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Getting to Know Karen Moody, M.D.

Karen Moody was always interested in holistic, mind-body wellness, far before she became an oncologist. “As a bio-psych major I studied all aspects of health, including food, diet and exercise,” she explains. “I was interested in the quality of life for children, and my plan was to work on lifestyle studies in a pediatric setting to help kids avoid getting diseases. When I did a rotation in oncology, I couldn’t resist helping really sick kids, and knew I wanted to work on blending cancer treatment with optimizing wellness.”

Today, Dr. Moody is an Associate Professor, in the Department of Pediatrics Patient Care and an Associate Professor, in Palliative, Rehabilitation and Integrative Medicine at MD Anderson. She is currently the Director of Supportive Care and Integrative Medicine at the Children’s Cancer Hospital at MD Anderson. She earned her B.A. in Biology/Psychology from Columbia University (New York), her M.D. in Medicine at State University of New York, Upstate Medical Center (Syracuse), and her M.S. in Health Services Research and Clinical Epidemiology from Weill Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Cornell University (New York). Dr. Moody continued her studies with a Clinical Residency in Pediatrics at Children’s Health Center, St. Joseph’s Hospital, Phoenix, a Clinical Fellowship in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at New York University Hospital and Medical Center, and a Research Fellowship in Clinical Epidemiology and Health Services Research at Weill Medical College, Cornell University. She is certified in medical acupuncture and studied palliative care and education at Harvard Medical School. She has worked around the country in pediatric hematology-oncology and palliative care, and served as the Director of Integrative Medicine and Palliative Care at The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore (Bronx, NY) and the Chief, Division of Palliative Care, Department of Pediatrics, at Riley Hospital for Children (Indianapolis, IN), before joining MD Anderson in September 2017.

“During my fellowship, I became interested in evidence-based research, while working with young cancer patients,” she recalls. “At that time, doctors were telling sick children and their parents not to eat raw fruit and vegetables, to avoid the possible introduction of bacteria into a patient’s gastrointestinal tract. This long-practiced, much-debated ‘neutropenic diet’ (ND) was thought to limit possible infection. But there was little evidence to support the ND, and I decided to design a study to determine its true usefulness.”

“Our clinical trial evaluated the difference in neutropenic infection rates in pediatric oncology patients randomized to Food and Drug Administration approved food safety guidelines (FSGs) versus the ND plus FSGs during one cycle of chemotherapy. With 150 patients, approximately 75 in each arm of the study, we learned that avoiding raw fruit did not offer more protection from infection. Consequently, there is no rationale for a low microbial diet in immunosuppressed patients. Institutions caring for children with cancer should consider replacing ND guidelines with FSGs.”

“We additionally found that dietary intake did not correlate with micronutrient deficiencies status in children with cancer and there were no significant differences in dietary nutrients and serum vitamins between treatment arms.”

“A better understanding of the etiology and impact of any micronutrient deficiencies could potentially mitigate treatment-related toxicities and provide more insight into the prevalence and risk of micronutrient deficiency in cancer patients and the relationships between micronutrient deficiency, dietary intake and the quality of life.”