Multidisciplinary Care Teams for Effective Treatment

ACUTE’s world-class medical care for extreme eating disorders and severe malnutrition consists of more than 200 dedicated, full-time medical and behavioral experts. These providers are dedicated to ACUTE and specialize in treating severe eating disorders and severe malnutrition from disease or infection.  

 

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Medical Providers

Medical providers address patients’ life-threatening medical issues and restore medical stability through weight restoration and nutritional rehabilitation.

World renowned, highly experienced internal medicine physicians, psychiatrists and nurses drive life-saving medical interventions, manage medications and lead the treatment teams of interdisciplinary experts.

Registered Dietitians support effective weight restoration and refeeding protocol and provide patients with 1:1 nutritional education and counseling.

Physical Therapists deliver support and training to restore strength and mobility.

Occupational Therapists address impaired engagement in the activities of daily living and restore motivation and capabilities.

Certified Nursing Assistants support and supervise medically complicated patients 24/7 to ensure safety and abstinence from eating disorder behaviors.

Any medical specialist within Denver Health Medical Center may be engaged to meet any patient treatment need, including gastroenterology, cardiology, endocrinology, infectious disease and oncology.

Behavioral Providers

Behavioral providers address psychiatric and behavioral issues related to the eating disorder, and/or treat patients’ co-occurring mental health concerns.

Psychologists deliver evidence-based psychotherapy to patients as well as psychoeducation to help foster understanding of these complex illnesses.

Child Life Specialists provide age-appropriate activities to help adolescents cope with the stress and uncertainly of illness, injury, disability and hospitalization.

Social Workers collaborate with the treatment team to coordinate care and discharge planning.

Behavioral Health Technicians are assigned 24/7 to provide support, motivation and companionship for behaviorally complicated patients, ensuring safety and abstinence from eating disorder behaviors.

Pet Therapists visit patients with therapy dogs to reduce stress, promote healing and lift spirits.

Chaplains provide optional non-denominational faith-based support and guidance to patients.

Meet the ACUTE Care Team

  • Philip S. Mehler, MD, FACP, FAED, CEDS
    Philip S. Mehler, MD, FACP, FAED, CEDS Link

    Philip S. Mehler, MD, FACP, FAED, CEDS

    Founder & Medical Director, ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders and Severe Malnutrition | Glassman Professor of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine
    Dr. Philip Mehler, MD, FACP, FAED, CEDS founded ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders and Severe Malnutrition in 2001 and serves as ...
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  • dennis gibson
    Dennis Gibson, MD, FACP, CEDS Link

    Dennis Gibson, MD, FACP, CEDS

    Clinical Operations Director | Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine
    Dr. Dennis Gibson joined ACUTE in 2017 and serves as the Clinical Operations Director.
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  • Allison Nitsch, MD
    Allison Nitsch, MD, FACP, CEDS Link

    Allison Nitsch, MD, FACP, CEDS

    Lead Physician
    Dr. Nitsch joined ACUTE in 2020 and became the Lead Physician of ACUTE in 2023. She loves caring for ACUTE’s medically and ...
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  • Melanie Hebert, MD
    Melanie Hebert, MD Link

    Melanie Hebert, MD

    Hospitalist | Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine
    Dr. Melanie Hebert joined ACUTE in 2019 as a hospitalist. Melanie Hebert, MD is an attending physician at ACUTE. She jointed ...
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  • vishnupriya khatri
    Vishnupriya "Priya" Khatri, MD Link

    Vishnupriya "Priya" Khatri, MD

    Hospitalist | Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine
    Dr. Priya Khatri joined the ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders & Severe Malnutrition in 2019 as a Hospitalist. Dr. Priya Khatri ...
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  • Leah Puckett, MD, MPH
    Leah Puckett, MD, MPH Link

    Leah Puckett, MD, MPH

    Hospitalist | Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine
    Dr. Leah Puckett has been with ACUTE as a hospitalist since 2018. Dr. Puckett is also an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the ...
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  • Kristin Anderson
    Kristin Anderson, MD Link

    Kristin Anderson, MD

    Hospitalist | Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine
    Dr. Kristin Anderson was born and raised in the great Hawkeye state of Iowa. She received both her bachelors of science in ...
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  • kara leach
    Kara Leach, MD Link

    Kara Leach, MD

    Hospitalist | Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine
    Dr. Kara Leach is a Colorado native and earned her Bachelors of Science in Microbiology & Biomedical Sciences at Colorado State ...
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  • Kamila Cass, PhD, CEDS
    Kamila Cass, PhD, CEDS Link

    Kamila Cass, PhD, CEDS

    Psychologist
    Dr. Kamila Cass is a Clinical Psychologist at the ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders at Denver Health, providing psychodiagnostic ...
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  • Cheryl Kornfeld
    Cheryl Lundberg, PsyD, CEDS Link

    Cheryl Lundberg, PsyD, CEDS

    Psychologist
    Dr. Cheryl Kornfeld works as a licensed clinical psychologist at the ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders at Denver Health, the ...
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  • Jamie Manwaring
    Jamie Manwaring, PhD Link

    Jamie Manwaring, PhD

    Psychologist
    Dr. Jamie Manwaring began clinical research in eating and weight disorders after graduating with her degree in psychology from ...
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  • Meghan Foley, RD, CED-RD
    Meghan Foley, RD, CEDS Link

    Meghan Foley, RD, CEDS

    Clinical Nutrition Manager
    Meghan Foley, RD, CEDRD-S, is the Clinical Nutrition Manager for ACUTE, where she has become an expert in using medical ...
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  • Shelby Sitko
    Shelby Sitko, RD, CEDS Link

    Shelby Sitko, RD, CEDS

    Registered Dietitian
    Shelby became a registered dietitian in 2015, after completing her undergraduate degree in Nutrition and Dietetics as well as ...
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  • kelsey dworkin
    Kelsey Dworkin, MS, RD Link

    Kelsey Dworkin, MS, RD

    Registered Dietitian
    Kelsey became a registered dietitian in 2013, after completing her undergraduate degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from ...
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  • Ann Koutsavlis
    Ann Koutsavlis, MPH, RD, CEDRD Link

    Ann Koutsavlis, MPH, RD, CEDRD

    Registered Dietitian
    Ann Koutsavlis obtained her master’s degree in Public Health/Nutrition at University of Massachusetts Amherst. She earned her ...
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  • Headshot of Elizabeth Parks
    Elizabeth "Libby" Parks, LCSW, CEDS Link

    Elizabeth "Libby" Parks, LCSW, CEDS

    Clinical Social Worker
    Libby Parks, LCSW, CEDS joined ACUTE in 2019 after four years working in residential, PHP, and IOP levels of eating disorder ...
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  • Krista Hovde, RN
    Krista Hovde, RN Link

    Krista Hovde, RN

    Nursing Manager
    Krista Hovde is the Nursing Manager at ACUTE. As Nurse Manager, Krista oversees the unit’s day to day operations and enhances ...
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  • Tammie Williams, LCSW
    Tammie Williams, LCSW Link

    Tammie Williams, LCSW

    Clinical Social Work Supervisor
    Tammie Williams is the Lead Clinical Social Worker ACUTE, where she provides supervision and direction of the Social Work team ...
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  • Delaney Frazier
    Delaney Wesselink, PT, DPT, CEDS Link

    Delaney Wesselink, PT, DPT, CEDS

    Lead Rehab Specialist
    Originally from Boise, Idaho, Delaney received her BS in Exercise Science at the University of Montana in Missoula, MT ...
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  • Headshot of Chelsea Boyd
    Chelsea Boyd PT, DPT Link

    Chelsea Boyd PT, DPT

    Physical Therapist
    Chelsea is a Colorado native and received her BS in Biology at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Wanting to maintain the ...
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  • erica tohtz
    Erica Tohtz, MOT, OTR/L, CEDS Link

    Erica Tohtz, MOT, OTR/L, CEDS

    Occupational Therapist
    Originally from Livingston, Montana, Erica attended Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota and obtained her Masters of ...
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  • Monica Williams
    Monica Williams OTD, OTR/L Link

    Monica Williams OTD, OTR/L

    Occupational Therapist
    Originally from St. Louis, MO, Monica received her B.S. in Exercise Science and Doctorate of Occupational Therapy at Creighton ...
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ACUTE Earns Prestigious Center of Excellence Designation from Anthem
In 2018, the ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders & Severe Malnutrition at Denver Health was honored by Anthem Health as a Center of Excellence for Medical Treatment of Severe and Extreme Eating Disorders. ACUTE is the first medical unit ever to achieve this designation in the field of eating disorders. It comes after a rigorous review process.

Center of Excellence Logo