Giving News & Highlights
Dietitians
Meet our Staff
All the Children’s Hospitals and Clinics dietitians are registered with the Commission on Dietetic Registration with the American Dietetic Association, and licensed with the State of Minnesota. The American Dietetic Association web site has the qualifications of a registered dietitian (RD).
Staff and work areas:
Children’s - Minneapolis
Mary Smieja, RD, LD
Clinical Nutrition Manager, Cystic Fibrosis Clinic – IP/Outpatient
Cheri Armentrout, MA, RD, LD
NICU, ICC
Sarah Sather, RD, LD
Oncology Clinic, Cystic Fibrosis - IP/Outpatient, 7th and 8th floors
Karen Moberg, RD, LD
Feeding Clinic,and Outpatient
Liz VanOss Tymchuck, MS, RD, LD
PICU. IMC, and Cardio-Vascular Unit
Ellen Wade, MEd, RD, LD
6th and 7th floor, general relief
Dixie Wolfe, RD, LD
NICU, ICC
Tara Vien, RD, LD, CNSC
Staff relief
Children’s - St. Paul
Janie Cooperman, MS, RD, LD, CDE
Diabetes Clinic and Oncology Clinic
Ginny Kistler, MS, RD, LD
PICU, units 4100 and 4200, Specialty Clinic
Suzanne Sorensen, RD, LD, CDE
Diabetes Clinic, inpatients and outpatients
Tami Carpenter, RD, LD
Diabetes Clinic, Outpatients, and Ketogenic Diet (inpatient and outpatient)
Jenna Platek, MS, RD, LD
NICU
Stella Verdos Roline, MS, RD, LD.
Ketogenic diet, and inpatient
Tara Vien, RD, LD, CNSC
Staff relief
Dietitians
Nutrition is Important
Good nutrition supports the growth, development, and overall health of children of all ages. Children in good nutritional status also have better tolerance of treatments, procedures, and surgery. Studies show that children with chronic diseases, developmental disabilities, and special health care needs who have good nutritional status may have fewer illnesses and are less likely to develop complications from illness.
In addition, timely nutrition support and proactive nutrition education can maintain or improve nutritional status.
What Children's Dietitians Do
Dietitians at Children's provide a wide scope of nutrition services for premature infants up to young adults 21 years of age on both the Minneapolis and St. Paul campuses, to include inpatient, outpatient in specialty clinics, and general outpatient by referral.
We Provide Service to all Children's Patients
All inpatients have a nutrition screening completed upon admission through a multidisciplinary process including nursing and members of the clinical nutrition team to identify any nutritional risk. Any patient identified at nutritional risk is then followed by a member of the clinical nutrition team during their hospital stay.
Outpatients receive a nutrition assessment by the dietitian during their appointment.
Consultations about a child’s nutrition can be requested by the medical staff, allied health staff, or families.
Meet Our Staff
Members of our staff have up to 30 years of pediatric nutrition experience, and apply it to many programs and clinics at Children's, including: neonatal nutrition, the Cystic Fibrosis Affiliated Center, the Epilepsy Unit working with the ketogenic diet, diabetes clinics, cleft and craniofacial clinics, feeding clinic, and the Developmental Medicine Clinic working with children with Down Syndrome, other syndromes, or special health care needs.
