Passion, possibilities, and partnerships: Reimagining a nutrition profession for the future

Presented by Dr Rachel Boak, Professor Claire Palermo and Professor Danielle Gallegos. This webinar explored findings from the recent trans-Tasman exploratory study which highlighted the possibilities for the nutrition profession now and into the future.

To read the manuscript which accompanies this presentation, please visit:

To view the webinar recording, please contact the Nutrition Society of Australia.

Unsung food heroes: What the nutrition and dietetics workforce can do for you now and into the future

The nutrition and dietetics profession are readying themselves for a big future where diet is key to lifelong health and wellbeing in the face of climate change and an ageing population.

New research out today shows that the nutrition and dietetics profession of the future continues to diversify and will increasingly expand their work across six emerging roles which you may never have heard of before. These are:

Food Afficionados – using expertise on the contemporary human relationship with food and applying this to the health of individuals, communities, businesses and populations. Such as ‘school food and nutrition co-ordinators’.

Diet Optimisers - working to optimise health and wellbeing as well as to manage conditions with overlapping environmental, social, biological, transgenerational and comorbid drivers. Such as ‘mental health and addiction specialists’ or ‘ageing health coaches’.

Knowledge Translators – providing a critical scientific voice which counters non-science-based food and nutrition misinformation which could destabilise human health. Think ‘scientifically qualified social media influencers and personalities’ or ‘research communicators’.

Equity Champions - using an equity, trauma informed lens to address systemic and structural drivers of access to healthy food which is acceptable to individuals, communities and whole populations. Such as ‘disaster food relief coordinators and mobilisers’, ‘food policy advisors’ and ‘person-centred diet coaches’.

Systems Navigators and Food System Activists – leading action to create food and agricultural systems which enable food consumption patterns for human health and also restore a safe climate for planetary health. For example ‘nutrition consultants to agri-business, urban farms and gastro-tourism’.

Change Makers, Activists and Disruptors – negotiating the complex interactions between protecting human health through food, creating financially viable, profit-generating solutions and ensuring equitable food access. Such as a ‘minister of food’ or ‘trade agreement negotiators’ ensuring equitable global distribution of food that maximises human health and reduces the risk to planetary health.

The Council of Deans of Nutrition and Dietetics, Australia and New Zealand, actively works with stakeholders to optimise education and research for a dynamic workforce. A workforce that reimagines and continues to create new frontiers for the optimal health and wellbeing of people and the environment through food. Our university graduates will continue to be ready to reach and extend these boundaries.

This research is a call to the many departments of government and industry, for the many entrepreneurs, researchers, and technologists within and outside the profession, to ensure that we have this skilled nutrition and dietetics workforce everywhere that we need them.

On the tails of World Food Day, think about where the qualified nutrition and dietetics workforce could make a difference in your world right now.

#WorldFoodDay2021 #FoodHeroes

Contact for Professor Danielle Gallegos interview:

Queensland University of Technology
Council of Deans of Nutrition and Dietetics, Australia and New Zealand
danielle.gallegos@qut.edu.au
0409 681 807

Am I more than my Avatar?: Face-to-Face teaching is vital in universities

Universities face challenging times with significant disruptors to delivery and innovation in education, highlighted recently during the trials imposed by COVID-19. In Australia, additional challenges have included uncertainty around government funding cuts and student fee increases. The requisite move to online teaching with COVID-19 has been global and has been both lauded and criticised by students, staff, universities and government funding bodies, while its true impact remains unknown. The expectation of lower incomes in universities has increased the pressure to grow online course delivery. The essential transition to online learning exposed new opportunities, but not all learning is ideal in a virtual context. Students who signed up for a live experience, are currently missing out on the opportunities of live peer learning and campus life.

The Council of Deans of Nutrition and Dietetics Australia and New Zealand, is clear that whilst online teaching methods may be suitable in some subjects, there are others, especially within health, where ‘going online’ poses significant risk. Within the dietetic context, to ensure quality and safety of healthcare to the Australian public, in-person teaching and assessment of skills development in medical nutrition therapy, community dietetics and food service management is critical. Further to this the Council of Deans of Nutrition and Dietetics recognises the necessity for regular in-person contact between students and their university lecturers, tutors, placement supervisors, and other students as part of the experiential learning process required to become a member of the health care team of the future.

Professor Eleanor Beck, Chair of The Council of Deans of Nutrition and Dietetics cautions, “Face-to-face contact is vital in the health professions. In-person networking opportunities with peers, tutors and lecturers are part of learning and cannot be achieved adequately online. One year online in an emergency such as a pandemic has been managed, but dietitians like many professionals, require science training in laboratories, skill development in physical assessment, and practical engagement in settings such as commercial and community kitchens. Most critically, all health students need to be assessed on their interpersonal skills in preparation for moving to professional placement and to work with vulnerable individuals and groups in hospital and primary care settings.”

With the closing date today for submissions on the Higher Education Support Amendment Bill 2020, The Council of Deans of Nutrition and Dietetics is calling for a commitment to adequately fund and staff universities to ensure that students receive essential in-person teaching. One in two Australians suffer from diet-related diseases and dietitians and professionals require this education to ensure engaged, evidence-based care assists in improving the future health of Australians.

For further information or to organise an interview:

Professor Eleanor Beck

University of Wollongong
Chair, Council of Deans of Nutrition and Dietetics eleanor_beck@uow.edu.au
0408 266 832

Professor Margaret Allman-Farinelli

University of Sydney
Deputy Chair,
Council of Deans of Nutrition and Dietetics margaret.allman-farinelli@sydney.edu.au

Professor Danielle Gallegos

Queensland University of Technology Immediate Past Chair
Council of Deans of Nutrition and Dietetics danielle.gallegos@qut.edu.au
0409 681 807

Avoid misinformation during COVID-19: Follow food & nutrition science experts

We face unprecedented times with the global health crisis of COVID-19. We are all seeking to understand what we can do for our communities, our families and ourselves. Many people are looking for advice from food and nutrition professionals right now.

The voice of qualified experts in food and nutrition science has been to discourage panic buying, and to plan and shop sensibly. This includes using evidence-based nutrition information on what foods to keep on hand when people are unwell or isolating. Advice from qualified experts on the relationship between nutrition and the immune system and from the Food Standards Australia and New Zealand authority on food safety is also available. Australians can now also access an Accredited Practising Dietitian for bulk billed Medicare services through telehealth and phone consultations.

When it comes to food and nutrition, we know diet is a key factor in health status. However, we know that before COVID-19 food insecurity was already a concern in Australia. Therefore, the Commonwealth Government’s economic support payment in response to COVID-19 for existing payment recipients and concession card holders was positive policy action towards addressing food security for the most vulnerable. Going forward governments, businesses and civil society must think about food access and the wider food system.

A useful resource to inform our work as dietitian-nutritionists, includes the series of blogs from the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition which will be covering the news and resources related to the risks, responses and impact of COVID- 19 on food systems and nutrition.

If you are able, we also suggest that now is the time to make monetary donations to a welfare or charity organisation which can offer critical food and aid support to people most in need. Also do not forget to consider how you might help a vulnerable neighbour to ensure their food security during this difficult time.

For further information or to organise an interview:

Professor Eleanor Beck

University of Wollongong
Chair, Council of Deans of Nutrition and Dietetics
eleanor_beck@uow.edu.au
0408 266 832

Professor Danielle Gallegos

Queensland University of Technology
Council of Deans of Nutrition and Dietetics
danielle.gallegos@qut.edu.au
0409 681 807

Fake News and Nutrition Charlatans

How much nutrition information will you consume this week and how much of it will come from qualified people? It is National Nutrition week in Australia and The Council of Deans of Nutrition and Dietetics (CDND) are calling for the regulation of nutrition professionals to help protect the public from nutrition misinformation from unqualified people.

There is a tsunami of nutrition misinformation hitting the public from sources including celebrities, ‘wellness bloggers’ and science sceptics. “Public confusion over who to consult about food and nutrition is common” said Professor Danielle Gallegos, Chair of the CDND.

“Nutrition expertise and advice from qualified nutrition and dietetic professionals is often overlooked” reports Professor Gallegos. “We want to make it clear, nutrition is a complex science. The experts in nutrition science are graduates from universities offering recognised qualifications in nutrition science or nutrition and dietetics in Australia and New Zealand”.

“At the moment anybody can call themselves a nutritionist or a dietitian – but if you are looking for individualised nutrition advice or medical nutrition therapy, seek out an Accredited Practising Dietitian” advised Professor Gallegos. In Australia, Accredited Practising Dietitians are university qualified professionals that undertake ongoing training and education programs and practise in line with the Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) Professional Standards, to ensure that they are your most up-to-date and credible source of nutrition information.

The Australian Academy of Science, recently published the Decadal Plan for the Science of Nutrition and identified that “Gaining the public’s trust in scientists with recognised nutrition qualifications is crucial to the success of the decadal plan’s proposed trusted voice. There is an urgent need to help the public be able to recognise and differentiate the qualifications of scientifically educated professionals so they can make an informed choice.”

Professor Gallegos’ final advice this Nutrition Week is “In the face of any nutrition advice look for the qualified experts. The need for the regulation of nutrition professionals to stop nutrition misinformation has never been clearer, especially online and on social media”. So this nutrition week start making it a practice to look at the qualifications of the people who are giving you nutrition information – an Accredited Practising Dietitian is a good start.

For further information or to organise an interview:

Professor Danielle Gallegos

Queensland University of Technology
Chair, Council of Deans of Nutrition and Dietetics
danielle.gallegos@qut.edu.au
0409 681 807

Professor Eleanor Beck

University of Wollongong
Deputy Chair, Council of Deans of Nutrition and Dietetics
eleanor_beck@uow.edu.au
0408 266 832