Simmons Faculty Member to Lead Webinar on Malnutrition

Boston, Mass. (June 23, 2020) – Simmons University announced today that faculty member Kate Walker, MDA, RDN, LDN will participate in a webinar on combating malnutrition hosted by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

The webinar, “Malnutrition Across the Lifespan: Perspectives from Registered Dietitians and Physical Therapists,” takes place on Wednesday, June 24th from noon to 1 p.m. It provides an introduction to malnutrition across the lifespan from the health practitioner perspectives of registered dietitians and physical therapists.

Both professions play a significant role in the identification and treatment of malnutrition. While their interventions often relate and intersect, dietitians and physical therapists rarely manage patients together. This creates missed opportunities to positively influence patient outcomes and work on goals together. The webinar explores opportunities for increasing collaborative care between dietitians and physical therapists, while emphasizing healthy aging throughout the lifespan. It will also help participants better identify the prevalence of malnutrition and the risk factors impacting individuals of all ages and diagnoses.

“Dietitians and physical therapists have unique and intersecting roles to play in the identification and treatment of malnutrition, a problem that impacts people of all ages – even here in the United States,” said Walker. “I’m pleased to have the opportunity to participate in this webinar and share some best practices and opportunities for increasing collaboration on care and improving patient outcomes.”

Walker is an assistant professor of practice and clinical instructor at Simmons University, where she precepts dietetic interns during their clinical rotations and teaches core nutrition courses. She also works as a contracted nutrition-focused physical exam trainer with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, travelling around the country, teaching NFPE workshops to nutrition professionals. She completed her dietetic internship with Utah State University where she also earned her Masters' in Dietetics Administration. Walker, who pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in nutrition and dietetics from Simmons, is passionate about progressive practice and building the teamwork necessary to provide the highest quality care to patients.

Joining Walker on the webinar is Dr. Patrick Berner -- a physical therapist and registered dietitian nutritionist practicing in upstate South Carolina. Dr. Berner is one of only a few of individuals in the country who holds this combination of credentials. He currently serves as adjunct faculty for Anderson and Baylor Universities’ Doctor of Physical Therapy programs.

For information or to register, please visit https://www.eatrightstore.org/cpe-opportunities/online-courses/malnutrition-across-the-lifespan?_ga=2.188636139.279635756.1592410424-1004882389.1565124287

About Simmons University

Located in the heart of Boston, Simmons is a respected private university offering more than 50 majors and programs for undergraduate women and graduate programs open to all on campus, in blended formats, or entirely online in nursing and health sciences, liberal arts, business, communications, social work, public health, and library and information science. Founded in 1899, Simmons has established a model of higher education that other colleges and universities are only recently beginning to adapt: the combination of education for leadership in high-demand professional fields with the intellectual foundation of the liberal arts. The result is a Simmons graduate prepared not only to work, but to lead in professional, civic, and personal life — a vision of empowerment that Simmons calls preparation for life’s work. Follow Simmons on Twitter at @SimmonsUniv, and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/school/simmons-university/.

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