MHSc Placement Spotlight: Soumya and Tracey reflect on their placement experience with Egg Farmers of Canada!
We are excited to share the highlights of our Management and Leadership placement at Egg Farmers of Canada (EFC), where we delved into the world of nutrition education and advocacy. Under the guidance of our preceptor, Tamara Saslove, the Nutrition Officer and only Registered Dietitian at EFC, as well as the passionate entrepreneur behind Valley Sausage Co., we had an unforgettable experience filled with learning and growth.
Tamara Saslove is a Registered Dietitian, chef, and marketing professional with a passion for translating the latest nutrition research into easily digestible, transparent information. She brings a wealth of expertise from her diverse background which enables her to approach nutrition from various angles, ensuring that her messages resonate with diverse audiences. Through her dedication and commitment, Tamara strives to bridge the gap between scientific research and practical applications, making nutrition information accessible and applicable to consumers.
Our placement kicked off with the PRIMED conference, a three-day event that brought together a multitude of healthcare professionals seeking the latest updates and continuing medical education. Tamara meticulously prepared us in advance, equipping us with EFC key messages and resources to engage with doctors and healthcare professionals. We had conversations with a wide array of healthcare professionals and addressed their common questions about eggs and nutrition, debunked prevailing myths surrounding cholesterol, and provided valuable information on the latest infant feeding guidelines. These interactions not only helped us fine-tune our communication skills but also instilled in us the confidence to navigate discussions about eggs and nutrition-related topics to a target audience we were not familiar with educating.
Before we knew it, we were off to the Dietitians of Canada (DC) conference, which united leaders across many sectors of food, nutrition and health from all over Canada to focus on ways that current research, innovation and technology continue to change and affect the way that patients and clients are cared for. Our role at the DC conference was similar to that of the PRIMED conference, where we promoted the nutritional benefits of eggs and engaged with attendees to generate insightful conversations. Tamara gave us all the tools we needed to position EFC to build and sustain relationships with dietitians and to demonstrate our dedication to helping the community that supports EFC. We played a larger role at this conference by actively contributing to suggested improvements based on our experience at the PRIMED conference. We also produced a comprehensive summary report for the DC conference, featuring valuable recommendations for future similar events.
In addition to conferences, our dedication to promoting egg consumption extended to various other tasks. We crafted engaging articles and blog posts covering a wide range of topics tailored to different audiences. This allowed us to use our knowledge translation skills to help translate current scientific research on eggs into more understandable language for the consumer level. Furthermore, we audited websites to ensure accuracy and noted the necessary updates.
Our management and leadership placement at Egg Farmers of Canada has truly been an egg-citing experience, providing us with incredible and unique hands-on opportunities for nutrition promotion and education. We could not have asked for a better first placement!
