Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Certification
Affiliations
Publications
Timeline
Generic
Carolyn Kusenda

Carolyn Kusenda

Baltimore,MD

Summary

Experienced leader with a strong background guiding teams, managing complex projects and achieving strategic objectives. Dynamic individual with hands-on experience in all aspects of pediatric nutrition support and talent for navigating and actively seeking new challenges. Excels in developing efficient processes, ensuring high standards, and aligning efforts with organizational goals. Known for adaptability, creativity, and results-oriented mindset. Brings fresh perspective and strong commitment to quality and success. I am passionate about team and individual professional development, as well as a drive to provide world-class patient care.

Overview

38
38
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification

Work History

Clinical Nutrition Manager/Interim Director Pediatric Clinical Nutrition

Johns Hopkins Hospital
11.2023 - Current
  • Provide leadership for 18 Pediatric Clinical Nutrition dietitians and 13 human milk and formula lab in the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.
  • Ensure compliance with regulatory standards, conducting audits and providing corrective action plans when necessary: Successfully led State Review for Donor Milk and Joint Commission Survey with no citations.
  • Streamline workflow for dietitians by designing efficient scheduling practices and optimizing workload distribution.
  • Establish strong relationships with outside vendors and suppliers, securing high-quality resources at competitive prices.
  • Manage department financials: Maintained surplus status
  • Establish clinical competency and process improvement initiatives: 100% of staff completed with 100% accuracy
  • Drive efficiency and effectiveness to maximize productivity in the Milk Depot and Formula Room: Established safe, minimal staffing at 6 FTEs over 8 FTEs
  • Develop policy and procedure and standards of care for Pediatric Clinical Nutrition Department: Clinical and Milk Depot/Formula Labs
  • Co-Chair Pediatric Nutrition Advisory Council
  • Provide consultation to nutrition managers within the system to improve efficiency and effectiveness of system: Cutting meeting time by 50%.
  • Collaborate with All Children's Hospital in Timeless implementations and upgrades with 100% success
  • Developed high-performing teams by providing mentorship, guidance, and opportunities for professional growth: Escalated 7 RDNs on the department career ladder.
  • Facilitate cross-functional collaboration for improved decision-making processes within the organization: Mom's Milk Initiative
  • Optimize staff performance by designing comprehensive training programs tailored to individual needs
  • Evaluate employee performance objectively using established metrics, leading to fair compensation adjustments based on meritocracy principles

Clinical Nutrition Project Manager; Assistant Director Clinical Nutrition and Patient Services/Project Manager

Morrison Healthcare Food Service: Children's Healthcare of King's Daughters
06.2019 - 11.2023
  • Provided leadership for 16 Clinical Dietitians; Patient Services Program, and Human Milk/Formula Labs.
  • Developed and operationalized a new Human Milk Lab for centralized milk processing.
  • Implemented Timeless Human Milk and Formula scanning and tracking system.
  • Established Standards of Care and policy and procedure for the department.
  • Maintained patient satisfaction scores within acceptable range.
  • Raised the bar for RDN's practice, publishing, and hospital representation.
  • Co-Chaired Nutrition Sub-Committee; Reported at P&T Committee Meetings.
  • Consultant: Called to consult at multiple Children's Hospitals regarding clinical nutrition, milk labs, and patient services programs (Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC; Yale University Hospital System in New Haven, CT; Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC).

Clinical Nutrition Manager/Neonatal Nutrition Specialist

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
06.2016 - 06.2019
  • Managed a team of 17 dietitians and Formula Lab technicians and processes
  • Developed Standards of Care, Policies and Procedures, Process Improvements
  • Led successful TJC/CMS regulatory reviews.


Assistant Director: Clinical Nutrition, Patient Services and Wellness

Children's National Medical Center
06.2006 - 06.2016
  • Managed a team of 15 Dietitians, 4 Formula Technicians, and 25 Patient Services employees.
  • Managed nutrition support in a 35 bed Level IV NICU; Developed and implemented a Neonatal Nutrition Traineeship.
  • Provided leadership in development of Standards of Care, Policy and Procedure, and Process Improvement. Participated in regulatory readiness and TJC/CMS surveys.
  • Presented locally, nationally and internationally at pediatric, neonatal, and management conferences.
  • Successfully led 6 accounts in DC/Virginia region in meeting Morrison/CMS, TJC regulatory compliance initiatives as Regional Clinical Nutrition Manager.
  • Successfully led 6 regional hospitals in DC/Virginia in meeting Morrison Wellness Initiative goals 2013-2014 as Regional Wellness Manager.
  • Negotiated 100% free of charge infant nutrition formulary. Annual savings to hospital: over $25,000.00.
  • Led nutrition and nutrition medication practice changes hospital wide: unnecessary specialty formula use; nutrition related medication use (Reglan/Zantac, IV albumin, phenobarbital for direct hyperbilirubinemia)

Adult and Pediatric Nutrition Support Specialist

Morrison Healthcare, University of Virginia Medical Center
10.2003 - 06.2006
  • Provided world class nutrition support to critically ill patients in the adult, pediatric, and neonatal intensive care units.
  • Practiced as a part of a multidisciplinary nutrition support team composed of dietitians, pharmacists, nurses and physicians.

Adult Nutrition Support Practitioner

Trident Regional Medical Center
06.1998 - 10.2003
  • Managed oral, enteral and parenteral nutrition support for critical care, oncology and medical /surgical populations.
  • Led a multidisciplinary Nutrition Support Team.

Pediatric Nutrition Support Specialist

Medical University of South Carolina
06.1992 - 06.1998
  • Practiced as a Pediatric Nutrition Support Specialist in areas (not limited to) PICU, CTICU, Ketogenics, Cardiology, HIV/AIDS, Diabetes, Metabolic Disorders.
  • Hired and trained pediatric dietitians; established order writing and parental nutrition management privileges for dietitians
  • Assistant Professor: SCSU. Taught Diet Therapy/Nutrition Biochemistry/Basic Nutrition.

Pediatric Dietitian

Vanderbilt University Medical Center
06.1987 - 04.1992
  • Co-Lead in implementation of Vanderbilt's first pediatric nutrition support team.
  • Practiced as an intensive care pediatric dietitian.

Education

Master of Science - Nutrition Science: With Honors

South Carolina State University
Orangeburg, South Carolina

Bachelor of Science -

University of Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee

Skills

  • Pediatric Nutrition Support
  • Leadership
  • Business and Performance Management
  • Quality Assurance
  • Interpersonal Relationships
  • Regulatory Compliance
  • Analytical Skills
  • Problem Solving

Certification

  • Certified Specialist in Pediatric Critical Care
  • Certified Specialist in Pediatrics
  • Maryland Licensed RDN

Affiliations

  • Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
  • Pediatric Nutrition Practice Group
  • Dietitians in Nutrition Support Practice Group
  • Clinical Nutrition Managers Practice Group
  • American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition

Publications

Available by request.

Timeline

Clinical Nutrition Manager/Interim Director Pediatric Clinical Nutrition

Johns Hopkins Hospital
11.2023 - Current

Clinical Nutrition Project Manager; Assistant Director Clinical Nutrition and Patient Services/Project Manager

Morrison Healthcare Food Service: Children's Healthcare of King's Daughters
06.2019 - 11.2023

Clinical Nutrition Manager/Neonatal Nutrition Specialist

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
06.2016 - 06.2019

Assistant Director: Clinical Nutrition, Patient Services and Wellness

Children's National Medical Center
06.2006 - 06.2016

Adult and Pediatric Nutrition Support Specialist

Morrison Healthcare, University of Virginia Medical Center
10.2003 - 06.2006

Adult Nutrition Support Practitioner

Trident Regional Medical Center
06.1998 - 10.2003

Pediatric Nutrition Support Specialist

Medical University of South Carolina
06.1992 - 06.1998

Pediatric Dietitian

Vanderbilt University Medical Center
06.1987 - 04.1992

Master of Science - Nutrition Science: With Honors

South Carolina State University

Bachelor of Science -

University of Tennessee

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