معرفی
Sara O’Brien serves as Lecturer and Clinical Assistant to the Dietetic Internship Director in the Department of Health Sciences and Nutrition at Boston University's Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. A credentialed Registered Dietitian-Advanced Practice (RD-AP) with Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist (LDN) and Certified Nutrition Support Clinician (CNSC) qualifications, she teaches core nutrition courses for undergraduate and graduate dietetics students while overseeing clinical training for dietetic interns.
Her educational background includes:
- BS in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University (2004)
- MS in Nutrition Science from Sargent College, Boston University (2010)
Dr. O’Brien specializes in clinical nutrition with research interests spanning malnutrition diagnosis, nutrition-focused physical examination techniques, critical care nutrition support, and gastrointestinal disease management. Her innovative work integrates healthcare simulation into nutrition education, developing realistic clinical scenarios that enhance students' diagnostic and therapeutic skills through experiential learning in simulation labs and clinical rotations.
Her recent scholarly contribution includes a chapter in the 12th edition of Modern Nutrition In Health and Disease (2026) addressing alimentary tract physiology, reflecting her expertise in gastrointestinal nutrition and clinical applications across disease states.
Professional recognition includes:
- Outstanding Preceptor Award from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (2022)
- Outstanding Dietetics Educator from the Massachusetts Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (2025)
As Clinical Assistant to the Dietetic Internship Director, she supervises interns during clinical rotations at medical facilities and develops simulation-based training modules. Her teaching portfolio covers medical nutrition therapy for complex conditions including renal disease, cancer, and critical illness, with emphasis on evidence-based approaches to parenteral/enteral nutrition and nutrition-genomics interactions. She actively shapes dietetic education through curriculum development aligned with Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics standards.
