Expert Briefing: Parkinson's and the Gut-Brain Connection

Carley Rusch serves as a Medical Science Liaison in Medical Affairs & Research at Abbott Nutrition specializing in Adult Therapeutics. Prior to joining Abbott, she was a Course Instructor in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Florida (UF) and Neurology Dietitian at the UF Health Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases.

Dr. Rusch completed her bachelor’s degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition at UF specializing in Dietetics. She earned her master’s degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition and completed her dietetic internship through the MS-DI program at UF. During her dietetic training, she also served as a research coordinator on a variety of study protocols, including topics on gastrointestinal dysfunction, inflammation, pre- and probiotics, and the gut microbiome. Afterwards, she worked as an inpatient dietitian at AdventHealth Orlando and served as a preceptor for their dietetic internship program. Her clinical experience spans a variety of disease states such as cancer, gastrointestinal and neurological disorders, malnutrition and critical care.

Following her time working in clinical practice, Dr. Rusch completed her PhD in Nutritional Sciences at UF. Her doctoral research investigated the effect of the Mediterranean diet on improving constipation and intestinal inflammation in Parkinson’s disease. During her graduate programs, she has taught multiple undergraduate and graduate courses on nutrition, metabolism, and research methods. Dr. Rusch has several publications in peer-reviewed journals and has been invited to present her research and nutrition-related topics at both state and national conferences.