Personalized nutrition
I have recently been accepted into the Master of Science in Personalized Nutrition program at the University of Connecticut, and I am excited to begin in Spring 2024. I have posted my personal statement below, which explains why I believe this next chapter in my education is so important.
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At 9:00 p.m. on December 18th, 2022, I heard screams coming from my daughter Chloe’s room. My wife and I immediately rushed to see what was happening. I opened the door to find my one-year-old daughter hunched over, crying, with vomit in her hair. My wife Liz lifted her and cleaned her hair, while I handled the messy mattress and sheet.
When Liz removed her shirt, I noticed that she was jaundiced and her ribs were protruding. Because of this, I placed her on the scale and saw she weighed in at 17.5 pounds. Her weight prompted me to review her growth chart, where I noticed she had dropped from the 24th percentile to the 14th percentile in weight over the past six months. Her weight of 17.5 pounds put her in the 5th percentile. During the same time period, we noticed she had increased difficulty in swallowing, color changes (blue, purple, red) in both hands, intermittent nausea, and diarrhea.
Our little girl was curled up in my wife's arms when Liz expressed concerns about taking her to the emergency department. Fortunately, my background came in handy. In 2012, I graduated as a physician assistant and founded Medgeeks, a medical education company that helps clinicians enhance their clinical skills. After performing a physical exam, we decided not to visit the emergency department. We did, however, discontinue one of the medications prescribed to increase her platelet count.
I immediately informed our hematologist and rheumatologist and shared my concern for drug-induced lupus. Initially, this hypothesis wasn't seriously considered since there hadn’t been any reported cases of drug-induced lupus from this medication. But, our daughter's medical history made it apparent that “unlikely” does not equate to “impossible”. Fast forward to September 2023, when our rheumatologist finally diagnosed the condition as drug-induced lupus.
Our daughter's medical journey began in March 2022, when she was admitted to the hospital for thrombocytopenia (low platelets) at the age of six months. Since then, Chloe has also been diagnosed with a primary mitochondrial disease (mutation located on the MT-TL1 gene with the variant m.3243A>g).
Reflecting on my experiences, I've gained a new perspective on medicine. As I navigate various healthcare systems, I continue to identify significant gaps that need to be addressed to provide the quality care we all deserve. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one noticing these gaps. However, it may be that only a few of us, who have the privilege of being both a provider and a patient, can see them. I use the term 'privilege' deliberately, not to suggest that disease is positive, but to highlight that it can foster a unique appreciation for life. Disease can also serve as a powerful incentive to probe and question long-established systems like medicine.
Many clinicians in the Medgeeks community have reinforced this belief. One clinician in particular was also diagnosed with a primary mitochondrial disease. She experienced debilitating symptoms for two years but was told nothing could be done; she was told to, “Just live with it.” Feeling hopeless, she was on the verge of abandoning her medical career when she received an email I had sent about my daughter's struggles. This led her to investigate NIH research studies where she found a neurologist at her local Children's Hospital. After just one visit, they discovered she was deficient in taurine. After supplementation with taurine, her entire life changed. This serves as a powerful reminder that even minor adjustments, when tailored to the patient, can have a significant impact.
Compared to other specialties, mitochondrial medicine is relatively new. Current research suggests that many diseases previously thought to be separate conditions could be symptoms of mitochondria dysfunction/disease. Although there is no cure, quality of life can be improved through nutrition, exercise, and supplementation. As a result, I've sought advice from each physician involved in our daughter's care about how to best meet her nutritional needs, but their responses reflect the knowledge gap that exists.
The fact is nutrition is overlooked in the medical curriculum. I didn't have any nutrition courses in PA school, and medical schools are only recommended to offer a minimum of 25 hours of nutrition education. Despite this, 75% of medical schools do not meet this minimum requirement. On average, students receive merely 19 hours of nutrition education during their four-year program.
It took me a year and a half to find a doctor who could offer the guidance we needed. They are not only a pediatrician but also trained in integrative and functional medicine. This background allows for a personalized approach to care, grounded in the philosophy that food is medicine.
Nutrition is fundamental to health, and it's a key aspect of mitochondrial health. I initially started educating myself on this topic because of my daughter. However, after receiving numerous messages from other clinicians, I recognized the magnitude of the problem. After six months of reading books, scrutinizing the literature, and participating in self-paced courses, I realized I was nearing a point of diminishing returns.
While searching for a more structured approach, I discovered the American Nutrition Association (ANA). Their mission to promote the science and practice of personalized nutrition resonates deeply with me. Their website also has a list of the regionally accredited graduate programs in nutrition. I reviewed and dissected the curriculum for every program on that list and noticed that the University of Connecticut is among the few institutions that emphasize nutrigenomics. I've seen firsthand how our daughter's genetic makeup has influenced her outcomes; having a metabolic disorder has demonstrated the need for a tailored approach. This solidified my decision to apply to the MSPN program at UCONN. Upon reviewing the admission criteria, I realized I hadn't met the biochemistry prerequisite. So, I contacted admissions and they advised me to enroll in the course, HarvardX: Principles of Biochemistry. I enrolled and expect to finish in December 2023.
Understanding the connection between nutrition and disease is the natural next step in my education. Enrolling in the Master of Science in Personalized Nutrition at UCONN will enable me to provide the proper nutrition for my daughter, my wife, and myself. It would allow me to work directly with clients who haven’t been able to find the proper guidance they so desperately need. Additionally, it will enhance my ability to properly educate the numerous clinicians at Medgeeks, as they also lack this foundational knowledge, ultimately improving their patient care.
My daughter has changed my life in ways I can’t put into words. She has imparted more wisdom to me in her two years of life than I have gleaned in my entire thirty-six years. Attending the graduate program in personalized nutrition will allow me to continue learning and disseminating this knowledge, ensuring Chloe's experiences are not in vain.