Nutrition and Nursing
One of the few scientists in the world studying the effects of chemotherapy on nutrition, appetite, and exercise, Dr. Bart DeJonghe found in Penn Nursing great capacity for research at the cellular, animal, and human levels.
July 19, 2016
The nursing focus on symptom management is in line with his research goals, says Dr. DeJonghe. The nausea accompanying chemotherapy can be so severe “that people limit treatment because it makes them sick,” he explains. “How can you have this ubiquitous symptom that barely gets any attention?”
Through his research on the nutritional, physiological, neuronal, and cellular signaling controls of energy balance related to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, he aims to improve patient recovery and quality of life during treatment of chronic diseases.
Dr. De Jonghe teaches “Nutrition: Science and Applications,” the introductory course in the Nutrition minor. “Teaching keeps you plugged in,” says Dr. DeJonghe. At the same time, “nursing students can really grow from having lab-related experiences that they can take into clinical settings.”