Overview
Nutritional care is an essential component for the management of genetic disorders, which has been validated by numerous studies and become increasingly important with the adoption of expanded newborn screening.
Developing a comprehensive, research-based nutrition program that can serve as a national model is one of the driving forces in my career. As part of that commitment, I serve as the principal investigator for the Southeast Regional Genetics Network (SERN), which addresses gaps in genetic services and is funded through the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
In addition, I foster collaborative research with investigators and clinicians throughout the U.S., spearheading evidence- and consensus-based guidelines for nutrition, metabolism, and rare genetic disorders. These guidelines were accepted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and are available to providers worldwide to improve patient outcomes.
Our metabolic clinic brings together a large pool of patients with rare diseases, creating a unique clinical, teaching, and research resource for students, clinicians, and researchers. In 2019, we became the first institution to offer both post-masters and post-doctoral nutrition clinical research fellowship training in this specialized field and are now expanding global training utilizing Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) model through electronic Genetic Nutrition Academy (eGNA).
Our research focuses on the development of nutritional treatment recommendations that promote optimal growth and development and prevent adverse neurological and health consequences in individuals with genetic metabolic disorders.
Research Activities
Current research and activities aimed at advancing treatment strategies include:
- Investigating the relationships between genotypes, metabolomics, and nutrition interventions as they relate to treatment outcomes.
- Research-based programmatic interventions for patients with inherited metabolic disorders (IMDs) that result in optimal outcomes, including Medical Nutrition Therapy for Prevention Program, which we anticipate will serve as a national model. This is primarily a Georgia Department of Public Health funded project that I am developing and leading.
- An annual research-based metabolic camp for women and girls with IMDs.
- Identifying genetic gaps and developing solutions in genetic metabolic nutrition and workforce capacity.
- Founder and Host of the Genetic Nutrition Online listserv for over 450 dietitian subscribers.
- Served as the founding president of Genetic Metabolic Dietitians International (GMDI)–a successful professional organization that was started by an Emory-funded grant–has been one of the most gratifying experiences of my professional career.
