Compher to Lead American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition
Charlene Compher, PhD, RD, LDN, FASPEN, Professor of Nutrition Science, is President-elect of the American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.) Her official term as President begins June 1, 2016 and lasts one year.
May 16, 2016
The A.S.P.E.N. organization is comprised of multi-disciplinary healthcare professionals and researchers dedicated to improving the science and practice of nutrition support and metabolism. By publishing evidence-based clinical guidelines and consensus papers, real-time advisories on intravenous nutrient shortages, and support of innovative research, A.S.P.E.N. sets the standard for best practices in the delivery of parenteral (intravenous) and enteral (feeding by tube) feedings to patients.
“I am especially honored to lead A.S.P.E.N. as the latest chapter in a rich history of leadership by University of Pennsylvania faculty. I had the good fortune to be mentored by Dr. Jonathan Rhoads, former Provost at the University of Pennsylvania and the surgical nutritionist for whom A.S.P.E.N.’s research foundation is named. Dr. Rhoads urged me to volunteer professionally,” said Compher. “A.S.P.E.N. shares my full commitment to improving the nutritional health of patients by empowering clinicians with evidence-based practice resources and research findings.”
Compher recently wrapped up a highly productive six-year term as Editor in Chief of Clinical Guidelines for A.S.P.E.N. The “Guidelines for the Provision and Assessment of Nutrition Support Therapy in the Adult Critically Ill Patient: Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) and American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.)” was published in the Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (40 (2): 189-211; 2016) earlier this year and advises health care professionals who work with adult patients in intensive care units on best practice approaches to nutrition care decisions.
Compher is an internationally-recognized authority on the nutritional care of patients with severe gastrointestinal disease and critical illness. A Professor of Nutrition Science at Penn Nursing, her clinical appointment is Advanced Practice Dietitian Clinical Specialist with the Clinical Nutrition Support Service at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Compher has a secondary appointment with the Division of Surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.