The Interface of Nutrition and Pressure Injury Prevention: Following a Hospital Patient Journey

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.

Ms. Vollman is a Critical Care Clinical Nurse Specialist and Consultant. She has published & lectured nationally and internationally on a variety of pulmonary, critical care, prevention of health care acquired injuries including pressure injury and CAUTI/CLABSI’s and other HAI’s, work culture and sepsis recognition & management. She serves as a subject matter expert on these topics for the American Hospital Association and Michigan Hospital Association. From 1989 to 2003 she functioned in the role of Clinical Nurse Specialist for the Medical ICUs at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit Michigan. Currently her company, ADVANCING NURSING LLC, is focused on creating empowered work environments for healthcare practitioners through the acquisition of better skills, attainment of greater knowledge, and implementation of process improvement.

Notable Inductions and Appointments:

• College of Critical Care Medicine (2004)
• American Academy of Nurses (2009)
• CNS Institute (2019)
• Appointed to serve as an honorary ambassador to the World Federation of Critical Care Nurses
• President: World Federation of Critical Care Nurses (2023-2025)
• Board of Directors NPIAP (2023)