Webinars

Integrated Clinical Skills for Pediatric Care: Motivational Interviewing and NFPE in Pediatric Obesity Care

How can healthcare professionals use Motivational Interviewing and NFPE skills together to better address pediatric obesity and improve patient care?

Presenter(s): Shane W Gahn, DNP, APRN CNP, PMHNP BC; Kimberly C Avila Edwards, MD, MSHCT, FAAP; Andie Lee Gonzalez, PhD, MPH, LD, FAND

Date: 05 May 2026

Time: 1:30-3:30 PM ET

Location: Live webinar

Continuing Education Credits: Nurse Contact 2.0 CE; Dietitian 2.0 CPEU

Summary

In this free, live accredited webinar, the first speaker, Shane Gahn, DNP, APRN CNP, PMHNP BC, will explain the fundamental principles of motivational interviewing (MI), differentiate key MI communication techniques, and identify clinical situations in which MI may enhance patient care.  Additionally, Kimberly Avila Edward, MD, MSHCT, FAAP, and Andie Lee Gonzalez, PhD, MPH, LD, FAND, will describe the clinical implications of pediatric obesity, demonstrate competency in performing a Nutrition Focused Physical Exam (NFPE), and apply evidence-based tools and strategies to integrating NFPE into clinical practice.

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Integrated Clinical Skills for Pediatric Care: Motivational Interviewing and NFPE in Pediatric Obesity Care

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Key Takeaways:

  • Motivational interviewing fosters a collaborative and client-centered approach to help facilitate behavior change.
  • Pediatric Malnutrition is impacted by several factors that must be considered when providing care for this population.
  • Consider current guidelines as a starting point; however, use clinical judgement to adapt to patients’ individual needs.
  • No single screening method is perfect; a combination of different methods may be needed to accurately identify pediatric malnutrition.

Related Questions:

  • Does malnutrition include overnutrition?
    Yes, malnutrition includes both undernutrition and overnutrition.
  • What is the difference between nutrition screening and nutrition assessment?
    Nutrition screening is the process of identifying an individual who is malnourished or at risk of malnutrition to determine whether a detailed nutrition assessment is needed. Nutrition assessment is the process of obtaining, verifying, and interpreting data needed to identify nutrition-related problems, their causes, and significance.

Presenter Bio(s):

Shane W Gahn, DNP, APRN CNP, PMHNP BC

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner 
Collaborative Psychiatry 
Clinical Assistant Professor of Practice 
The Ohio State University College of Nursing
Columbus, OH, USA

Shane W Gahn, DNP, APRN CNP, PMHNP BC, (he/him/his) is a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. He brings over a decade of diverse clinical experience across pediatric and adult psychiatric care, spanning inpatient, outpatient, community health, and private practice settings. He is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor of Practice and provides psychiatric services to individuals in private practice.

Shane is dedicated to inclusive, patient-centered, and ethically grounded mental healthcare. He has extensive specialized training in LGBTQ+ mental health, with particular expertise in supporting gender diverse and transgender individuals. His practice emphasizes collaborative, trauma-informed, and evidence-based approaches that promote resilience, self-efficacy, and holistic wellness.

In academia, Shane has taught across multiple levels of nursing education, including baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs, and across a wide range of content areas. His teaching experience includes interprofessional practice, cultural competency, motivational interviewing, psychiatric nursing, substance use disorders, and advanced assessment. He is actively engaged in curriculum development, educational innovation, and initiatives that promote equity within the nursing and broader healthcare communities.

He earned his Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from The Ohio State University, where he also completed the Innovation Fellowship through the OSU Center for Healthcare Innovation and Leadership. He now serves as a board member for the fellowship and also serves as an advisor and mentor to students.

Shane’s work reflects a commitment to advancing high-quality, affirming mental healthcare; fostering clinical and academic excellence; and reducing health disparities through innovation, education, and patient-led practice.

 

Kimberly C Avila Edwards, MD, MSHCT, FAAP

Pediatrician 
Associate Professor of Medicine 
Department of Pediatrics 
University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School
Austin, TX, USA

Kimberly Avila Edwards is a general pediatrician and the Associate Chair of Advocacy for the Department of Pediatrics at Dell Medical School. Dr. Avila Edwards is a graduate of Harvard College, where she graduated magna cum laude with an AB in Biochemistry, and Harvard Medical School. She completed her pediatric training at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital. In August 2024, Dr Avila Edwards received her Master of Science in Health Care Transformation.

Dr Avila Edwards has experience practicing general pediatrics in a private multispeciality group practice, an academic ambulatory clinic, and on board a mobile clinic that served as a medical home for uninsured children. Dr Avila Edwards co-founded the Texas Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Childhood Obesity at Dell Children's Medical Center in 2010; served on the editorial board for America Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Healthy Active Living for Families project, and was on the steering committee for the AAP Institute for a Healthy Childhood Weight from 2012-2016. She was one of the coauthors of the 2023 AAP Clinical Practice Guideline for the Evaluation and Treatment of Children and Adolescents with Obesity.

Andie Lee Gonzalez, PhD, MPH, RDN, FAND

Senior Medical Science Liaison
Medical Affairs & Research
Abbott Nutrition
Palmview, TX, USA

Andie Lee Gonzalez is a Senior Medical Science Liaison with the Pediatric MSL Team. Dr Gonzalez earned a bachelor's degree in Dietetics and Nutrition, a Master in Public Health (MPH) and clinical dietetic training at Michigan State University (MSU) in East Lansing, Michigan. Her undergraduate and graduate work focused on nutrition and the health of migrant farmworker children. She completed her PhD in Organizational Leadership from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas.

Her previous roles included inpatient and outpatient counseling for adults and pediatric patients. She was an adjunct Community Nutrition Professor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and South Texas College, and served as an AmeriCorps Health Corps member. Dr Gonzalez also serves in various community nutrition-focused local and national organizations. A few roles include President-Elect of the Texas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Public Advocacy Liaison for Latinos and Hispanics in Dietetics and Nutrition, and chair of Grants and Awards for the Pediatric Nutrition Practice Group.

References:

  • Stierman B, et al. National Health Statistics Reports;158. Accessed May 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr158-508.pdf
  • Hampl SE, et al. Pediatrics. 2023;151(2):e2022060640.
  • USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans. (2020-2025). Dietary Guidelines for Americans. https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2021-03/Dietary_Guidelines_for_Americans-2020-2025.pdf
  • A Toolkit for Pediatricians to Address Food Insecurity. Food Research & Action Center. Updated January 2021. Accessed on July 12, 2024. https://frac.org/wp-content/uploads/FRAC_AAP_Toolkit_2021.pdf.
  • www.aap.org/obesitycpg
  • Becker PJ, et al. Nutr Clin Pract. 2022;37(5):1088-1104.
  • Green Corkins K. Nutr Clin Pract. 2015;30(2):203-209
  • Muth, N.D. (2023). The Clinician's Guide to Pediatric Nutrition.
Category
CE CPEU Pediatric Professional Development