Remembering Dr. James (Jim) House, PhD, FCNS-SCN
It is with immense sadness that the Canadian Nutrition Society (CNS) shares the news of the passing of Dr. James (Jim) House on September 10, 2024.
Dr. House served on the CNS Board of Directors from 2017-2021, including a two-year term as President. He was also actively engaged on many CNS committees, among them, the CNS Advisory Committee, CNS Ethics Committee, chaired two CNS annual conferences (2015 - Winnipeg, 2018 - Halifax), and served on many conference planning committees. Dr. House co-chaired CNS’ one-day Thematic conference in 2019 on Healthy Diets and Weight: Sorting Fact from Fiction, as well chaired the CNS 2019 Protein Foods Workshop (and subsequent outputs) and 2019 Challenges for Randomized Controlled Clinical Studies on the Effects of Whole Foods Workshop. Before CNS was established, Dr. House was an active leader with its pre-merger society – the Canadian Society for Nutritional Sciences (CSNS).
The CNS Food for Health Workshop was established soon after CNS’ 2010 inception. Dr. House was a key thought leader in the concept, design and delivery of Food for Health, that focuses on relevant and pressing issues that resonate across the nutrition spectrum with a goal of identifying solutions and actions that aim to improve the health of Canadians. Jim served on every FFH planning committee, including the 2025 Food for Health Workshop that will take place next May where he most recently led the program design and agreed to serve as a co-chair.
During his time as CNS President, Dr. House succeeded in his commitment to make an impact. Through his vision, the CNS Fellow Distinction Award was formed and launched in 2020 on CNS’ 10th Anniversary. This Distinction Award is an honour that CNS bestows on an individual in recognition of exemplary achievement in the field of nutrition. CNS was proud to bestow this deserving honour upon Dr. House in 2023. Dr. House also demonstrated his ongoing commitment to trainees by championing the importance of strong trainee engagement within CNS, including the concept of virtual group trainee participation at our Thematic conference.
CNS was privileged to present several awards to Dr. House over his amazing career, including the CNS Young Investigator Award for Outstanding Research (2009), President’s Volunteer Leadership Award (2022), and the Earle Willard McHenry Award for Distinguished Service in Nutrition (2023).
Dr. House is viewed by so many as a pillar within CNS, at the University of Manitoba where he served as Professor and Head of the Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences for 11 years and most recently as Manitoba Strategic Chair in Sustainable Protein, and across the broader nutrition sector where he served on countless committees and boards.
As the saying goes “If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it” held so true with this remarkable individual. Jim always took the time to respond, to contribute his knowledge so generously, to share his ideas and vision, to express support, to honour others, and to demonstrate gratitude. His loss is being felt so deeply by so many of his peers and colleagues, trainees, mentees and friends. CNS wishes to express our sincere sympathy to his family and our gratitude for having had the opportunity to work with such an amazing professional. Dr. Jim House’s loss is going to be felt deeply for a very long time. In the coming months, CNS will be exploring opportunities to respect Jim’s legacy and to continue to honour his many contributions to our field.
Many Beautiful Memories
A Celebration of Life for Dr. House is being held at the University of Manitoba on October 7, 5:30pm MT.
Live stream will be available via the Faculty’s You Tube channel.
Memories are being invited and can be shared HERE.
