Dr. Ryan T. Hurt to Guide ASPEN as its 46th President

ASPEN is pleased to announce that Ryan T. Hurt, MD, PhD, has succeeded Gail Cresci, PhD, RD, LD, as ASPEN’s 46th president.

Dr. Hurt, a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, is the director of the home parenteral and enteral nutrition program for the Mayo Clinic and serves as the vice chair of the Division of General Internal Medicine.

After receiving his medical degree from the University of Louisville School of Medicine and serving his residency and chief residency in internal medicine there, Dr. Hurt pursued both an MS and PhD in physiology and biophysics. In 2012, he returned to his hometown of Rochester, MN, and joined the Mayo faculty.

“Dr. Hurt is not only passionate about nutrition but also a vocal advocate for new approaches to patient care and the efficacy of multidisciplinary teams,” said ASPEN Chief Executive Officer Wanda Johnson, CMP, CAE, FACEHP.

Seeing the value of the care delivered by Mayo’s home parenteral nutrition team, Dr. Hurt expanded the program to include home enteral nutrition patients to provide them with the same access to 24-hour care and support.

Dr. Hurt focuses his research on clinical nutrition, the pathophysiology of obesity, the effects of long-term PN and EN, and the use of telehealth in home nutrition support.

Dr. Hurt’s multidisciplinary leadership skills and expertise in the management of complex medical conditions are evident in his successful development and deployment of a home monitoring program for Mayo Clinic patients with COVID-19. This work, which required coordination with health departments in four states, has reached more than 50,000 patients. Dr. Hurt has also expanded his research to include the evaluation and management of patients with long-term consequences of COVID-19.

Dr. Hurt has devoted much of his career to education. Since 2013, he has been a program director for the Nestlé Nutrition Clinical Fellowship. Each year, he helps develop and implement the core nutrition curriculum to educate and engage fellows in nutrition. At Mayo, he lectures second year medical students on nutrition and all residents who rotate on the GI service.

“I want to expand ASPEN’s reach and get more clinicians involved in nutrition,” said Dr. Hurt. “Unlike some medical societies, ASPEN brings together multiple disciplines with different perspectives. It offers many opportunities for members to get involved and elevate their careers.”

An ASPEN member since 2007, Dr. Hurt has served on the Board of Directors for the past three years, chaired and co-chaired the Conference Program Committee, and been a member of the Nutritional Education National Task Force and the Physician Engagement Committee. He is also active in the Kentucky chapter of ASPEN, serving as president for more than 6 years.

Dr. Hurt was co-editor of the third edition of the ASPEN Parenteral Nutrition Handbook and has contributed to numerous book chapters. In addition, he has served as section editor of the International Journal of Academic Medicine and contributing editor to Nutrition in Clinical Practice.

“Dr. Hurt’s passion and commitment to patients and students, along with his extensive research and clinical experience, makes him the perfect leader for ASPEN,” said Ms. Johnson. “We are confident he will guide a steady course no matter what new challenges arise and continue to expand the field of clinical nutrition therapy.”

Learn more about Dr. Hurt, ASPEN’s 46th president, in this spotlight video.