About the iNourish Program:
The iNourish program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is a unique, comprehensive clinical and research nutrition program focused on advancing nutrition care for patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis as well as other gastrointestinal disorders. This program includes a one-of-a-kind nutrition and IBD clinic with a dedication to identifying and treating malnutrition as well as using diet as a treatment for patients with IBD, a dedicated inpatient IBD nutrition team, a GI-focused weight management program (WeightWise-GI) and a cutting-edge nutrition research and education program.

Specialty Clinics and Programs:

Nutrition-IBD Clinic
Patients with inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, are at increased risk of becoming malnourished due to chronic inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract, reduced appetite due to gastrointestinal symptoms, malabsorption, side effects from medications, and changes to the bowel after surgery. At Mount Sinai, we are dedicated to identifying malnutrition early and providing state-of-the-art nutrition-focused interventions to help patients and prevent IBD-related complications. In the Nutrition-IBD Clinic, patients will be seen by a physician who specializes in IBD and nutrition as well as an IBD-dedicated registered dietitian with more than 20 years of experience in the field. In this clinic, patients have access to an in-depth nutrition and muscle health assessment as well as dietary guidance and nutrition support to complement their IBD care. Moreover, patients who are interested in using diet to help treat their IBD are offered a wide range of dietary options, including the Crohn’s Disease Exclusion Diet, exclusive enteral nutrition, the Mediterranean diet and others.

The Nutrition-IBD Clinic is designed for IBD patients who are interested in:

• A comprehensive malnutrition assessment and treatment
• Use of diet as a treatment for IBD (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis)
• Extensive anthropometric testing including body composition assessment and muscle ultrasound
• Guidance on dietary modification to reduce the risk of obstructions and disease flares
• Weight restoration (including successful weight gain strategies)
• Safe re-introduction of foods that were previously restricted due to IBD 

WeightWise-GI (Innovative Center for Weight Management and GI)
The Innovative Center for Weight Management and Gastroenterology at Mount Sinai is dedicated to providing gastrointestinal and metabolic focused cutting-edge weight loss strategies, utilizing the newest research, novel therapeutics, and a multidisciplinary care team to help patients achieve their weight goals. Using precision nutrition techniques, patients will get a tailored and unique evidence-based medicine approach for sustained, healthy weight loss. This program is ideal for patients with underlying gastrointestinal diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis) who want to lose weight. Patients with gastrointestinal disease, specifically IBD, may have worsening  digestive issues because of excess weight. In addition, many IBD patients are unable to eat a traditional low-calorie diet, highlighting the importance of a dedicated IBD and weight management program. The multidisciplinary care team includes an IBD and nutrition-trained gastroenterologist, an endocrinologist, a hepatologist, an obesity-trained registered dietitian and an exercise physiologist. Patients will be offered a wide range of weight loss options, including lifestyle modification, novel medications, and non-invasive weight loss procedures if needed.

The WeightWise-GI program is designed for patients interested in:

• Comprehensive and tailored evidence-based weight loss strategies
• Improvement in cardio-metabolic health including reducing the risk of diabetes and heart disease
• Gastroenterology (including IBD) focused weight loss strategies ranging from diet and exercise routines to medications and non-invasive weight loss procedures
• Improving chronic digestive symptoms
• Reduction of body fat (adipose tissue) in the liver

How to Schedule: 

Inpatient IBD Nutrition Team:
The Inpatient IBD Nutrition team is one of the first IBD focused hospital dietician teams in the country, providing IBD specific nutrition counseling and support to patients who require hospitalization. The inpatient IBD dietitians will accompany your IBD team each day, providing guidance on how to meet your nutritional needs during an IBD flare, supplying patients with any needed supplements or protein shakes while in the hospital, and offering nutrition counseling after surgery, including specific recommendations for patients with a new ileostomy or ileoanal pouch (J pouch). The inpatient IBD dietitian team will also help coordinate a nutrition visit after discharge, if needed.

Nutrition Research Core Program:
The iNourish Research Program at Icahn Mount Sinai is led by Stephanie Gold, MD, whose research interests include the impact of malnutrition on IBD and patient reported outcomes; the prevalence and use of novel technologies including artificial intelligence; bioelectrical impedance and ultrasound to identify sarcopenia in patients with IBD; the use of dietary therapeutics in the treatment and prevention of IBD; and the effect of obesity and visceral adiposity on response to biologics and IBD progression. The work of Dr. Gold and her team has been presented in numerous peer-reviewed journals and at national and international meetings. Dr. Gold is also co-leading an international nutrition and IBD research team, bringing together global experts in the nutrition and IBD community to collaborate on large, prospective studies and advance the field.

IBD-Focused Nutrition and Diet Education Program:  
The iNourish team is dedicated to providing IBD-focused nutrition education to health care providers, trainees, and patients around the world. The team has organized an annual Nutrition and IBD Education Session, a virtual program each fall focused on high-yield clinical recommendations to improve nutrition care. In addition, the iNourish team has developed numerous educational events for patients, medical students, and trainees, including webinars in collaboration with the major GI and IBD societies, and recently contributed to the development of a nutrition curriculum for general gastroenterology fellows.

For questions about educational sessions, please contact Dr. Gold (stephanie.gold@mountsinai.org)

Meet the Team

• Stephanie Gold, MD
• Laura Manning, RD
• Kirsten Ronoco NP 
• Rose Lipner, RD
• Rachel Blihar, MS, RD
• Reshmi Srinath, MD
• Meena Bansal, MD

To schedule an appointment, call 212-241-8100 and ask to speak with Johana Alonzo, BSN, RN.