Jay M. Mirtallo to Receive ASPEN Champion Award

This article was originally posted by the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN).

The ASPEN Board of Directors selected Jay M. Mirtallo, MS '78, RPh, BCNSP, FASHP, FASPEN, faculty emeritus of The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy, to receive the 2024 ASPEN Champion Award in recognition of his significant and sustained contributions to the association.
 
Mirtallo is a clinical practice specialist with ASPEN and will receive the Champion Award at the ASPEN Nutrition Science & Practice Conference in Tampa, Florida, on March 3, 2024.

“It’s impossible to summarize the many ways ASPEN and health care have benefitted from Jay’s dedicated and visionary leadership,” said ASPEN President Phil Ayers, PharmD, BCNSP, FMSHP, FASHP. “As one of the pharmacy specialist pioneers, Jay was instrumental in advancing the role of the pharmacist in nutrition support. As ASPEN’s 35th president, he furthered ASPEN’s reach and effectiveness by defining parenteral nutrition as a system of care.” 
 
Mirtallo’s commitment to ASPEN is notable as he has served on more than 30 committees, often as chair, including ASPEN’s Task Force on Safe Practices for Parenteral Nutrition. He chaired the PN Safety Summit that led to the development of the safety consensus recommendations released by ASPEN in 2014. For the last five years, Mirtallo has been the staff liaison for ASPEN’s Public Policy and Advocacy Committee.
 
“I’ve worked closely with Jay on a number of committees for 20 years and can think of no one more deserving of this award. He has an amazing ability to bring together ASPEN’s diverse community of health care professionals to form consensus,” said David S. Seres, MD, ScM, PNS, FASPEN. “Jay has been steadfast in his commitment to science-based practice and has been instrumental in making safe practices a core value of our society through his leadership and guidance. He has added credibility and rigor to the roles that research, education, clinical practice, advocacy and interdisciplinary care have played in guiding ASPEN’s growth and influence.”  
 
The breadth of Mirtallo’s contributions can be seen in other ASPEN awards he has received, including the Barney Sellers Public Policy Award for advancing the association’s advocacy goals and the Stanley Serlick Award for significant contributions to improving safe practices for parenteral nutrition. He was named an ASPEN Fellow in 2013.
 
“Jay has been a tireless and incredibly effective proponent for nutrition care, whether he is addressing members of Congress, working with federal agencies and corporations, or developing safety recommendations with ASPEN colleagues. I am so grateful for his mentorship on the Public Policy Committee,” said Penny Allen, RD, CNSC, FASPEN, FNHIA.
 
Mirtallo received a bachelor of science in pharmacy from the University of Toledo and a master of science in hospital pharmacy from the Ohio State College of Pharmacy. After completing residency training at The Ohio State University Hospitals in Columbus, he joined the university’s medical center staff as a specialty practice pharmacist in surgery/nutrition support, a position he held for 33 years.
 
The author of more than 60 papers, his research focused on comparative evaluations of amino acid injection products, the use of fat as a calorie source, parenteral nutrition compatibility and stability, and systems issues in the preparation, administration and management of parenteral nutrition. His many editorials and commentaries have appeared in a wide range of medical journals and specialty publications, including The New York Times.