The ASPEN Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Steven Plogsted, PharmD, FASPEN, has been selected to receive the 2026 ASPEN Champion Award.
Dr. Plogsted, a retired clinical pharmacist in the Nutrition Support Service at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, will be honored on February 16, 2026, at the ASPEN Nutrition Science & Practice Conference in Long Beach, California. He is recognized for his significant and ongoing contributions to the association and for advancing its mission.
“Dr. Plogsted has been persistently consistent in his support of ASPEN,” said Mark Corkins, MD, CNSC. “He has served on more than 15 ASPEN committees, work groups, and task forces, including chairing the Drug Shortage Committee, the Program Committee, and the Pediatrics Section. He also served as an associate editor for all three editions of the ASPEN Pediatric Nutrition Support Core Curriculum and authored several Board-approved ASPEN publications.”
“Steve has always been enthusiastic about parenteral nutrition safety and components shortages, particularly when they impact pediatric patients. He also served as a dynamic author and reviewer with an interest in pediatric malnutrition and electronic health records,” said ASPEN Special Projects Consultant Peggi Guenter, PhD, RN, FASPEN.
Dr. Plogsted earned his Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy from the University of Cincinnati in 1979. After serving as a staff pharmacist at Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati for six years, he returned to the University and was awarded his Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 1987.
He was then appointed clinical pharmacist in pediatrics at the Virginia Commonwealth University College of Medicine in Richmond. In 1989, Dr. Plogsted was named associate director of pharmaceutical services at the Southside Regional Medical Center in Petersburg, VA.
Dr. Plogsted returned to Ohio in 1992 and spent the next 27 years as a clinical pharmacy specialist in the Nutrition Support Service at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus. His responsibilities included lecturing in the Doctor of Pharmacy programs at The Ohio State University and Ohio Northern University.
A tireless educator, Dr. Plogsted has also served on the faculty of Ohio Northern University College of Pharmacy, Chamberlain College of Nursing, and Ohio Dominican University.
Dr. Plogsted’s dedicated service also includes more than 20 years in the U.S. Army Reserve, where he held various positions, including chief of pharmacy services for the 256th Combat Support Hospital. He retired with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Somehow, he has also found time to be involved with several support groups for patients with celiac disease, acting as a source of drug information and education. This includes publishing—free of charge—a website list of medications and their gluten status.
Dr. Plogsted’s service and contributions to ASPEN were recognized in 2020 when he was named a Fellow, and in 2022, when he received ASPEN’s Distinguished Nutrition Support Pharmacist Service Award. He has also been honored by the Ohio Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition for his outstanding service as a member and officer.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Plogsted!