Advocating for Nutrition: Every Voice Matters!
Date: Monday, October 3, 2022
Time: 12:00pm - 1:15pm ET
To register: CLICK HERE
The Canadian Malnutrition Task Force and the Canadian Nutrition Society are pleased to host this webinar in partnership with their society partner, ASPEN.
This webinar will be presented in English.
Speakers:
Introduction by Leah Gramlich MD, FRCP, University of Alberta, Past Co-Chair CMTF
Bettemarie Bond, Patient Advocate
Mary R. L’Abbé, CM, PhD, University of Toronto
Penny Allen, RD, CNSC, FASPEN, FNHIA
Session description:
Advocating for nutrition is often viewed as a vast and complex platform aimed at increasing commitments for nutrition at the political and society level. Multiple efforts are being undertaken by patients, clinicians, and organizations to improve nutrition, however busy practitioners may be unaware of these or may find the concepts too overwhelming to navigate on their own. There is a need for practical recommendations to guide clinicians and administrators to act for positive changes around nutrition care. In this 75 minute session, attendees will hear an ASPEN patient advocate share their personal lived experience around nutrition while speakers from CNS-CMTF and ASPEN will explain what advocacy means and review current public health and professional society efforts being undertaken to commit to better nutrition. Speakers will provide practical insights on how practising clinician’s can lend their voice to advocate for better nutrition in their own settings.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the webinar attendees will:
- Learn about a patient’s and a clinician’s experience with nutrition advocacy
- Gain an understanding of the importance of advocacy at various levels
- Become familiar with examples of advocacy efforts- overcoming barriers and recent successes
- Describe the importance of collaboration between organizations
- Be able to identify strategies to start advocating for nutrition and to amplify efforts
About the Speakers:
Bettemarie Bond Bettemarie is a Patient Advocate who has Mitochondrial Myopathy, Dysautonomia, and Dysmotility. Her journey on Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition began as a teenager back in 1988. Despite having very limited energy, Bette sets a terrific example of what can be achieved when one uses their voice to advocate and spread awareness. Bette has co-hosted workshops and has given presentations to improve medical care, to encourage technological innovation, to share about her advocacy efforts, and to encourage patients and providers to advocate! Bettemarie has lobbied locally and on the US Capitol Hill for various issues representing the Oley Foundation, the Digestive Disease National Coalition, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation, Dysautonomia International, and The American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. Bette participated as a panel member during the FDA’s Public Meeting on Functional Gastrointestinal (GI) Disorders Patient-Focused Drug Development. She is the first person on parenteral nutrition to serve on ASPEN’s Public Policy Committee. She was ASPEN’s first recipient of the Lyn Howard Nutrition Support Consumer Advocacy Award and was recognized again in 2022 for her advocacy efforts.
Mary R. L’Abbé is a Professor and former Chair, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, where she leads a research group on Food and Nutrition Policy for Population Health. In 2018 Dr. L’Abbé was named to the Order of Canada; she is an inaugural Fellow of the CNS-SCN and a fellow of the ASN. Her research examines the nutritional quality of the Canadian food supply, nutrient profiling methods, dietary intake patterns, and consumer research on food choices related to obesity and NCDs. Professor L’Abbé has over 285 peer-reviewed scientific publications and chaired or participated on numerous expert committees for WHO, PAHO, Health Canada and the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. She is the Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre on Nutrition Policy for NCD Prevention and one of the founding members of INFORMAS, the International Network for Food and Obesity / Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) Research, Monitoring and Action Support.
Penny Allen is the National Director, Nutrition Support for Optum Infusion Pharmacy. Penny began her nutrition support career at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts after obtaining her nutrition degree from the University of New Hampshire. She has spent over 30 years in the home infusion setting in a variety of roles, currently serving as a nutrition support program lead for Optum Infusion Pharmacy-- a U.S. national home infusion provider, driving state of the art nutrition support care based on ASPEN standards and excellence in home nutrition support. She is a Certified Nutrition Support Clinician (CNSC), serves as Immediate Past Chair of the ASPEN Public Policy Committee, current Chair of the National Home Infusion’s Medicare Contractor and Advisory Committee and is a published subject matter expert in Medicare PN and EN policies and other home nutrition support related topics. Her career passion is improving access to quality nutrition support therapies for all patients.
Moderator: Leah Gramlich MD, FRCP, University of Alberta
To register: CLICK HERE