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Prior Ryley-Jeffs Memorial Award Recipients


The Ryley Jeffs Memorial Lecture Award is an opportunity to recognize a DC member who exemplifies the ideals of dedication to the profession and who has a proven ability to chart new directions in the field of dietetics. Selected by the DC Board of Directors, the recipient delivers the public Memorial Lecture at the annual DC National Conference.  A synopsis of the lecture is published in the fall issue of the Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research.

​2019 - Dr. Laurie Wadsworth, PhD, PDt, FDC Embracing the Strength in Difference. A version of Dr. Wadsworth's lecture is available in the Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice.


Dr. Laurie Wadsworth’s career has focused on nutrition and health policy development in public health and academia. She investigates mass media messages to understand the roles of food in society and studies the historical roots of dietetics. She has worked collaboratively to effect change in public policy for improved nutrient profiles in the national food supply as a member of the Trans Fat Task Force and with Heart and Stroke Canada. Dr. Wadsworth also mentors dietetic students in policy development and research to build capacity for a strong future profession. She is a Fellow of Dietitians of Canada and served as Chair of the DC Board of Directors.


​2018 - Gerry Kasten, MSc, RD, FDC – Listen...and Speak. A version of Gerry's lecture is available in Learning on Demand and in the Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice.


Gerry Kasten loves food – it empowers all he does. For nearly 30 years Gerry has been enhancing people’s lives with practical and pragmatic advice on how to enjoy the deliciousness of food in order to improve their health. It’s his passion for advocacy that led him be a trailblazer in nutrition science, culinary arts, teaching and media. 
 


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2017 - Patricia Chuey, MSc, RD –
 It's rarely just about the food. A version of Patricia's lecture is available in the Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research. Members can view her lecture for free on Learning on Demand.



For nearly 3 decades, Patricia has been inspiring Canadians to eat healthier and achieve their well-being goals. An award-winner for excellence in communications and entrepreneurship, she’s known as “The People’s Dietitian” for her approachable style in making healthy eating make sense. Passionately dedicated to mentoring leaders in the profession, Patricia shares from her expertise as a successful business owner, nutrition counselor, dietitian to professional athletes, recipe creator, food product inventor, author, speaker and over 22 consecutive years as a food and nutrition expert in the Canadian media. She believes most people on the planet want more of one thing in their quest to live a healthy life and delivers and inspiring message on this topic.

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2016 - Vesanto Melina, MS, RD – Five Decades: From Challenge to Acclaim. A version of Vesanto's lecture is available in the Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research. Members can view her lecture for free on Learning on Demand.

Vesanto has an extensive and varied dietetics career that spans 5 decades--and she shows no signs of slowing down. She is an internationally recognized speaker; a consultant to individuals, government (B.C. Corrections), and industry; a popular media personality; co-author of award-winning nutrition books; and a writer of peer-reviewed journal articles.

Her work has been and continues to be a source of fulfillment and tremendous personal and professional growth. She knows our profession to be one that promotes a full expression of human potential. Vesanto is a passionate supporter of Dietitians of Canada. She believes in people working in ways that are truly meaningful to them.
 
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2015 - Kelly Anne Erdman, MS, RD– A Lifetime Pursuit of a Sports Nutrition Practice. A version of Kelly Anne's lecture is available in the Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research. Members can view her lecture for free on Learning on Demand.

From the onset of the establishment of the first Canadian Sport Centre, Kelly Anne has lobbied for nutrition support for athletes as a part of the sport science and medical team. Included in Kelly Anne’s career highlights over the years has been her opportunity to work at three Games for the Canadian Olympic Committee as the Performance Dietitian for Team Canada athletes – 2011 Pan American Games, 2012 London Summer Olympics, and the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
  
Kelly Anne’s nutrition career spans nearly three decades, during which time she has developed programs and curriculum for a previously unchartered area.  She is a true pioneer in her field and is eager to help other dietitians apply the practical knowledge she has acquired.

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2014 - Kim Raine, PhD, RD – Improving Nutritional Health of the Public through Social Change: Finding Our Roles in Collective Action. A version of Kim's lecture is available in the Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research.

Dr. Raine was instrumental in bringing the use of qualitative research and the social determinants of health to the forefront of population health research during a time when it was greatly underrepresented and, in turn, heightened dietitians’ involvement in policy development and public health.

Dr. Raine embodies a personal philosophy for dietetic practice and has demonstrated this through her research:  “Seek evidence and question the determinants of nutritional health, explore potential avenues for addressing those determinants, and work in partnership with our multi-disciplinary colleagues to improve the nutritional health of the populations we serve,” says, Dr. Raine.
 
As a visionary, Dr. Raine’s work, integrating academic research, professional practice, and policy development, has inspired a generation of dietitians to work together for social change to improve the nutritional health of the populations we serve.

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2013 - Sandra Matheson, MSc, RD, FDC – Cultivating an Entrepreneurial Mindset. Members can view her lecture for free on Learning on Demand.
2012 - Mary Sue Waisman, MSc, PDt, FDC – Stepping Out: Dare To Step Forward, Step Back, Or Just Stand Still And Breathe.
2011 - Lynda Corby MSc, MEd, RD, FDC –
The times, they are a’changin’.
2010 - Eleanor Swanson MEd, RD – Coming Full Circle, Reflections of a Career as a Dietitian.
2009 - Susie Langley MScs, RD, CSSD – Going for the Gold.
2008 - Mary Bush MSc, RD – Imagine a World Where.
2007 - Linda McCargar, PhD, RD New Insights into Body Composition and Health: Through Imaging Analysis.
2006 - Stephanie Atkinson, PhD. A Nutrition Odyssey: Knowledge Discovery, Translation, and Outreach.
2005 - Shawna Berenbaun, PhD, RD
Imagination Nourishes: Dietetic Practice
2004 - Stanley Zlotkin, MD, PhD, FRCPC. A New Approach to Control of Anemia: in "At Risk" Infants and Children Around the World.
2003 - Paula Brauer, PhD, RD Practice Guidelines: Pedantic Pontification or Pragmatic Progress?
2002 - Kathleen Martin, MHSA, FDC, CHE.
Tomorrow's Challenges — Today's Realities Making the Leap.
 

Full list of award winners from 1951 - 2001

 

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