The Department of Clinical Nutrition at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children includes a staff of licensed clinical registered dietitians (RD) who specialize in pediatric nutrition. Our registered dietitians are pediatric nutrition experts who work directly with physicians, nurses, and other specialists in caring for patients with a variety of medical conditions that impact their growth and development. The registered dietitians provide comprehensive nutrition assessments, nutrition counseling services, and evidence-based nutrition interventions for individualized medical nutrition therapy for inpatients at our main campus as well as outpatients seen at our main campus and satellite offices in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The team of registered dietitians is led by Darla J. Bradshaw, RD, LDN, CNSC, Director of Clinical Nutrition.

The right nutrition for every child.

Infants and children have individualized and unique nutritional requirements for proper growth and development. Medical complications and disease processes can impact the delivery of adequate nutrition. The registered dietitians provide medical nutrition therapy which is targeted nutrition interventions used as a therapeutic approach in managing and treating medical conditions and their associated symptoms.

Comprehensive Pediatric Clinical Nutrition Care

The team of inpatient pediatric registered dietitians works closely with all medical teams on the floors and in all critical care units of the hospital to ensure the appropriate medical nutrition therapy is provided to patients with a wide range of medical conditions, poor nutritional status, or increased nutrition risk. 

The team of outpatient pediatric registered dietitians works in specialty areas such as gastroenterology, neurology, nephrology, cystic fibrosis, endocrinology, and the Center for Children with Special Needs. They work closely with the teams to provide individualized medical nutrition support therapy, nutrition education, and counseling for patients with a variety of conditions including:

  • Growth failure
  • Malnutrition
  • Gastroesophageal reflux
  • Feeding difficulties
  • Food allergies
  • Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
  • Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
  • Malabsorption
  • Celiac disease
  • Liver disease
  • Developmental delay
  • Behavior health conditions
  • Obesity
  • Renal disease
  • Genetic disorders
  • Cystic fibrosis
  • Diabetes
  • Metabolic disorders
  • Neurological disorders
  • Neuromuscular disorders