I had a mixed bag of emotions departing from home to attend as our cat Cali was dying. It was hard to leave home knowing this. She held on until I got home; she passed away yesterday from hyperthyroid.
The conference was a lot to take in for a first timer. I hope that I will have the opportunity to attend again. Next year is in Vegas and their centennial Nutrition2028 is slated for Boston, my favorite city.
I plan to encourage my students to get involved in the group's engaging members, GEMS. This was the first I learned more about ASN's special interest groups. I signed up for the Community and Public Health Nutrition GEM.
Some of my former professors from Rutgers were there as speakers! Seeing Dr Fitzgerald was a highlight for me. Another exciting highlight for me was meeting Dr Dodge from University of New England (UNE) in person! She was my mentor for this research along with Dr Falls. Dr Dodge directed the master's in nutrition at UNE. Now she is developing their doctoral program.
The symposium on The Gut Microbiome and Risk of Child Obesity by Dr Comstock of Michigan State University was very interesting. The ASN Welcome Reception was terrific! They provided a free glass of wine and delicious food. It was great to see a Rutger's PhD, RD standing among the group selected as Emerging Leaders in Nutrition Science Poster Competition.
It was also great hearing Dr Christopher Duggan speak from Boston Children's Hospital. Congrats to him on receiving the 2026 Robert Suskind and Leslie Lewinter-Suskind lifetime achievement award. Since I work in a teaching hospital, I liked that he encourages doctors to learn more about nutrition, "...Many of the underlying problems are nutrition problems," said Duggan. He does not see this as a threat to dietitians as they are an integral part of the healthcare team. He credits learning a lot about nutrition from dietitians and other mentors, including Dr Walter Willett, a physician and nutrition researcher and professor at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health.
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| A beautiful ending to a very busy day! |
The conference location was along the Potomac River at the Gaylord Hotel and Conference Center. The large 350 foot tall Capital Wheel was nearby and lit up the sky with a rainbow of colors every night. The sunset and surrounding landscaping at the hotel were gorgeous. I didn't get any photos of the plantings, but it was sort of what you would expect to see at Longwood Gardens.
As these individuals with prediabetes continue working on their wellness goals, such as combined lifestyle interventions of healthy eating and exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, they can be reassured that some evidence shows that this can lower hemoglobin A1C, which in turn can delay the progression or even reverse their prediabetes.
I hope that my research poster on the topic was noticed by others as many dietitians and researchers may be unaware that the rate of adolescents with prediabetes has now reached the adult rate of one in three having prediabetes. Prediabetes leads to type 2 diabetes and in most cases this is preventable.
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Related links
New GEM for Physicians interested in Nutrition
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