Developing Research Programs in Clinical and Translational Nutrition

Abstract

Most clinicians believe that nutrition support therapy improves outcome in hospitalized patients. Unfortunately, few patients receive optimal nutrition management. A lack of strong, well-designed research studies may prevent the medical/surgical community from fully embracing the practice. More quality research is needed. This article discusses 3 potential strategies to improve research activity in clinical nutrition: increase funding of nutrition research, foster young physician training in nutrition and research, and attract nutrition researchers to our national nutrition society meetings. The best chance for this process to succeed is for the national nutrition societies to partner with medical and surgical subspecialty societies to develop larger scale clinical and translational research programs.

American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists’ Position Statement on Clinical Nutrition and Health Promotion in Endocrinology Primary Writers Reviewers

“…At this summit meeting, North American nutrition physician leaders, representing a host of nutrition-related professional societies, convened to discuss the shortage of physician nutrition experts, to define and review the problems, and to develop strategies to correct the problem (15). Although many recommendations were made, including development of a framework for governance of an Intersociety Nutrition Council (INC) and creation of durable alliances between nutrition societies and clinical organizations, limited progress has occurred since the summit (16)(17)(18)(19). Ultimately, the time and commitment pressures of Summit attendees by their respective sponsoring societies took priority over time and commitment pressures to create the INC.…”