Member Recognition Awards 2015

Leadership

Nooshin Alizadeh-Pasdar

Nooshin is recognized in a leadership role for her work with the Richmond Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program. Her lead in developing and advancing the program, as well as, sharing her expertise helps support Vision 2020 while contributing to our profession by educating, mentoring and building knowledge bases.
Location: British Columbia

Christine Chou

Agent of change, collaborator, and mentor describe not only Christine’s leadership, but her career with Fraser Health, Vancouver Coastal Health. Advocating for best evidence and respect for client needs she helped bridge the gap between dietitians, public health inspectors, licensing officers, licensed care operators. Elevating respect for our profession as lead authority in applying food and nutrition science to protect and promote the public’s health and well-being.
Location: British Columbia

Maryke Schouten

Maryke’s leadership has inspired members of the Alberta Long Term Care Action Group, and others working in long term care. Bringing much needed attention to the current state of funding for food in continuing care across the province through research, analysis, and dissemination of results to policy makers. The initiative is a model for other jurisdictions with a goal to prevent malnutrition and enhance nutritional care.
Location: Alberta

Amy Yiu

As a private practitioner, Amy’s work encompasses individuals and groups, public health initiatives and targeted nutrition issues, as well as, multicultural sensitivity. She is an educator, a mentor to students, an advocator for her clients and best practices, while heightening the respect for our profession.
Location: British Columbia

Lorrie Cramb

Lorrie leads the way in a strategic and operational role with the Informed Dining Program, a first of its kind in Canada. It is a gold standard for multi-sector collaboration aiming to make nutrition information easier to access and understand for consumers and now adopted by over 2000 restaurants in British Columbia. Lorrie uses best evidence working in partnership with clients to help heighten respect for our profession while promoting the public’s health and well-being.
Location: British Columbia

Paula Brauer

Paula chaired a national working group on adult obesity prevention and management culminating in published guidelines in January 2015. The evidence-based recommendations will assist family doctors manage the complex condition. Her work and leadership helps dietitians share their expertise with inter-disciplinary teams giving heightened respect to our profession as a leading authority for the application of food and nutrition advice.
Location: Ontario

Michelle McLearn

Michelle has displayed diligent leadership along with passion and continuous advocacy for collaborative and innovative approaches to internship placements and dietetic practice. In doing so, internship placements have doubled. Practice-based research projects during internship receive Honors Conversion recognition, to name but a few of the outcomes of her dedicated work. By actively creating and supporting learning opportunities, both internal and external to Annapolis Valley Health, Michelle’s leadership and initiatives exemplify a self-directing and self-renewing professionalism.
Location: Nova Scotia

Christine Barker

She has demonstrated self-directed and self-renewing professionalism in her capacity as chair of the Long Term Care Action Group. Christine’s work supports ethical, evidence based best practice, and turns knowledge into action and advocacy benefitting LTC colleagues, staff and residents. Her many successes include developing a tool for documenting nutrition risk and a Best Practice tool that supports legislation and best practices for menu planning, nutrition care and dining.
Location: Ontario

Education

Roula Tzianetas

This nomination submission is layered with praise of commitment, innovation, and excellence for advancing and expanding the academic and practical dietetics education program at Mount Sinai Hospital. Roula has worked in the spirit of Vision 2020 for accessible, flexible, inclusive and innovative education for dietetic interns who will be ready to pursue their own diverse careers.
Location: Ontario

Innovation

Beverley Harris

Beverley represents Dietitians of Canada on the Exercise in Medicine Canada Advisory Board. Working nationally and regionally to help increase the number of health professionals who assess, prescribe and council patients in physical activity as a way to combat chronic health issues.
Location: Nova Scotia

Martin Lemire

As cofounder of Edikom, Martin is recognized for his initiatives with the DUX program in Quebec and nationally. Through targeted communication Edikom is bridging the gap between the food industry, health/ public health professionals, food service, and consumers thereby helping shape better understanding and expectations. Targeted programing focuses on attitude and behavior change supporting better lifestyle and eating habits. Lemire’s work supports Vision 20/20 as he leads a multiplayer innovative program across the continuum of Canada’s health and food systems.
Location: Québec

Association Catalyst

Theresa Glanville

Theresa’s initiatives are catalysts for our dietetic association enhancing both professional standards and excellence in dietetic education. Not only does she co-chair the Accreditation Committee, she is a DC Baccalaureate program accreditation site surveyor, and helped revise accreditation standards through the Partnership for Dietetic Education and Practice Accreditation Standards Development Working Group.
Location: Nova Scotia

Jessica Sargent

Enthusiasm and dedication are hallmarks of Jessica’s leadership helping promote better health in New Brunswick as one of our national dietetic association’s catalysts. She has represented Dietitians of Canada on the New Brunswick Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Coalition and co-chairs the New Brunswick Dietitians in Action group.
Location: New Brunswick

Vanessa Yurchesyn

Vanessa’s volunteer work with Dietitians of Canada began in 2009. Her work has helped heighten the profile of dietitians, the most recent as co-chair of the New Brunswick Dietitians in Action group. In a joint venture with the New Brunswick Medical Association the nutritional value of food served in New Brunswick schools is being addressed through the Make Menus Matter initiative.
Location: New Brunswick

Ellen Vogel

Ellen currently chairs the Dietitians of Canada Fellowship Review Committee which recognizes and encourages the pursuit of excellence in dietetics in Canada. Since 2010 she has expertly led the committee in reviewing nominations and overseeing other committee responsibilities. Her sustained contributions provide expanded leadership and heightened profile for our profession.
Location: Ontario

Lisa Dooley

Lisa co-chairs the Newfoundland and Labrador Local Action Group. During her tenure the group has supported projects aimed at increasing access to dietitians including poverty reduction strategy engagement, provincial wellness advisory council, the premier’s summit on primary health care. She engages dietetic educators and regulators while advocating for dietitians as the “gold-standard” for food and nutrition knowledge.
Location: Newfoundland and Labrador

Gina Sunderland

Gina is a valuable resource for the media and proudly represents our national organization as a spokesperson for the Nutrition Month campaign. She liaises with media and regional dietitians in the Winnipeg area with the aim to promote health and wellness. Her efforts contribute to raising the profile of dietitians both provincially and nationally.
Location: Manitoba

Shannon Crocker

Shannon has represented Dietitians of Canada since 2010 as a Nutrition Month media spokesperson in the Toronto and Hamilton areas. Shannon is acknowledged for the commitment, enthusiasm, and attention to detail she brings to her role including interviews by the media, video production, and resource development. In promoting health and wellness messages she helps elevate the role of the dietitian.
Location: Ontario

Christy Brissette

Christy is receiving recognition as one of Dietitian’s of Canada first National media spokespersons, as well as, for her involvement in nutrition month media campaigns. She has responded to requests for radio, television and print responses on a wide array of topics. Participating in a recent DC media training workshop, she shared her expertise and experiences to help contribute to an expanded leadership and heightened profile for dietitians.
Location: Ontario

Laura Maclean

Laura is receiving recognition as one of Dietitian’s of Canada first National media spokespersons contributing to expanded leadership and heightened profile for dietitians. She has forged new media relationships in Edmonton, participated in dozens of interviews on a variety of topics including men’s health, food insecurity, and nutrition labeling.
Location: Alberta

Maria Ricupero

Maria represents Dietitians of Canada on the Canadian Diabetes Association Health Education and Lifestyle Management Committee. She communicates the perspectives of the two associations on relevant issues. As co-chair of the committee she promotes expanded leadership and a heightened profile for our profession through several initiatives including annual symposia, position papers, and last but not least, collaboration and knowledge exchange with dietitians and educators.
Location: Ontario

Isabelle Neiderer

Isabelle is a volunteer with the Dietitians of Canada (DC) Regulatory Affairs Advisory Group, and has been for more than five years. She helps advise DC on issues pertinent to national food regulatory issues within the scope of responsibility of the federal government that could impact Canadians’ nutrition health and safety. As a leader and agent of change in the national food supply and regulatory policy, she helps heighten our professional profile.
Location: Québec

Cathy Chenhall

Cathy is a volunteer with the Dietitians of Canada (DC) Regulatory Affairs Advisory Group, and has been co-chair for almost five years. She advises DC on national food regulatory issues including standards affecting food safety, nutrition quality, advertising, and health claims. Cathy helped guide member focus groups on the Health Canada nutrition labeling review. She is recognized for her leadership and heightening the profile of dietitians.
Location: Nova Scotia

Brenda Hotson

She is active on behalf of Dietitians of Canada as chair of the Nutrition Care Process Terminology Committee. Brenda has helped update a national position statement. She advocates for integrating standardized terms into national and international systems of codified record systems. Brenda also actively supports peer learning through workshops and presentations further demonstrating expanded leadership and helping heighten the profile of our profession.
Location: Manitoba

Isabelle Galibois

Isabelle heightens the profession’s profile and helps expand leadership by supporting the understanding and uptake of the Nutrition Care Process and its terminology. The work undertaken by Isabelle and her committee has been instrumental in reviewing Dietitians of Canada position papers and the English to French translation of literature including a Pocket Guide accepted as the standard in several countries. Her work helps support the wide use of dietetics language and the importance of integration into systems in the developmental stages.
Location: Québec