American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition Presidential Address: Food for Thought: It's More Than Nutrition

Three issues were highlighted in the 30th Presidential Address to the society: (1) A.S.P.E.N.'s unique interdisciplinary structure; (2) support of the A.S.P.E.N. Rhoads Research Foundation; and (3) the meaning of food from the perspective of the patient who is receiving life-sustaining home enteral or parenteral nutrition. A.S.P.E.N., founded as a multidisciplinary society in the 1970s has evolved into an interdisciplinary society with an expanded and diverse membership of health care professionals and scientists with overlapping interests in clinical nutrition and metabolism. A.S.P.E.N. envisions an environment in which every patient receives safe, efficacious, and high quality patient care. The society is committed to advancing the science and practice of nutrition support therapy. In support of this direction, the A.S.P.E.N. Rhoads Research Foundation exists to fund research grants, promote evidence-based practice, and foster training and mentorship in nutrition and metabolic research. The scientific a...