Nhu Huynh, RD, LDN – Dietitian
Learn More About This Topic: Chat with Us | Email Us
“We are a part of a whole-body approach to cancer care,” says Nhu Huynh, a member of the Nutrition Department at CTCA at Eastern Regional Medical Center.
A licensed, registered dietitian, Huynh earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nutrition and food from Drexel University in Philadelphia. She also completed a dietetic internship at the Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Before joining CTCA in August 2006, Huynh spent three years as a clinical nutrition manager at Sodexho Corporation in Philadelphia. She also worked as a nutrition coordinator in a retirement community, and as a nutrition educator for the County Health Division in Philadelphia.
As a clinical oncology nutritionist at CTCA, Huynh provides patients with ongoing nutrition screenings, assessments and support. She also provides counsel to patients and families on specific nutritional guidelines for cancer and diabetes.
Huynh enjoys working for an organization that values the important role of nutrition in cancer care. “At CTCA, every patient has a dietitian who follows them from the beginning to the end of their treatment. We approach every patient as an individual and provide proactive nutrition support through the entire treatment process,” says Huynh.
Huynh says patients come to CTCA with concerns regarding what foods they can eat to help optimize their nutrition status. She says she and the other dietitians provide each patient with an individualized, well-balanced diet plan that contains foods with adequate macronutrients.
According to Huynh, patients who incorporate nutrition therapies in their cancer treatment plan can often minimize the nutrition impact symptoms brought on by traditional treatments. She says she and the other dietitians on the team strive to help patients prevent or reverse malnutrition, tolerate treatment without interruptions, maintain optimal nutrition during and after cancer treatment, and maximize their quality of life.
In addition, Huynh says the nutrition team collaborates regularly with all CTCA doctors, practitioners and staff members who directly care for patients. “The interaction and communication among the nutrition team and other practitioners is vital to the quality of patient care,” Huynh says.
Huynh is a member of the American Dietetics Association and the Philadelphia Dietetics Association, and Treasurer of the Dietitian of American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. Huynh is also a certified food manager, and is fluent in both English and Vietnamese.