Adopting a Collaborative, Interdisciplinary Approach in Nutrition Care for Patients at Risk for Pressure Injuries

Abby Sauer joined Abbott Nutrition in 1999 and currently is the Director of the Abbott Nutrition Health Institute (ANHI). The mission of ANHI is to help people live their best lives by offering evidence-based education that elevates nutrition’s vital role in global health. Her focus is on nutrition education for health care professionals worldwide, especially on key areas such as muscle mass, malnutrition and optimal nutrition care.

Prior to joining Abbott Nutrition, Abby worked as a clinical dietitian in a variety of healthcare settings. She provided medical nutrition therapy to hospital patients including medical-surgical patients, ICU patients, and oncology patients, as well as outpatient nutrition counseling for patients with diabetes and gestational diabetes.

Abby earned her BS in dietetics from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and completed her dietetic internship at Barnes Jewish Christian Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. She earned a Master's in Public Health from The Ohio State University.

Liz Faust is a dedicated Nurse Practitioner with over 14 years of experience in advanced wound care, providing high-quality, evidence-based services to patients, providers, and organizations. She has demonstrated expertise through active involvement on multiple boards of prominent wound care organizations. Liz was recognized as a wound care expert who is a resource for legal case reviews, pressure injury prevention, quality improvement, and staff education.

Carley Rusch serves as a Medical Science Liaison in Medical Affairs & Research at Abbott specializing in Adult Therapeutic Nutrition. Prior to joining Abbott, Dr. Rusch completed her bachelor’s degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Florida (UF) specializing in Dietetics. She earned her master’s degree and completed her dietetic internship through the MS-DI program at UF. During her dietetic training, she also served as a research coordinator on a variety of study protocols, including topics on gastrointestinal dysfunction, inflammation, pre- and probiotics, and the gut microbiome. She then went on to work as an inpatient dietitian at AdventHealth Orlando and served as a preceptor for their dietetic internship program. Her clinical experience spans a variety of disease states such as cancer, gastrointestinal and neurological disorders, malnutrition and critical care.

Following her time working in clinical practice, Dr. Rusch completed her PhD in Nutritional Sciences at UF. Her doctoral research investigated the effect of the Mediterranean diet on improving constipation and intestinal inflammation in Parkinson’s disease. During her graduate programs, she has taught multiple undergraduate and graduate courses on nutrition, metabolism, and research methods. In 2020, she was awarded Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year by the Florida Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Dr. Rusch has several publications in peer-reviewed journals and has been invited to present at national and international conferences.