Abstracts from Dietetic Research Event – June 16-17, 2011

I wish to welcome everyone to Edmonton and the 2011 Dietitians of Canada Annual Conference Research Event. This year we have over 600 participants attending the conference with over 80 research posters and oral presentations that span topics from clinical nutrition to food policy to research methodology to community nutrition and dietetic practice and education. This year the breadth of research was very strong indicating the strong role that dietitians play in conducting evidenced based nutrition research that supports dietetic practice in all areas of professional practice. I wish to congratulate each and every presenter for sharing their research and for all their hard work.

This year we will continue with the Poster Tours. These tours allow each presenter to discuss the highlights of his/her research under the guidance of one of the abstract review committee members and/or graduate students. These sessions are very interactive and also provide those attending the tours the opportunity to network with other dietetic researchers in Canada. We hope that you will enjoy these tours once again.

On behalf of the membership of Dietitians of Canada, I would like to thank the Abstracts Review Committee members who took the time from their busy schedules to provide their expertise to review these abstracts. Our abstract committee represented a broad spectrum of dietetic expertise from professional practice sectors across Canada. I wish to thank them for their hard work. Thanks go to: Dr(s) Kate Storey, Laura Forbes, Justine Turner, Anna Farmer, Michelle MacKenzie, Vera Mazurak and Heidi Bates from the University of Alberta, Lyn Zuberbuhler and Tanis Fenton from Alberta Health Services, Alice Lee from Covenant Health, Roula Tzianetas from Mount Sinai Hospital, Roseann Nasser from Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region, Dr Christine Lengyel from the University of Manitoba and Dr. Frances Rioux from the University of Ottawa. I would also like to acknowledge the Canadian Foundation for Dietetic Research and Dietitians of Canada for their ongoing support of practice based research in Canada and for their vision of supporting dietetic training and research in this important area of practice.

Please join me in celebrating Canadian Dietetic Research by attending the poster presentations on Thursday and Friday (June 16 and 17) and the oral presentations on Friday, June 17 in the afternoon.