Amy Gates RD, CSP, LD, is director of the NICU Milk Lab at Children's Hospital of Georgia in Augusta, Georgia, and a board certified neonatal dietitian. Ms. Gates earned a bachelor's degree in nutrition and food science, with a concentration in clinical dietetics, at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama, and completed an internship in clinical dietetics.
As director of the NICU Milk Lab, Ms. Gates writes nutrition policies and procedures for the NICU and provides guidance for the daily operation of the lab. She prescribes enteral and parenteral orders for premature and critically ill infants and educates post-doctoral fellows, residents, medical and nursing students, and dietetic interns on neonatal nutrition and writing orders. She participates in medical rounds and discharge planning with attending and resident physicians and supervises post-discharge nutrition follow-up for NICU graduates.
Ms. Gates is also the owner of Amy Gates Consulting, LLC, providing education and training to dietitians, nurses, physicians, techs, and other health care professionals concerning feeding practices for neonates. She provides assessments of NICU physical facilities and develops protocols and guidelines for safe human milk handling procedures.
Ms. Gates research interests include the safety of powdered infant formula and feeding strategies for neonates with oral-motor dysfunction. She is clinical preceptor for as many as 16 dietetic interns annually and is an instructor at the Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine, delivering seminars and lectures on neonatal nutrition to resident physicians, post-doctoral fellows, medical and nursing students.
Ms. Gates is a member of the American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, the Georgia Dietetic Association, the Nutrition Entrepreneur Dietetic Practice Group and the Pediatric Dietetic Practice Group of the American Dietetic Association. She is a frequent presenter on neonatal nutrition at meetings of these and other professional organizations.