Expert Spotlight: Refaat Hegazi, MD, PhD, MS, MBA

A conversation with Abbott Nutrition Division Vice President of  Global Medical Affairs & Research, Refaat Hegazi:

Q: Tell us about yourself.

I've been with Abbott since 2009, initially as Medical Director of Adult Nutrition, then as Regional Medical Director for Abbott Diabetes Care in the US and Canada, and now as Director of Global Medical Affairs & Research. My team and I lead research, generate real-world evidence, provide nutrition education, and deliver medical communications globally to healthcare professionals.

However, I'm also a Physician Nutrition Specialist. I have a passion for nutrition and for educating other physicians about the importance of nutrition in enhancing patient care. 

Q: What are you working on lately?

Among other things, my team researches the significant health and economic burdens of nutritional diseases like malnutrition, sarcopenia, feeding difficulties, and obesity and its related chronic diseases.

At Abbott, we know that trained and certified Physician Nutrition Specialists (PNS) play a key role in elevating multidisciplinary nutrition therapy for these diseases. And because we're also avid supporters of medical nutrition education, research, and innovative solutions, we think it makes a lot of sense to highlight continuing nutrition education for PNSs.

That's why I'm excited to help the ANHI team announce something we've been working on for a while: A new space on ANHI.org dedicated to physicians who want to deepen their expertise in nutrition or pursue their National Board of Physician Nutrition Specialists (NBPNS) credential.

You'll find resources about the new taxonomy codes for PNSs, a podcast and supporting article discussing the urgent need for clinical nutrition education in postgraduate medical training, a consensus statement outlining proposed nutrition competencies for medical students and physician trainees, a series of clinical nutrition videos from Duke University, and more. We hope you'll take a look at each item and let us know what else you'd like to see from us. 

Q: Where can we find more information?

Visit ANHI.org, click "Resources," then "Important Initiatives" at the top of the page, then click "Learn More" under the "Nutrition Physician Specialist" callout. Or, click the green button below.