Blenderized Tube Feeding Across All Care Settings: Balancing Science, Practice and Caregiver Experience
February 5, 2026 | 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Date: Thursday, February 5, 2026
Time: 13:00 - 14:00 ET (1:00pm - 2:00pm ET)
REGISTER HERE 
Speakers:
- Gina Rempel MD, FRCPC, FASPEN (University of Manitoba, Children’s Hospital Winnipeg)
- Gareth Birkett (caregiver of tube-fed child and Founder of Wilbo’s Blends)
- Kelsey Russell-Murray, RD, MSc (Private Practice, Gut Healthy Dietitian)
Webinar description:
There is a growing demand among enteral nutrition (EN) patients, families, caregivers, and healthcare professionals for blenderized tube feeding (BTF) across the care continuum. This shift reflects a broader cultural movement toward more holistic, whole-food–based nutrition options that align with nutritional, cultural, ethical, and personal values, while also aiming to improve clinical outcomes and quality of life.
This webinar will explore blenderized tube feeding across pediatric and adult care settings, balancing scientific evidence, clinical best practices, and caregiver experience. Presenters will review the clinical benefits of BTF, including gut health and gastrointestinal tolerance, alongside current ASPEN recommendations and relevant international guidance. Practical considerations will be addressed, including safety, nutritional adequacy, and the application of the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) framework to assess and adjust feed consistency for safe administration. Participants will also gain practical insight into real-world implementation of BTF through a caregiver perspective.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the webinar, participants will be able to:
- Describe blenderized tube feeding (BTF) and its clinical benefits, including impacts on gut health and gastrointestinal tolerance
- Review current ASPEN recommendations and key recent publications informing safe and effective use of BTF
- Apply the IDDSI framework to assess, standardize, and adjust blenderized feed thickness for safe administration.
- Identify practical strategies to prevent common complications associated with BTF
- Caregiver perspectives and lived experience in decision-making and use of blenderized tube feeding
Moderator: Leah Gramlich MD, FRCP (University of Alberta)
About the Speakers:
Gina Rempel MD, FRCPC, FASPEN - Bio coming soon
Gareth Birkett - founder of Wilbo’s Blends, launched the company to make real-food blended meals accessible for people who rely on tube feeding, inspired by his son’s blended diet journey. His mission is to transform enteral nutrition by delivering convenience, choice, and improved wellbeing for patients and families worldwide.
Kelsey Russell-Murray, RD, MSc - iis a Registered Dietitian specializing in critical illness and gut health nutrition. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition with Honours from St. Francis Xavier University and a Master of Science in Rehabilitation from McMaster University. Since 2014, Kelsey has worked as a clinical dietitian at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital, where she provides nutrition care for patients in the ICU and acute medicine units. Her hospital practice focuses primarily on the complexities of nutrition support in critical illness. In 2020, Kelsey founded Gut Healthy Dietitian, a growing private practice dedicated to supporting digestive health. Gut Healthy Dietitian has expanded to a team of dietitians offering virtual nutrition services nation-wide, including providing dietitian services at Western University. Kelsey is passionate about advancing the role of nutrition to support gut microbiome health and is committed to improving patient outcomes across care settings.
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