Member Spotlight: Robert Martindale, MD, PhD, FASPEN

This video features Dr. Robert Martindale, MD, PhD, FASPEN, Professor of Surgery in the Division of Gastrointestinal and General Surgery, and Medical Director of Hospital Nutrition Services at the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon. Dr. Martindale describes his fascinating career path. While working in a lab at UCLA during the summers to earn money for forestry school, Dr. Martindale became interested in human physiology. After completing his undergraduate studies, he was invited back to UCLA to work in the nutrition department as a graduate student. Here, he earned his PhD in Nutrition. This interest in nutrition then led him to enter medical school, specializing in surgery, all while enrolled in the Army which allowed him to pay for medical school. Dr. Martindale discusses several nutrition-related topics, including specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs), the use of prebiotics and probiotics, food and the microbiome, managing patients with fistulas, and the overall future of nutrition. He highlights that we have the data that nutrition impacts outcomes; we need to sell it to the public. Physician Spotlight is a forum for outstanding Senior Leaders, Young Rising Stars, and International Colleagues in the field of nutrition to discuss important topics and ideas that impact patient care. Visit the ASPEN Physician Community at www.nutritioncare.org/physicians February 2024