Forty-Third ASPEN Presidential Address: "Our Time Is Now-Challenges and Strategies for the Field of Nutrition".

Abstract

I am grateful for this opportunity to address the ASPEN community and the international colleagues gathered at the ASPEN 2019 Nutrition Science and Practice Meeting. I have used this platform to revisit some of the historical beginnings of our field and our organization, and illustrate some of the lessons learned. I have outlined 5 challenges facing the field of nutrition during our times and discussed strategies that might help navigate them. These challenges are, healthcare finance, biotechnology disruption, safety, research, and knowledge transfer. These challenges will require nutrition providers to adapt to changing times. We must be prepared to show the "value" of the care provided. The impact of nutrition therapies must be unequivocally demonstrated on meaningful patient outcomes, thereby emphasizing the relevance and value of the services we provide. As clinical nutrition professionals, we must embrace the rapid pace of biotechnology advance and harness its power to assist us and our patients. The provision of safe nutrition care to our patients is the fundamental aspect of the ASPEN vision. I remain confident in our collective strengths, our sense of purpose, and our ability to rise above the challenges we face. Together with our global partners we will deliver on the promise of safe, efficacious, low-cost, and high-quality nutrition that will improve patient outcomes and population health.