Ouachita Stories

news

Ouachita’s Beaumont and Fisher only Arkansas dietetics students to present at Posters on the Hill

April 30, 2021 - Madison Cresswell

Jorie Beaumont (left) and Cannon Fisher (right)

Ouachita Baptist University’s Jorie Beaumont and Cannon Fisher were the only nutrition & dietetics students selected to present their research at Posters on the Hill, an event where state legislators learn about current undergraduate research. They were among the 60 researchers who were selected from hundreds of applicants to participate in the virtual event, which was held April 27-28.

“Students that participate in Posters on the Hill not only get the experience presenting their work, they also get exposure to legislators and state administrative personnel,” said Dr. Tim Knight, dean of the Patterson School of Natural Sciences. “For 2021, the presentations were virtual, which provides another experience as opposed to an in-person presentation.

“I expect more students to participate in the future when we return to an in-person format,” Knight added.

“It is quite significant for the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics to have the only majors in nutrition & dietetics in Arkansas participate in Posters on the Hill,” said Dr. Detri Brech, Charles S. and Elma Grey Goodwin Holt Professor of Dietetics and Pre-Medical Studies. “Jorie and Cannon are excellent students, and their research has implications for Arkansas. I am very proud of them and their research.”

Their research presentation, “A Systematic Review of the Nutrition Focused Physical Exam in Assessment of Malnutrition: Focus on the Elderly,” assessed how or if the Nutrition Focused Physical Exam (NFPE) is being used to diagnose malnutrition and how the outcomes of using NFPE differ from other exams and lab tests. Beaumont and Fisher also considered alternative methods for diagnosing and treating patients, and they collected academic articles from five electronic databases for their research. They concluded that the NFPE is a reliable assessment of malnutrition in all age ranges.

Beaumont, a senior from Lockport, Ill., and Fisher, a junior from Wynne, Ark., conducted their research in 2020 through Ouachita’s Patterson Summer Research Program under the direction of Knight and Brech. In its 20-year history, the Patterson Summer Research Program has given more than 300 Ouachita students the opportunity to work one-on-one with science faculty to conduct research in their respective fields.

“Knowing that we were the only Department of Nutrition and Dietetics in the state of Arkansas to present at this event was such an honor,” Fisher said. “At Ouachita, our professors are constantly searching for opportunities to build our resume.”

Fisher continued that the Dietetic Research class “really prepares us for research and how to present it. Our professors want us to strive to be professional in all aspects of our life and really prepare us in the classroom.”

“It was a great opportunity to be included in Posters on the Hill,” Beaumont added. “Cannon did a great job presenting our poster on video, and I’m so proud to come from an amazing dietetics program!”

For more information about the Patterson School of Natural Sciences or the Department of Nutrition & Dietetics at Ouachita, contact Dr. Tim Knight at [email protected] or (870) 245-5528.