June 2009 - Association Update

Essay Contest for Students: Write an Essay or Create a Video Worth $1000…

OPHA invites all postsecondary students of public health and other health related disciplines to enter our Essay Contest for Students. Celebrate 60 years of advocacy, professional excellence and interdisciplinary collaboration with us. Students are invited to submit an original essay of their choice on one of the following themes — Health Equity, Collaboration, Public Health Workforce, Innovation and Knowledge Exchange — for consideration by a panel of public health professionals. Winners will be celebrated at the OPHA Conference 2009. View contest details here.

OPHA Conference 2009: Building for the Future

We have recently posted news about some of the Keynote Speakers at our conference. Keep watching the OPHA conference website for exciting new developments as the planning for OPHA Conference 2009 continues to unfold.

Clinical Research from OPHA’s Nutrition Resource Centre

Picture of Lee Rysdale.

Please join us in congratulating OPHA’s NRC Program Coordinator Lee Rysdale, M.Ed, RD on the publication of the study, Evaluation of Fruit Juice Intake and Body Mass Index Within a Sample of Ontario Preschoolers. Ms. Rysdale served as lead author along with Pamela L. Brunelle (Dietetic Intern with the Northern Ontario Dietetic Internship Program); Janis Randal Simpson, Ph.D, RD, Christopher A. Knee M.Sc and Heather H. Keller, Ph.D, RD from theUniversity of Guelph, The study was recently published in ICAN: Infant, Child and Adolescent Nutrition and is available at http://can.sagepub.com

Cindy Scythes, Manager of OPHA’s Nutrition Resource Centre, Wins Volunteer Recognition Award

Picture of Cindy Scythes.

Please join us in congratulating OPHA Nutrition Resource Centre Manager Cindy Scythes on receiving a 2009 Volunteer Recognition Award from Dietitians of Canada. Cindy, a longstanding member of OPHA who has served on the Board of Directors in many capacities over the years, was the 2007 recipient of the OPHA Lifetime Membership Award.

What was said…

“We are pleased to inform you that Cindy Scythes has received a Volunteer Recognition Award based on her contribution to Dietitians of Canada and to the profession. Volunteer Recognition Awards are presented at our annual conference, which will take place this year from June 4-6 in Charlottetown PE. All award recipients will receive a certificate and pin in recognition of this accomplishment. We are sure that you join us in congratulating Cindy on this important recognition.”

— Diana Sheh, Professional Development and Research Programs, Dietitians of Canada

OPHA Program Coordinator Mary Ellen Prange Continues her Winning Tradition

Picture of Mary Ellen Prange.

Please join us in congratulating Mary Ellen Prange of OPHA’s Nutrition Resource Centre on the latest addition to an impressive track record of award winning accomplishments in just over three years at OPHA. As Program Coordinator of the NRC component of the Ministry of Health Promotion’s HEAL Strategy (including Fuel Up for Fun and Busy Bodies) last year Mary Ellen won the regional Central and Southern Ontario Speaking of Food and Healthy Living Award for Busy Bodies: Creative Food and Play Ideas for your Preschooler, for excellence in consumer communication. It also earned Mary Ellen a letter of commendation from the Minister of Health Promotion. This year, Mary Ellen received both the regional and national Speaking of Food and Healthy Living Awards, for Fuel Up For Fun, presented by Dietitians of Canada and Kraft Canada at the annual Dieitian’s of Canada conference recently in Charlottetown, PEI.

What was said…

Fuel Up for Fun wins national Food and Healthy Living Award
Charlottetown, PEI (June 5, 2009) – Dietitians of Canada and Kraft Canada have announced the winners of the 12th annual Speaking of Food and Healthy Living Award – an annual competition designed to showcase and encourage collaborative efforts that help Canadians make informed choices about healthy eating and physical activity. In the award ceremony held yesterday at the Dietitians of Canada annual meeting in Charlottetown, PEI, The Fuel Up For Fun program, from Central and Southern Ontario, was selected as this year’s national winner. Fuel Up For Fun is a series of four-page magazine-style resources created to help children develop knowledge, healthy behaviours and positive attitudes regarding healthy eating and physical activity. Each seasonally-themed issue incorporates five to seven fun and simple activities, from recipes for healthy snacks, to instruction for how to plan a winter festival to healthy eating and living coupons kids can share with parents.

“This year’s national award recipient is another great example of a fun, simple program that helps get Canadians on the right track to healthier living,” says Thida Ith, Corporate Communications Manager, Dietitians of Canada. “We are proud to have participated for so many years, in an award program that supports helping build a healthier Canada.”

The Dietitians of Canada and Kraft Canada Speaking of Food and Healthy Living Award: Excellence in Consumer Communication was created in 1998 in response to the report Speaking of Food and Healthy Eating: A Consumer Perspective, which indicated that Canadians wanted to eat healthier but were confused by conflicting and difficult-to-apply nutrition messages.

“Many of the winning programs this year were targeted at children and youth,” says Kate Slater, Senior Manager, Health and Nutrition Communications, Kraft Canada. “These programs underscore the importance of setting the stage in the early years for making lifelong healthy choices.”

The Nutrition Resource Centre is an initiative of OPHA, funded by the Ministry of Health Promotion. NRC was established in 1999 and is a member of the Ontario Health Promotion Resource System.

OPHA Welcomes Students and Volunteers…

Alcohol Policy Network: OPHA’s Alcohol Policy Network (APN) is pleased to welcome Carly Heung and Hanan Osman who will be volunteering part-time for APN conducting research, updating websites, and other projects.

The Nutrition Resource Centre: The Nutrition Resource Centre welcomes Michelle Manarina as of June 1, 2009. Michelle is a Masters of Public Health (MPH), Public Health Nutrition student from the University of California’s, Berkeley School of Public Health on a summer internship. Michelle graduated from Cornell University, with a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology, Health and Society. Mary Ellen Prange will be her preceptor for this internship.

NRC welcomes dietetic intern Dara Kohn for 4 weeks starting June 8, 2009. Dara is participating in the internship program at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. She is a graduate of Ryerson University’s Nutrition and Food program (BASc), 2008. She also graduated from the University of Western Ontario with an Honours B.A., Kinesiology 2005. Elizabeth Smith will be mentoring Dara while she is at OPHA.

OPHA also welcomes Rachael Pascoe, a health sciences student from the University of Toront, as a volunteer. Rachael's commitment to public health is complimented by her interests in the Classics and her involvement in drama. Rachel will be administering OPHA’s Student Essay Contest, contributing to Public Health Today magazine and assisting with the planning of OPHA Conference 2009—Building for the Future, among her many exciting assignments.

…and says Goodbye

One of the Nutrition Resource Centre’s and OPHA’s rising stars has decided to rise further. It is with regret that we announce that Samara Foisy has left NRC. Samara has however, taken on an exciting new job, and we couldn’t be prouder of her for advancing her career. Samara was a marvelous asset to NRC and OPHA and contributed not only her wisdom but her great energy as well. We all hope that we will have the opportunity to work with Samara again.