I have been registered as a dietitian for near four decades. I currently work as a professor in the School of Nutrition and Dietetics at Acadia University where I have the privilege to work with students aspiring to become registered dietitians, to work in the food and nutrition industries, or to pursue additional training as health and human service professionals. Before joining the university, I had worked for over 20 years as a dietitian in a clinic with individuals and families experiencing serious illness, and for 10 years as a consulting dietitian developing and evaluating publicly accessible nutrition services. I am delighted to be in a position in university teaching where I can draw on my previous work as a clinical dietitian in hospitals and clinics.

My primary research interest is how the experiences of eating and feeding change for individuals and in families when someone is sick. My motivation to undertake doctoral research on this topic was twofold: I could not find any existing writing on this topic, and I wanted to become better in my work as a nutrition counsellor. My supervisor, Dr. Aldred Neufeldt, advised me, “If it hasn’t been written about, you’ll have to start writing about it”. “Gulp”. So that’s what I have been doing, writing for dietitians and other health professionals, and incorporating my research findings into courses and seminars to facilitate learning for dietitians and students. My other research interests are outlined under the ‘Research’ tab.