your clinical care.

Topics & Presenters

Underrecognized Low Muscle Stores by NFPE: A Retrospective CT-Based Body Composition Analysis

Amanda Bode
MC, RD, CSO, LD

Registered Dietitian

CCF

Mansfield, OH

Impact of a Rehabilitation Program Combining Adapted Physical Activity, Nutritional Intervention, and Therapeutic Education on the Quality of Life of Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Francisca Joly
MD, PhD

Professor of Nutrition

Gastroenterologist, Hôpital Beaujon

Clichy, Ile-de-France, France

From CT Images to Calories: Two Key Answers for Nutrition Assessment Obtained Through a Single Test

Fiorella X. Palmas
MD, PhD

Endocrinologist

Nutrition Unit, Department of Endocrinology and Nutrition, Vall d’Hebron University Hospital

Barcelona, Spain

Phase Angle as a Biomarker of Malnutrition and its Association With Adverse Events in Oncology Patients: A Prospective Cohort Study

Thais Steemburgo
RD, PhD

Professor

Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul

Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Sarcopenia Index as a Predictor of Length of Stay in Trauma ICU Patients

Trevor Sytsma
MD

PGY-1 Anesthesiology Resident

Duke University School of Medicine

Durham, NC

The High Burden of Inadequate Nutritional Intake, Sarcopenia, and Low-Phase Angle in Hemodialysis Patients in a Public Health System in Latin America

Otilda M. Valderrama
MD

General Surgeon

Hospital Santo Tomás

Panama

Moderators:

Vanessa Fuch Tarlovsky

MD, PhD, RD

Director and Researcher

Hospital General de México

Mexico City, Mexico
Gabriela deOliveira Lemos

Gabriela de Oliveira Lemos

MD

Dr/PhD Candidate

University of São Paulo School of Medicine - Laboratory of Nutrition and Metabolic Surgery of the Digestive System (LIM 35)

São Paulo, SP, Brazil

Late Breaking Updates in Clinical Nutrition: ICD-11 Undernutrition Coding, Multi-Chamber Bag PN Guidance, and Augmented Enteral Protein During Critical Illness (SU33)

Breakout

Date & Time:

February 15, 2026

2:00 PM – 3:30 PM PT

Format:

In Person & Virtual

CE Credits:

1.5 Hours

UAN: JA0002345-0000-26-019-L99-P

Course level:

Advanced

session objectives:

What You'll Learn

  • Identify the new ICD-11 adult undernutrition code and apply its updated documentation requirements to accurately code adult undernutrition in clinical nutrition practice.
  • Apply the Multi-chamber Bag Parenteral Nutrition (MCB-PN) Consensus Statements developed by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices and the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition to improve the safety and standardization of MCB-PN use in clinical practice.
  • Evaluate the methods and outcomes of the TARGET Protein trial, compare its results with existing critical care protein-dosing literature, and assess how protein metabolism in critical illness explains the effects of higher protein dosing.

Topics & Presenters

ICD-11 Adult Undernutrition Coding: New Code and Documentation Requirements for Clinical Practice

Charlene Compher
PhD, RD, LDN, FASPEN

Shearer Chair of Healthy Community Practices

University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing

Professor of Nutrition Science; Director of Nutrition Programs

University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing

Philadelphia, PA

Safe and Standardized Use of Multi-Chamber Bag Parenteral Nutrition: ISMP/ASPEN Consensus Statements in Practice

Phil Ayers
PharmD, BCNSP, FASHP, FASPEN

Chief, Clinical Pharmacy Services

Department of Pharmacy, Mississippi Baptist Medical Center

Jackson, MS

Augmented Enteral Protein During Critical Illness: The TARGET Protein Randomized Clinical Trial - Evidence and Clinical Implications

Lee-anne Chapple
BMedSci, MNutrDiet, PhD, FASPEN

Associate Professor

School of Medicine, College of Health, Adelaide University

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Moderators:

Charlene Compher

PhD, RD, LDN, FASPEN

Shearer Chair of Healthy Community Practices

University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing

Professor of Nutrition Science; Director of Nutrition Programs

University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing

Philadelphia, PA

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