Search

Looking Back on the Pandemic Year What an indescribably challenging year this has been, With a vicious pandemic like the world has never seen, For many years before this point in history, The year 2020 was shrouded in mystery, Would it be the year that humankind gained 2020 vision? Or the year that the world marks another major space mission? One wondered whether we would have attained global peace by this time, With artificial intelligence running the world at its very prime, But instead, this year was sobering for us all. As we realise that we are still really very small, In the face of nature with all its force and invisible fury, And as we attempt to live through the COVID story, Paying tribute to those who have lost their lives this year, As well as those who fight at the frontline without fear, We know that advanced science is doing its very best, To prevent and treat the disease that has put us all to test, But aside from this we have also seen evolution, As society has gone through a digital revolution, And human beings have shown overflowing compassion and care, Even as the odds have seemed to smirk and stare, And we are minded to take much better care of our mother earth, To preserve the planet for future generations to take birth, And at a time that we are all physically apart from one another, We have never been so connected or united together, As we battle together all on the same side, With faith that the pandemic will soon subside, So perhaps, we have attained some 2020 vision after all said and done, Reflecting on the year gone by and lighting candles of hope for the year that is now to come, 2020 we see you and hear you for we have humbly heeded your call, And we ask 2021 to bring new and healthy horizons, for absolutely one and all! By Professor Sumantra Ray Founding Chair and Executive Director NNEdPro Global Center for Nutrition and Health St. John's Innovation Center Crowley Road, Cambridge, CB4 0WS, UK

Providing clarity on key messages, considerations for clinical practice and limitations of the research. Written by Shane McAuliffe RD Reference: Insights from a general practice service evaluation supporting a lower carbohydrate diet in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and prediabetes: A secondary analysis of routine clinic data including HbA1c, weight and prescribing over 6 years D Unwin, A Khalid, J Unwin, D Crocombe, C Delon, K Martyn, R Golubic, S Ray A new publication in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health has shown that advice based on lower carbohydrate diets (LCDs) can be successfully incorporated into routine primary care practice, while demonstrating benefits for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) helping to better manage glucose control, reduce weight, cholesterol and significantly reduce medication prescribing costs. In this blog piece, we will untangle what the results of this audit tell us, and some important considerations for future practice and research. The global prevalence of T2D is growing rapidly and there is demand from both patients and healthcare professionals for effective and sustainable lifestyle approaches to manage the condition. There is already some evidence for the benefits of providing LCD advice to patients with T2D, particularly for blood sugar control and reducing body weight. For this reason, LCD’s have become a significant source of attention and discussion for those living and working with diabetes. This service evaluation from Dr David Unwin and colleagues measured the effects of introducing LCD advice to a group of willing patients with T2D from his Norwood general practice in Southport (UK), over a six year period. The audit included 27% of the total T2D population for the practice, and average adherence to a LCD was reported to be 23 months. The approach comprised on average 3 one-to-one appointments (conventional GP consultations) per year alongside optional group sessions every 6 weeks, which the authors acknowledge was likely a significant contributing factor to the patients’ success. This is an important point, given that we know this level of sustained support is a key ingredient for success in any long-term dietary intervention. It is also important to acknowledge that more than two-thirds of the practice T2D population did not follow the LCD advice, meaning a large proportion remain to be considered and catered for, requiring a focus on alternative dietary approaches to meet their needs. The approach taken at the Norwood practice is an interesting one, because patients were advised on healthy eating patterns, with a focus on food-based targets rather than quantifying specific amounts. Particular attention was paid to reducing sugar, refined and starchy carbohydrates and high glycaemic index (GI) foods, but amounts or percentages of carbohydrates or other nutrients were not advised or prescribed (Fig 1). Replacement of these foods largely centred around green leafy vegetables, berries, eggs, full fat dairy, meat, oily fish, nuts and sugar free beverages, all of which are features consistent across a number of dietary approaches, not just LCD’s. It is possible that providing this practical advice around ‘simple swaps’ in a manner that was easily accessible and understandable could also have contributed significantly to the success of the Norwood approach. Ultimately, this was largely focussed on overall diet quality. Figure 1 from the paper shows the diet sheet provided to patients undertaking the LCD at the Norwood GP practice. The Norwood approach demonstrated some impressive results, especially for blood sugar control, with an average reduction in HbA1c (a marker of blood sugar control over a three-month period) of 17.5mmol/mol. In those who followed LCD advice, 46% achieved drug free remission, meaning that they maintained their blood sugar levels within a healthy range (HbA1c less than 48mmol/mol) without the use of diabetes medications. In patients with prediabetes (HbA1c 42 to 48mmol/mol), LCD advice contributed to improving HbA1c back to below the prediabetes threshold in 93% of patients. Other markers of good health also significantly improved, with an average reduction in body weight loss of 8.1kg. Significant improvements in blood cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure were also seen. Interestingly, older patients (over 65 years) and those with long-standing T2D (for over 6 years), in whom it is often thought more difficult to achieve remission, were helped to achieve significant improvements in blood sugar control with LCD advice. For this reason, the authors suggest that LCD advice can be effective for these patients and that they should not be excluded from future clinical trials of dietary approaches to T2D, as they have been previously. In terms of cost, there was a £50,885 annual saving on the Norwood GP practice NHS T2D drug budget compared with the average for the other 17 GP practices in the Southport and Form by region. If every GP practice in England were to make savings on T2D medications in a similar way to Norwood, the NHS could save up to £277,000,000 per year. It is important to acknowledge the limitations of the data presented in the audit too. The provision of LCD advice was self-selected by patients, which may mean that they were more motivated to achieve positive results in the first place. In this group, adherence to advice was self-reported, meaning we have no objective evidence as to how closely it was followed. We also cannot account for additional lifestyle or behavioural factors that may have influenced the results further. As alluded to, this group was only 29% of the total practice T2D population, meaning that a significant portion were not catered for by this approach. The audit was a service evaluation and not a formal, interventional clinical trial and so there was no control group for direct comparison with regular practice - although for context, the authors point towards very low rates of remission in control groups from clinical studies of patients with T2D. It is however likely that the level of regular and sustained support mentioned above would not have been present in regular practice. In order to improve the quality of future research, we must aim to assess the effectiveness of LCD’s in more robust clinical trials, whether this is compared with regular practice or alternative dietary approaches. This will require controlled conditions, randomisation and ensuring that both groups receive the same level of support and attention that we are understanding to play a crucial role in success. Despite these limitations, the results of this real-world service evaluation from the Norwood practice suggest that with adequate support and supervision, LCD advice in primary care can be an effective means of improving blood sugar control and other important health markers. It may even be presented as an opportunity to achieve drug-free T2D remission in those who choose to pursue it. These benefits are likely to be an important motivating factor for patients and have the potential to confer significant cost savings for primary care practices. In summary, we should celebrate any intervention that improves an individuals’ health and happiness - and we are increasingly seeing the provision of LCD advice as a means of this being achieved. This audit has shown us that LCD advice can be a means of achieving this goal for patients with T2D in primary care, but this does not mean it is the answer for everyone. As individuals, our preferences, culture and environment will shape the dietary approach that is most likely to be sustainable and achievable for us in the long term. It is important to recognise this and be willing to facilitate these needs, through whatever dietary approach that may be. After all, it is this individualisation that is so often the key to success. So let us acknowledge the success of those who have followed LCD advice in Norwood, while also considering those who have not. Let us move forward with an openness to consider a variety of dietary approaches, in a way that puts the individual first, then applies the fundamentals of good nutrition to best meet their needs and values. Further references: Given NNEdPro’s involved in writing and data analysis, we have prepared a position statement to convey our interpretation of the findings

Apart from our summer events attended by over 250 delegates this year, we have presented extensively at scientific meetings across the globe and organised several successful symposia from the USA through India to Australia whilst maintaining a centre of gravity in medical nutrition education/innovation in Cambridge and the UK. In addition, this year we have clocked a record number of peer reviewed papers as well as other publications in which NNEdPro has played a key role and we feel privileged to have become the co-owners of the newly launched BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health. We have come a long way from starting as the ‘Need for Nutrition Education Project’ within the realms of the Cambridge Institute of Public Health from 2008-10, then becoming the ‘Need for Nutrition Education/Innovation Programme’ which evolved from 2010-16 in the Medical Research Council (MRC) Human Nutrition Research Unit at the Elsie Widdowson Laboratory (EWL) in Cambridge, and latterly becoming the ‘NNEdPro Global Centre for Nutrition and Health’ hosted partly in the MRC EWL and additionally at St John’s Innovation Centre (SJIC) in Cambridge over 2016-18. Today we are an independently governed centre with an increasingly international impact footprint but grounded through our affiliation with four main partner Universities – Cambridge (our founding institution), Ulster, Imperial and Parma – together these Universities bring together complementary attributes from molecules to mankind! Also key are our strategic partnerships, particularly the unfailing support of the British Dietetic Association from our very inception and more recently the Global Open Data Initiative for Agriculture and Nutrition which has enabled us to look across the piece from agricultural aspects of nutrition to diet and human health. As the MRC EWL closed its doors after 20 years this month, our coordinating centre is poised and ready to carry on a small part of the Elsie Widdowson legacy as we embrace the New Year in our new offices at SJIC Cambridge, whilst maintaining a key presence at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and within the University of Cambridge framework. Additionally, the state-of-the-art NNEdPro Nutrition and Vascular Studies Platform has found a new home at the world class Human Nutrition Department (‘NICHE’) of Ulster University where, in my NNEdPro capacity, I am delighted to be taking up a newly created part-time personal chair as Professor of Global Nutrition (Health and Disease) alongside my existing NNEdPro commitments in Cambridge and further afield. However, what makes NNEdPro unique is the 200 person strong membership of our think-tank and I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank each and every individual and organisation that continues to contribute to our mission, vision and aims as we head into our strategic plan aligned with the United Nations Decade of Nutrition 2016-25. A special call out to my colleagues in Ops and Logistics who make it all happen as well as our Global Innovation Panel for creativity and Directors for being the bedrock on which it stands! Finally, I feel fortunate to be representing NNEdPro on special assignment from December 2018 to February 2019 in the Nutrition Directorate of the World Health Orgnization Headquarters in Geneva where there is the opportunity to lead on the development of a strategy within the UN Decade that brings medical and healthcare related nutrition education centre stage following on from which 2019 promises to be another fun filled year of activities and events through which we will continue to advance and implement nutrition knowledge to improve health, wellbeing and society. I hope you will join us on the road ahead and see you at our Cambridge summer events in 2019. Very best wishes and season’s greetings Professor Sumantra (Shumone) Ray (NNEdPro Founding Chair and Executive Director)

On March 27th 2019, the NNEdPro Global Centre ran a workshop at The International Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare in Glasgow, where a soft launch of its first e-learning efforts was announced. The aim of the E-learning package is to bring the world class teaching and innovation to a wider audience around the globe. A hard launch date of 14 May 2019 is anticipated. Members of the NNEdPro Global Centre for Nutrition and Health can receive a a discount on e-learning. Venturing into e-learning is an exciting initiative for the NNEdPro centre which enables us to bring our 10 years of educational expertise online to an international audience who may not have previously had access to such resources. The first foray into the world of online learning has been developed using some of the content from our Summer School in Applied Human Nutrition held at the University of Cambridge. (For a more immersive experience, sign-up to attend the Summer School in Applied Human Nutrition 2019). An educational package based around the importance of nutrition in all aspects of healthcare The e-learning package will contain comprehensive introductions to nutrition and disease prevention, nutritional screening assessment and addresses many of the nutritional issues that we face today from the management of fluids and electrolytes in acute care up to the more cutting-edge topics such as nutrigenetics and the influence of nutrition on cancer. Importantly the package will be assessed both formatively and summative. As the users watch the presentations, there will be multiple choice questions (MCQs) which will help to guide their learning and once they have completed the course, they will have the opportunity to take a formative assessment to earn a certificate of distinction, merit, competence or participation, depending on their final result. Avail e-learning & IANE membership discounts! NNEdPro recently launched the International Academy of Nutrition Educators (IANE) alongside the Society for Nutrition Education and Behaviour (SNEB) and Monash University. Current members of IANE can receive a £100 discount on e-learning . Non-members who purchase E-learning will receive a 1 year membership to the International Academy of Nutrition Education. Other benefits include discounts to attend future NNEdPro events and on future online course as well as a mentorship programme. Stay updated! Keep an eye out on our social media platforms and at https://nnedpro.org for the official launch! #Nutrition #fluidmanagement #nutritionalscreening #nutritionandcancer #diseaseprevention #electrolytes #nutritioneducation #nutrigenetics

In this article we shine the spotlight on the work of ERiMNN (Education and Research in Medical Nutrition Network), Nutritank and others. November 2018 saw Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) host a sold out event to inspire conversations around the role of food in medicine. Nutrition researchers, multi-professional clinicians and students were amongst the 200 delegates. This was also the official launch of Nutritank@bsms, a student led medical society with the aim of “bringing nutrition to medicine”. The event was run by ERiMNN,  co-founded by Dr Kathy Martyn and Elaine Macaninch – members of the NNEdPro GIP. ERiMNN encourages collaboration across different professions and community projects to increase capacity for local nutrition education and research at BSMS: “Nutrition related risk factors are a leading cause of premature death and disability, much of which could be preventable. Despite robust and growing evidence, the role of food in maintaining health and disease management is often overlooked within medical practice and medical education. Here in Brighton we want to change this to bring together students and health professionals from all backgrounds to widen the conversation around food in healthcare” Ally Jaffee one of the co-founders of Nutritank joined  Phillipa Wright and the BSMS Nutritank team. Nutritank is an innovation and information hub for food, nutrition, lifestyle and sustainability. Currently, its primary aim is to implement greater nutrition and lifestyle medicine education within medical training. Nutritank has branches in over 20 medical schools nationally, as well as international networks. Watch Nutritank’s informative 3 minute animation here. BSMS medical student, Amaran Cumarasamy talked about ‘An Apple A Day’ a student led nutrition education programme for secondary school children supported by ERiMNN members. Peas Please is a collaboration between Brighton Public Health team and Lidl, helping to support families on a low income to buy and eat more veg. Helping understand buying habits and to reduce barriers to help make vegetables the star of the plate for young and old. Dr Ifigeneia Giannopoulou, discussed the effects of mindful eating on eating behaviour and relationship with food. Practical exercises helped the audience to gain a first awareness of how they eat and to identify any triggers of overeating, undereating or emotional eating. Finally, we were joined by Dr Rupy Aujla. He is also the founder of ‘Culinary Medicine UK’ – a non-profit organisation which aims to teach doctors and medical students the foundations of nutrition as well as teaching them how to cook. “As a doctor, I see the effects of poor dietary and lifestyle choices every day. I got so many questions about nutrition whilst working as a general practitioner that I plucked up the courage to get behind a camera and literally show my patients how to get phenomenal ingredients onto their plate. I’m just a straight talking doctor giving healthy eating inspiration” NNEdPro and ERiMNN look forward to collaborating and developing closer links with each other and beyond in 2019. To find out more follow @foodinmedicine on Twitter and Instagram. #BSMS #PeasPlease #Nutritank #EriMNN #FoodinMedicine #BrightonandHoveFoodpartnership #TheDoctorsKitchen #CulinaryMedicineuK

For the Summer Newsletter we are continuing to showcase members of our Global Innovation Panel This is part of an ongoing series and other core members will subsequently be featured in future issues. Please stay tuned. Ananya Ria Roy Steering Committee and Chair (Digital Engagement, Social Media and External Communications) What is your background in? My background has been over a decade of working in communications and marketing for organisations or projects with a purpose, from international development organisations and trade, supporting SME’s in the UK and in India, to working with health non-profits more recently. Prior to this I studied an MSc in NGOs & Development Studies from the LSE and a BSc in Business Management from Kings College London. How did you get involved with NNEdPro? I started my journey with NNEdPro with the work in India and what is now called ‘Bhavishya Shakti’ and helping to set the foundations of the programme, from facilitating with fundraising, to marketing and communications. I got involved shortly after returning from India having spent 6 years working there in international development at a grassroots level in Kolkata where the Teaching Kitchens pilot was taking place. I have since been involved in various operational activities and events and I am currently volunteering as Chair on the new Digital Steering Committee in 2020. What excites you most about working with NNEdPro? The networks, the people, and watching people flourish whether it’s seeing the Mobile Teaching Kitchen project flourish into Bhavishya Shakti or how we as a team have improved operationally over the years and created spaces for knowledge sharing across the world. I’m excited to see how we can do more digitally. Professor Clare Wall RNutr Auckland, New Zealand What is your background in? I trained as a dietitian in the UK and specialised in paediatrics working in tertiary hospitals in both the UK and Australia. My clinical research position at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Brisbane enabled me to develop a keen interest in research and supported my completion of a PhD. A move to New Zealand in 1995 saw a change of career direction and entry into the University setting. At the University of Auckland I have established an undergraduate pathway in nutrition in the BSc programme and set up the Masters of Health Sciences in Nutrition and Dietetics. I have also been involved in the delivery of nutrition curricula into various clinical pre-registration programmes including medicine, nursing and pharmacy. How did you get involved with NNEdPro? My interest in nutrition in medical education has led me to develop and lead a programme of research which aims to evaluate nutrition teaching in undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing medical education. In 2014 through one of my PhD students (Jennifer Crowley) I connected with Shumone and that year attended the inaugural nutrition summit in Cambridge. The rest is history! What excites you most about working with NNEdPro? The growth of NNEdPro has been exponential. To see such a global interest in the desire to advance nutrition knowledge through education is very inspiring and to be part of this global community is exciting! Dr Dionysia Angeliki Lyra UAE and Greece What is your background in? I am currently working as a Halophyte Agronomist at the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. I am studying agricultural aspects of salt-loving plants and their scaling up potential in desert environments. My background is in Crop Science and Agronomy. I conducted all my studies (BSc; MSc, PhD) at the Agricultural University of Athens in Greece. How did you get involved with NNEdPro? I was very much excited to participate in the Third successful NNEdPro Summer School in Applied Human Nutrition in 2018. This was an eye-opening experience for me since I enriched my knowledge on nutrition and health correlated with the food which is actually my main research area. Since then I am interacting with NNEdPro members exploring opportunities to showcase the NNEdPro network in Middle East; collaborate in projects that will enhance the food and nutrition security in marginal environments and also capacity building programs related to health, food and nutrition. What excites you most about working with NNEdPro? I very much like the teamwork and positive spirit that embraces the NNEdPro network. I love the multidisciplinary character of the NNEdPro team which comprises of different expertise that complements each other. Thus, it is an excellent think-tank to brainstorm and synergize about nutritional aspects of food. Emily Fallon ANutr Open portfolio in nutrition and public health What is your background in? I currently work as a Public Health Officer in local government, and I am very passionate about actively integrating nutrition science into public health. By background, I am a Registered Associate Nutritionist (MSc) with experience and previous University education in Sport and Exercise Science (BSc). I attended the NNEdPro Summer School in Applied Human Nutrition in 2018 at the University of Cambridge and I became closely involved with the NNEdPro Global Centre for Nutrition and Health shortly after, as a summer school alumni and virtual core member, which greatly excited me. How did you get involved with NNEdPro? I remain a member of the NNEdPro Virtual Core as an Executive member and since, I have had the pleasure of working with NNEdPro as a major stakeholder in my MSc Human Nutrition research study, in collaboration with the University of Surrey. Working with NNEdPro enabled me to conduct research that would not have been possible in the typical realms of a University course; I had the opportunity to pilot my study materials at a conference and in the clinical domain, plus to present my research at a nutrition conference at the Royal Society of Medicine. What excites you most about working with NNEdPro? What excites me most about working with NNEdPro is how collaborative and international we are as an organisation; we cross borders and different domains of health and nutrition and this greatly inspires and motivates me. Dr Giuseppe Grosso Public Health What is your background in? I have a degree in medicine, a medical specialization in public health and a PhD in neuropharmacology. I’m currently an assistant professor in human nutrition. I’ve published over a hundred papers in international scientific journals and I’m currently collaborating with several research group globally. My personal interests involve nutritional epidemiology, evidence assessment and global health. How did you get involved with NNEdPro? I’m among the “old” members. I’ve been collaborating with NNEdPro members so far, putting at service my expertise in scientific outputs. What excites you most about working with NNEdPro? NNEdPro is a unique group because involves individuals with no geographical boundaries and is constantly active. NNEdPro has an extremely flexible design and provides a platform to easily get in touch with several experts all around the globe. Dr Jennifer Crowley RNutr Auckland, New Zealand What is your background in? My background: In 2015, I graduated with a PhD. My topic was in medical education, specifically do medical student receive sufficient nutrition education to leverage from into their future medical careers. How did you get involved with NNEdPro? I first became involved in NNEdPro during my PhD research. Internationally, there was limited research being conducted in this area during this time. It was very helpful to form international collaborations. What excites you most about working with NNEdPro? What excites me most working with NNEdPro is the opportunity to meet others involved in this field, share knowledge, ideas and support.​ To this end, participating in the annual Summit and Summer Schools have been highlights. Now working with the ANZ NNEdPro network is important for me. Professor Martin Kohlmeier Editor-in-Chief of BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health | Precision Nutrition What is your background in? I am a physician and clinical biochemist by training, having done basic and clinical work with a focus on nutritional individuality and genetics for more than thirty years. Currently I am the director of the Human Research Core at our UNC Nutrition Research Institute, providing clinical services and research support. How did you get involved with NNEdPro? I am directing the Nutrition in Medicine network which provides online medical nutrition education resources. A majority of US medical and osteopathic schools have used the materials as well as medical school in more than 20 other countries. That has led to the contact with Shumone, early joint appearances at conferences, and the rest is history. What excites you most about working with NNEdPro? I love the opportunity to work with so many people from around the globe, feeling that we may make a difference for the better (we are all a bit deluded), and the friendships that have developed with so many in the network. Breanna Lepre APD Open portfolio in Nutrition and Medical Education | 2020 Summer Events Support What is your background in? My background is in Nutrition and Dietetics, with a focus on improving nutrition education for medical professionals. I am currently undertaking a PhD related to nutrition competencies for medical professionals. How did you get involved with NNEdPro? I was lucky enough to become involved with NNEdPro during my honours year at the University of Wollongong, where I undertook a project investigating the nutrition education provided to medical students at the University. I presented this research at the 3rd NNEdPro Australia & New Zealand Symposium, and have been involved with NNEdPro since. What excites you most working with NNEdPro? Collaborating with like-minded individuals. Help required to identify competency frameworks in medicine which include elements of nutrition Supervisor Email Contact; Eleanor Beck (eleanor@uow.edu.au). Breanna Contact Details; M: +44 7586632304 (UK) or +61 422954050 (AUS) E: bl778@uowmail.edu.au Dr Daniela Martini GIP Member - Milan, Italy What is your background in? Master degree in Human Nutrition (university of Milan) and PhD in Food Sciences and Human Nutrition (University of Rome). I have a long experience as postdoc fellow in Human Nutrition How did you get involved with NNEdPro? I worked for 5 years at the University of Parma as postdoc fellow with Dan Del Rio and I was initially involved as speaker at the Summer Schools with talks on Food labelling (being one of my research fields). Last year, I was appointed as GIP member of NNEdPro. What excites you most working with NNEdPro? Having the possibility to connect and share expertise and knowledge with members from all over the world and with different background in the nutrition field. Having the possibility to train young students and professionals with interests in nutrition (mainly through the summer school) having the possibility to improve nutrition knowledge (hopefully also by the Italy network just launched). Dr Donato Angelino GIP Member - Teramo, Italy What is your background in? My background belongs to biology, having BSc, MSci and PhD in Biological Sciences. After some years spent in performing in vitro and in vivo animal studies to study the bioavailability and the health effect of bioactive compounds from vegetables, I joined the University of Parma to focus more on the human health, with dietary intervention studies leading to the comprehension of the effects of the consumption of different foods on health markers. Recently, I have been appointed as Assistant Professor at the University of Teramo, where I will continue my studies focusing on the human health. How did you get involved with NNEdPro? I met the NNEdPro Team several years ago thanks to the collaboration with the University of Parma and my Mentor, Prof. Daniele Del Rio. Since the beginning I have been involved in the organisation of NNEdPro Summer School as speaker, and I am currently involved in the set-up of the NNEdPro Italy Regional Network with colleagues from all over the Country. What excites you most working with NNEdPro? The most exciting part of what I call “NNEdPro Family” is the friendly and active collaboration among all the members, regardless of the geographic distances and the seniority of the colleagues. NNEdPro gives the incredible opportunity to be in touch with practitioners from all over the world and fields, to learn from their experience in developing projects related to nutrition education and to adapt these formats in different contexts. Professor Eleanor Beck APD Steering Committee Chair (Australia and New Zealand Regional Network) | (Cambridge Summer School Learning/Assessment) What is your background in? I am a dietitian working as Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Medicine at University of Wollongong in Australia. As a Dietitian I primarily worked in clinical practice in a hospital setting. How did you get involved with NNEdPro? I worked with Professor Caryl Nowson on a project, developing nutrition competency standards for medicine and Caryl suggested my name to a newly formed ANZ chapter of NNEdPro. What excites you most working with NNEdPro? The opportunity to hear how others have done great things to improve nutrition across a spectrum of settings from individual care to groups to populations. Then there is a chance that our group can extend that to different geographical locations. Elaine Macaninch RD Nutrition Implementation Coalition Co-Convenor Whats your background in? I am a Registered Dietitian, mainly working in diabetes. I became interested in nutrition education working with groups of patients and also teaching Practice Nurses and GPs and for the last 3 years I have been in Brighton and Sussex Medical school alongside the fabulous Dr Kathy Martyn. We have built a network of nutrition educators through co-founding the ERiMNN (Education and Research in Medical Nutrition Network). I am also the nutrition lead and a director for Culinary Medicine UK, where we use hands on cooking health professionals and students develop practical skills to incorporate nutrition into everyday consultations. How did you get involved with NNEdPro? I was introduced to NNEdPro via Kathy and attended the annual summit. I was really keen to learn from multi-professionals with an interest in nutrition. Via NNEdPro I have co-authored a paper reviewing medical student and doctor opinions on nutrition education. I have also been involved in writing and delivering the NEPHELP (Nutrition Education Policy for Healthcare Practice) initiative to junior doctors, and health professionals across England hospital and Primary Care sites. What excites you most working with NNEdPro? I love NNEdPro’s outward looking and inclusive focus. This completely fits with my own thoughts and the need to widen the conversation around food systems, healthcare and human health. This has been an amazing opportunity for my own development and to join the dots to link in all my projects and current students to promote positive collaboration leading to action. Last year we agreed to join forces as the UK Nutrition Implementation collaborative linking NNEdPro, ERimNN, Culinary Medicine UK and Nutritank- 4 independent organisations but with a common goal to improve Nutrition knowledge and access to healthy affordable food for all. Helena Trigueiro RD Nutrition, Dietetics and Public Health What is your background in? My path started with my BSc in Nutritional Sciences, and then my MSc in Consumption Sciences and Nutrition. I am a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist who works in clinical nutrition, public health and health communication. How did you get involved with NNEdPro? I was a candidate in NNEdPro's 2018 Summer School and participated in both the Essay Competition and NNEdPro's Summit. It was the perfect way to start collaborating with such a global and innovative nutrition network. What excites you most working with NNEdPro? NNEdPro dynamic is unique. It is thrilling to work alongside professionals, academics, and colleagues with the same purpose and vision: give Nutrition the attention it deserves. A/Prof Lauren Ball APD Global Strategic Lead (International Knowledge Application Network Hub in Nutrition 2025) What is your background in? I have a background in nutrition & dietetics as well as clinical exercise physiology. I am an Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian in Australia which recognizes that I am leading the profession in nutrition, which is very exciting. How did you get involved with NNEdPro? I spent a Summer at Cambridge at the end of my PhD and worked alongside Prof Ray, Dr Celia Laur and Dr Jennifer Crowley (from New Zealand). This came about after reaching out to Prof Ray showing interest in some work that NNEdPro had undertaken. Due to our mutual areas of interest, the Summer break has turned into over 6 years of collaboration! What excites you most working with NNEdPro? I am excited by the innovative and creative approach to generating new knowledge and translating this knowledge into meaningful impact across regions. I learn so much from other people and feel that we have direct and meaningful positive impact on individual lives, health providers and health services. I am confident this will continue to grow in the future too. Dr Lyn Haynes Global Strategic Lead (Networks, Engagement, Quality and Impact) What is your background in? I’m an educationist. I started as a secondary school science teacher and was able to share my passion for science and maths with young people on four continents (Africa, America, Tuvalu and then England). Later I became involved in science education engagement across the UK and Europe. Having completed a bachelors, masters, and a doctoral qualification in science and education I moved into Initial Teacher Education. ITE has enabled me to work on numerous programmes and interact with pupils in over 125 secondary school, gaining insight into the state of play in education and how young people engage with their education. How did you get involved with NNEdPro? I have known Dr Minha Rajput-Ray for some decades and have thus known about NNEdPro, in particular, MTK, as they evolved. I had wanted to join the initial trip to Kolkata but had become a full-time carer to my husband. After his demise I enquired about volunteering on the January/February 2020 trip. During my interview with Shumone in November 2019 he suddenly said something about wanting to involve me in NNEdPro. “Hang on, I came here to see if I could volunteer to work with children associated with the MTK Champions in India and now he’s going on about working with NNEdPro. Did I doze off during this interview?” Serendipity! What excites you most working with NNEdPro? The concept of an organisation that can offer and develop and deliver potentially sustainable self-help projects. Being so proud of the Champions at the recent Kolkata workshop, some of whom actually presented their table’s feedback: that takes some bottle and they demonstrated that they have it and could use it in an environment very different from their everyday! Working alongside and trying to muster the energy to keep abreast of such dynamic and energized folk. Thanks Shumone for dropping me in it! I am honoured to have been invited to be one of this growing team. Shivani Bhat Alternate Steering Committee Co-Chair (Digital Engagement and IANE Membership) What is your background in? BSc Physiology where I got involved in wet lab stem cell and behavioural neuroscience research, Masters in Public Health, where I got involved in translation research. How did you get involved with NNEdPro? I did my masters thesis on the association of dietary pattern analysis and carotid intima media thickness with Shumone as my PI. Then became interested in NNEdPro’s work especially medical nutrition education and translation work. Conducted an internship with NNEdPro and got roped in ever since 2015. - wow it’s been 5 years! What excites you most working with NNEdPro? The global collaborative nature of NNEdPro as well as the fact that if we have an idea, we can work together to implement it. Meet Members from our Operations and Strategy Team James Bradfield GIP Deputy Lead - Cross - appointed to Ops and Strategy Team (Summer School, Mentoring and Educational Projects Lead) What’s your background in? My undergraduate degree was in Nutritional Sciences at the University College Cork. I was always interested in nutrition, initially from a sports point of view but found myself becoming more interested in clinical and public health nutrition. From there I began a masters degree in Nutrition & Dietetics at the University of Chester where I am currently on my final placement. How did you get involved with NNEdPro? As part of my undergraduate degree I had a 6 month work placement to do which I was lucky to spend in Cambridge working with NNEdPro and the Medical Research Council. That was almost three years ago and since then I have fulfilled a number of roles in the group, focusing on education, online learning and more recently the Global Innovation Panel. What excites you most about working with NNEdPro? For me the most enjoyable thing is the wide variety of people involved. On a daily basis I get to speak to clinicians, researchers, educators and students but to name a few. It gives NNEdPro a very dynamic feeling and I like to think that I have learned something from everyone at this point and I know that I know that I have only scratched the surface in terms of what I can learn from the group! Jørgen T. Johnsen Cross-appointed to Ops and Strategy Team (Summit and Summer School Deputy | Technical Officer for Projects) What’s your background in? I have a BSc in Nutrition from Bjørknes University College and an MSc in Public Health Nutrition from Oslo Metropolitan University. I decided to get into nutrition after I experienced first-hand the lack of nutritional knowledge among health personnel during my treatment for leukemia. Later on, I felt that the best way I could contribute better to the nutritional issues was to go deeper into the public and policy level around nutrition-sensitive and specific programmes. How did you get involved with NNEdPro? I met Shumone during my time as an intern at the Department of Nutrition for Health and Development at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva. We got talking one day about my plans after my internship and NNEdPro’s mission and vision when we shared a lift. Following our talk, he offered me to work as a Senior intern/Project officer for NNEdPro at its headquarters in Cambridge. I now work as a Technical officer part-time virtually while I am back in Norway. What excites you most about working with NNEdPro? What I first think of is the opportunities that arise. NNEdPro has provided me with experiences that I seek to develop myself within a global nutrition perspective, and it brings in a one of a kind environment of global nutrition experts. It is highly motivating for me to be surrounded by such great people who work so hard to make a positive change for our health and planet. Dr Luke Buckner GIP Deputy Lead – Cross-appointed to Ops and Strategy Team (UK-India Scientific Lead | Nutrition Implementation Coalition Co-Convenor) Whats your background in? My day job is actually as a junior doctor, but I have studied a BSc in Human Nutrition and Metabolism at Kings College London. From there I have been involved in Nutrition Education within Medical Curricula, as well as NNEdPro's Mobile Teaching Work in India. How did you get involved with NNEdPro? I got involved after taking a year out of my medical degree to pursue the interrelated BSc in Nutrition. On return I found myself frustrated at the lack of content of nutrition, both from a theory and practical element. I wanted to change that and reached out to NNEdPro to get involved in some projects, from there I became increasingly involved in our NEPHELP project in the UK, then used my elective at the end of my degree to travel to India where my involvement there began. What excites you most about working with NNEdPro? I think for me its the people. When you first join NNEdPro it can be a little overwhelming how many awe inspiring people play roles in the group. However you soon find they all are so collaborative and want each other to succeed. The advice, mentor-ship and shared common goals really have been a key step in my career to date. Together it is exciting thinking of what we can achieve! Matheus Abrantes Senior Operations and Strategy Co-ordinator/Executive Assistant to the Chair What’s your background in? I have a BSc in Business Administration from University Paulista - UNIP in São Paulo, Brazil. How did you get involved with NNEdPro? I started working with NNEdPro in October 2018 as office support to the chair. Since then, there have been quite a few changes to my role that increased my involvement with the organisation and I became Senior Ops and Strategy Co-ordinador as well as providing executive support to the chair. What excites you most about working with NNEdPro? NNEdPro brings the opportunity of meeting people from all over the world in one place, and being someone that does not have a nutrition background makes me really impressed about the love people in NNEdPro share on the matter. Marjorie Lima do Vale RD Visiting Academic/Project Officer Whats your background in? I am a nutritionist registered in Brazil. I am now a final year PhD Candidate in Nutrition & Metabolism at the University of Alberta in Canada. My passion and expertise is in community nutrition. How did you get involved with NNEdPro? I started as a visiting academic with NNEdPro just a few months ago. I got to know about NNEdPro when proactively searching for organizations with an interest in Nutrition Education. What excites you most about working with NNEdPro? There is just so much one can learn from NNEdPro's passionate and hard-working members, also so much one can do across the many NNEdPro projects. I am so grateful that I became part of the NNEdPro team. :). Michael McGirr Communications Officer What’s your background in? I have been studying Human Nutrition for 3 years now in Ulster University, Ireland I decided to get into nutrition as I feel that a lot more could be done on a population level to improve health and well being. How did you get involved with NNEdPro? My internship from the University provided myself the opportunity to work for both NICHE Ulster & NNEdPro, during which time I have gained a wide array of transferable skills and I am very fortunate to have met some amazing aspiring people working in unison with a common interest and goal. What excites you most about working with NNEdPro? The limitless possibilities and potential, NNEdPro has such a wide Global Network with so many different areas of expertise involved, it is a pleasure to be involved and work with such great people trying to implement positive change into societies globally. Shane McAuliffe Cross-appointed to Ops and Strategy Team (Science and Digital Communications Lead) What is your background in? I hold a BSc in Nutritional Sciences from University College Cork and I am now studying an MSc in Nutrition and Dietetics in the University - currently undergoing my final clinical placement. How did you get involved with NNEdPro? My first involvement with NNEdPro came last year when I contributed to an article in Complete Nutrition (CN) magazine. I then volunteered at the NNEdPro Global Summit last July and have since joined the Global Innovation Panel (GIP) and taken a role in Science Communications within the Ops and Strategy team. What excites you most about working with NNEdPro? The opportunity to work with like-minded people from a variety of professional backgrounds but all with a common goal - to give nutrition the attention and platform it deserves within healthcare and public policy. Sucheta Mitra Operations and Strategy Co-ordinator/Membership Officer What’s your background in? I have a Masters in International Relations and Political Science from the Graduate Institute in International and Development Studies, Geneva. After my post-grad, I have been working as a consultant in the international humanitarian and development sector, particularly in the domain of global health and international migration. Before joining NNEdPro in 2019, I have worked with the United Nations Agencies and International Organizations in Geneva in areas such as Donor Relations, Resource Mobilization, Grant Management and Project Management. How did you get involved with NNEdPro? In 2019, I had a wonderful opportunity to meet Shumone Ray when he was on his special assignment to the WHO Nutrition Directorate in Geneva. I was already fascinated by the work NNEdPro did. So following the chat with Prof Ray and my professional background in public health furthered my interest to delve deep into the topic of nutrition education. Given I have professional experience in grant management and resource mobilisation, I was taken on board in the Strategic Development team, working on funding applications and developing strategic collaborations with potential philanthropy organisations. At present I am in the Operations and Strategy team as well as working as a Membership Officer. What excites you most about working with NNEdPro? My overall role within NNEdPro, has been extremely exciting. Working with such talented people (coming from diverse backgrounds) on projects concerning public health globally, has been professionally motivating, fulfilling and self-satisfying. Meet Our Board of Directors Our board of directors is comprised of a variety of accomplished practitioners, academics & researchers working in unison to develop strategies and methods to implement better nutrition education for all globally. Dr Celia Laur RNutr GIP and Summit Lead - Associate Director (Innovation and Implementation) What’s your background in? I moved to England to do my Masters in Public Health Nutrition, then returned to Canada to do a PhD in the School of Public Health and Health Systems at the University of Waterloo. I am now building a research program in implementation science with a particular focus on how to keep effective interventions going. How did you get involved with NNEdPro? I started working with NNEdPro in 2011 as their second ever intern! I was based in Cambridge for 3 years before transitioning my role to Lead of the Global Innovation Panel when I returned to Canada. What excites you most about working with NNEdPro? I love the opportunities that NNEdPro provides and the way that we can work with people who have a similar passion all over the world. Each person brings a unique perspective to the group and there is so much we can learn from each other. Professor Daniele Del Rio Non Executive Director (Scientific) What’s your background in? I have an MSc in Food Science and a PhD that was fully focused on human nutrition, carried out between the University of Parma and the University of Glasgow. Nutrition research is my passion. How did you get involved with NNEdPro? Shumone Ray, NNEdPro chair and founder, and I were speaking at the same conference some 8 years ago and immediately felt like we had t o collaborate. I visited Cambridge after a few months and never left (scientifically) since then! What excites you most about working with NNEdPro? My research is very mechanistic and basic. With NNEdPro I have the opportunity to do something that applies nutrition science to the real world in so many ways. It is unbelievably satisfying! Dr Minha Rajput-Ray Non Executive Director (Medical) What’s your background in? I have an MSc in Food Science and a PhD that was fully focused on human nutrition, carried out between the University of Parma and the University of Glasgow. Nutrition research is my passion. How did you get involved with NNEdPro? Shumone Ray, NNEdPro chair and founder, and I were speaking at the same conference some 8 years ago and immediately felt like we had t o collaborate. I visited Cambridge after a few months and never left (scientifically) since then! What excites you most about working with NNEdPro? My research is very mechanistic and basic. With NNEdPro I have the opportunity to do something that applies nutrition science to the real world in so many ways. It is unbelievably satisfying! Pauline Douglas RD Vice Chair and Operational Governance Director (Education) What’s your background in? I am a Registered Dietitian (RD) with an MBA in Health and Social Care working at national/international level. I am a past Chairperson of BDA and have a strong ethos of continued support for their work. I am also a Senior Lecturer and Clinical facilitator at Ulster University, NICHE working with students and practitioners to develop future RD's. How did you get involved with NNEdPro? I first met Shumone when the BDA where leading on the Council of Europe's 10 key characteristics. Like minds came together, so i have really been involved with NNEdPro right from the beginning. What excites you most about working with NNEdPro? Meeting and working with people all with a unified interest in nutrition. There is reassurance that we are all facing similar issues, however I relish the challenge of improving nutrition for individuals and populations. Professor Sumantra Ray RNutr Founding Chair and Executive Director (Strategic Development) “In 2020 NNEdPro is a thriving Global Centre working virtually without borders – behind our programmes, projects, interventions and impacts are incredible people who bring dedication and innovation – it is a privilege to work with such dynamic and bright minds, united through the common vision of a world less burdened by malnutrition” Global Innovation Panel Members to be featured in future issues: Principal Advisors Dr Rajna Golubic - Clinical Medicine Dr Giuseppe Grosso -Public Health Prof Martin Kohlmeier - Editor-in-Chief of BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health | Precision Nutrition Executive Members Melissa Adamski APD - Steering Committee Chair (International Academy of Nutrition Educators [IANE] Membership/Mentoring Scheme) Emily Fallon ANutr - Open portfolio in Nutrition and Public Health Dr Kathy Martyn RNutr - Steering Committee Chair (UK and Ireland Regional Network) | (Nutrition Education Policy for Healthcare Practice) Kannan Raman - Steering Committee Chair (India Regional Network) | (Mobile Teaching Kitchens India Fundraising) Ananya Ria Roy - Steering Committee Chair (Digital Engagement, Social Media and External Communications) Members Dr Iain Broadley – Bristol, England Prof Mei Yen Chan – Astana, Kazakhstan and Singapore Dr Dominic Crocombe – London, England Dr Jennifer Crowley - Auckland, New Zealand Dr Timothy Eden – London, England Sonigitu Asibong Ekpe – Calabar, Nigeria Ali Ahsan Khalid – Cambridge, England Dr Dionysia Sissy Lyra – UAE and Greece Prof Caryl Nowson – Deakin, Australia Prof Clare Wall – Auckland, New Zealand

Reflecting on the summer of 2019 (so far) & current activities The NNEdPro Summer Events in Cambridge were a resounding success thanks to the efforts of all those who came together to form a truly inspirational team with a palpable spirit and visible results that exceeded all expectations! From 5-9 July July we trained 24 new individuals from various disciplines, drawn from far corners of the globe at the Cambridge Summer School – a Foundation Certificate Course in Applied Human Nutrition. Following this we held a vibrant Global Strategy Workshop bringing together over 50 of the most involved members of NNEdPro to add a rich tapestry of views whilst also defining clear goals as we head towards 2020. This year our 5th International Summit had a tremendous line up of both external and internal speakers and brought together over 100 delegates with special mini-symposia delivered by colleagues from the WHO Nutrition Directorate. This complemented our recent workshop with interns at the WHO HQ in Geneva, the Swiss Re Institute and many others of exceeding calibre. 2019 has also been special as we hosted the 13th Congress of the International Society for Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics (ISNN) with planned scientific overlap between our international Summit and the ISNN Congress which cemented a number of synergies between Nutrition Education and Genetics/Genomics, paving the way for new collaborations. Following our own Summer Events I had a the privilege of delivering a 5-day programme to 25 international students from far corners, in my NNEdPro linked role as Course Director in Nutrition Science for the University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education. Finally in July, along with other US/Canada based team members, we relaunched our US Regional Network alongside various other scientific inputs to the 52nd Society for Nutrition Education and Behaviour Conference in Orlando. We have also completed the piloting of our IANE Membership Scheme with SNEB and Monash University and this opens up fully at the turn of this month. In the second half of August we are running a series of events in two parts of India linked with our work there on Mobile Teaching Kitchens and the TIGR2ESS Programme – more updates in the next newsletter. Our next set of events in 2019 will be clustered in November/December in Brighton, Cambridge and further afield in Newcastle (Australia) – stay tuned for updates. Save the dates for Summer School & Summit 2020! Missed this year? We are ready with next year’s edition of our Summer School and Summit so please mark your calendars now! Summer School in Applied Human Nutrition: 12-16 July 2020 6th International Summit on Medical and Public Health Nutrition Education and Research: 17 July 2020

Reflecting on Summer School in Applied Human Nutrition 2019 This year, over 5 days from 5-9 July, 24 students from over 10 countries across the globe gained a Foundation certificate in Applied Human Nutrition together hosted at Homerton College, Cambridge University. The course covered a diverse range of topics as wide as their backgrounds to immerse themselves in health and biological sciences and solved into contemporary and cutting-edge subjects. These included: Basic Concepts in Human Nutrition Nutrition Research Methods Nutrition in Disease Prevention Nutrition in Healthcare Nutrition Public Health and Policy With Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education, this year’s edition of the Summer School was co-organised with the School of Advanced Studies on Food and Nutrition of the University of Parma, Italy, and had a contingent of internationally recognised lecturers in Cambridge for the occasion. Thank you to the faculty for taking the time out to teach the students. The course was accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal Society for Biology. For more on curriculum and faculty, download the handbook from Summer School 2019 In pictures highlights View pictures from Summer School in Flickr here What happens next? Post the course, students were welcomed into the International Academy of Nutrition Educators (IANE) for one year and will continue to receive mentoring and opportunities to further advance their career in various aspects of nutrition. SAVE THE DATE: Summer School in Applied Human Nutrition 2020 Faculty, mentors, prospective students – save the date for Summer School 2020 taking place from 12-16 July 2020 in Cambridge We look forward to meeting you next year! – Team NNEdPro

It is that time of year when we are excitedly counting days to our flagship summer events as we prepare to connect the world to Cambridge this July! The Nutrition Science Summer Programme that we run for the University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education is now officially full and operating a waiting list – but there are still places to go at our Summer School in Applied Human Nutrition at Homerton College as well as our International Summit and the ISNN Congress, which promise to be a really stimulating 9 days of Cambridge educational events… do join us and put the word out as we hope to see you all this summer! Since my last update in May, we have completed a full membership and operations refresh and now stand at a strength of over 220 full members of which over 40 form our dynamic and international virtual core. At home base, the NEPHELP (Nutrition Education Policy for Healthcare Practice) roadshow in the UK is well under way as well as the preparation towards formal launch of a UK Regional Network and Coalition of key organisations over 2019. Last month we also successfully launched our already thriving new Brazil Regional Network after which we were present/active in the margins of the World Health Assembly. This month promises to be action-packed too as our Patron Lord Rana joins us to officially launch our relocated Nutrition and Vascular Studies Platform at Ulster University on 21st June, where we will also announce our intention to form a new Regional Network of Ireland. This month we will also be running a new two-day national nutrition course for Physiotherapists in the Netherlands (via the SOMT University), widening our professional horizons. In late June we are also running a series of key presentations at the World Health Organization HQ including a first of its kind training workshop in Nutrition for the WHO Global Internship Programme in Geneva which brings together several hundred of tomorrow’s shapers from across UN member states. Amongst our international events is also our presence next month at the 52nd conference of the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior where we will open the membership scheme of the International Academy of Nutrition Educators in partnership with SNEB and Monash University to the wider world and this will be marked with the collateral launch of our repurposed US Regional Network in the margins of the congress. We look forward to meeting many of you next month in Cambridge! Very best wishes, Professor Sumantra (Shumone) Ray (NNEdPro Founding Chair and Executive Director) #NEPHELP #nutritioneducation #SumantraRay #UKNutrition

PANDEMIC TO PANDORA – Two months, Two Lessons and Ten Thanks Since our last newsletter sent in early February all our lives have changed in ways that we could not even have conceived just a couple of months ago! THE PAST TWO MONTHS Rewinding back to the beginning of February, the NNEdPro Global Centre Regional Networks programme ran a series of bi-annual workshops and fieldwork across the India network with activities spanning five states. This was followed through the rest of February by planned soft launches of three important network hubs in Switzerland, Italy and Mexico bringing the total number of network hubs to ten across the globe. Over the 2020/21 this leaves two more regional networks to be launched – one in Canada where this will consolidate our longstanding collaborations since 2014 and another in the Middle East where we have developed very promising new connections – additionally some of our existing networks are to be expanded to cover a wider geographical reach such as within the African continent. Attainment of these three remaining milestones will mark the completion of the roll-out of strategically placed regional networks linked with our vision of an International Knowledge Application Hub in Nutrition by 2025 (I-KANN-25), serving the needs of nutrition and health professionals across all of these regions. Within each regional network we will prepare to implement our two cross-cutting models: Nutrition Education policy for Healthcare Practice (NEPHELP) at the level of professionals and policymakers, as well as the Mobile Teaching Kitchen (MTK) interfacing with both professionals and the public. Back at base, in the first week of March we delivered a very well attended webinar on Nutrition and Cardiovascular Disease to our healthcare colleagues down under via the Australasian Society for Lifestyle Medicine followed by key note talks and a key presence at the hugely impactful inaugural annual conference of Nutritank at the Royal Society for Medicine. Do visit our past events page to have a look at the action packed weeks of from late January to early March. And then just over a month ago the tide turned dramatically as our colleagues in Italy went into lockdown. By the second week of March, COVID-19 had gone from being a public health emergency of international concern (which we had alluded to with all humility in our January newsletter!) to an omnipresent pandemic permeating every facet of our global centre and leading to the cancellation of our showcasing event in the Cambridge Science Festival and subsequently the entire festival itself! As things in Italy and neighbouring countries began to spiral uncontrollably, the UK began to grapple, prevaricate and ultimately realise that a tidal wave was about to hit in the form of SARS-CoV-2 and the deadly disease that is COVID-19. As we cross Easter, the UK will have been in lock-down for three weeks and it is barely a month since our face to face activities were in full swing. Yet it feels like another era already. Many of us have spent much of March and now part of April working remotely and living in relative isolation (or in some cases completely so!) attempting wherever possible to maintain some semblance of normality for those of us lucky enough to do so whilst countless others either fall victim to COVID-19 or indeed battle bravely on the front-line of this invisible war and possibly the greatest generational challenge that most of us will experience in our lifetime as well as one that generations to come will mark in the books of history. Against this surreal backdrop of a world that will possibly never be quite the same again – a world where all borders and divisions, both natural and man-made, have been relentlessly permeated without discrimination – we are also witnessing an increasing number of small miracles in the form of the human spirit striving to combat COVID-19, ranging from selfless acts of kindness through to the prowess of science working for society, as well as the unshakeable resolve of healthcare and key workers who are putting their own lives on the line to serve others. I feel inspired to see that the NNEdPro Virtual Core as well as the wider membership is full of such miracle-makers including those members who are at the frontline in both clinical and societal settings as well as others who form part of the scientific and public health response. It is a real privilege to be working with such outstanding individuals! Whilst COVID-19 has been a threat like no other it has also ignited our will and skill to play a key role in rapidly pulling together as an organisation but also robustly pooling together scientific knowledge that might be of help. By mid-March we activated crisis management processes within the NNEdPro Global Centre to develop an organisational response appropriate to our position of being headquartered in the UK but with widespread central as well as regional networks. Whilst recognising that the dynamic needs of individual regions would differ, we established a centrally positioned Taskforce co-led by a front-line medical doctor with formal training in ‘Global Health and Catastrophe Medicine’ to help guide our activities through these disrupted and uncertain times. Following our initial Taskforce meeting we prioritised the safety of all members across our regional networks. In order to ensure this, ALL NNEdPro operations were moved online with immediate effect and indefinitely, in line with measures advised by the World Health Organization. This was roughly a week ahead of the UK at large, enabling us to gear up and continue current operations through virtual methods. Fortunately, in the Autumn of 2019 ahead of the current crisis, we transitioned to predominantly virtual operations and therefore had some lead time on this front. In addition, we immediately enacted several changes to our calendar of events including transitioning to virtual platforms wherever possible including our flagship summer school and summit. Despite best efforts there will still be cancellation of some events where conversion to online is not feasible but as far as we can see these will not impede our overall scientific and strategic goals for the year ahead. Our Directors and Governors have also rallied around all efforts which have benefited from the much more frequent counsel of the Directors in particular. Aside from considerations of safety, our Medical Director specialised in Occupational Medicine, has also been running a twice weekly online ‘Wellbeing Café’ to help the NNEdPro Virtual Core keep good spirits during this unprecedented time. Invariably, all our University lab-based as well as field-based activities across the board were suspended in mid-March until further notice and roles have been rapidly repurposed. Due to our wide-ranging activities worldwide, we have been monitoring the development of the pandemic and seeking expert advice to enable dynamic risk management across our central and regional networks. However, perhaps the most challenging part of this has been to remotely guide the risk management of field activities in lesser resourced settings such as our work in urban slums and rural villages in India. Whilst we were able to act very early to mitigate exposure to our researchers and participants/beneficiaries and this will hopefully save lives for now, it remains that saving livelihoods is a greater challenge, as is ensuring food security in the medium term. To this effect we have re-purposed our crowdfunding campaign for our champions in urban slums of Kolkata to help towards their survival but of course recognising that this is a tiny tip of a gigantic iceberg and we are therefore collecting insights from the field and attempting to pass these on to those concerned with mitigating the effects of acute food insecurity arising from the COVID-19 crisis. The efforts of our Taskforce (and particularly our science comms and digital leads) have led to the development of a dedicated Microsite collating useful resources for our members and stakeholders on COVID-19: https://www.nnedpro.org.uk/coronavirus. Within this Microsite we have specifically created a set of resources and information around COVID-19 and Nutrition: https://www.nnedpro.org.uk/nutrition-resources and our rapidly synthesised original blog bringing together a 10-point summary on diet, nutrition and the role of micronutrients has now been viewed online by over 2K people and is being translated and adapted for multiple regions. Also in production is an evidence-informed practice guidance piece in Complete Nutrition which is expected to reach well over 10K health professionals. Additionally, working closely with our journal BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health we launched a special collection on Nutrition and COVID-19 Interactions in which we are calling for guiding evidence that might help us in this unprecedented global crisis. I am delighted that we already have several pieces in various stages of genesis that multiple authors around the globe are working on towards strengthening or collating the existing evidence we have on COVID-19/immunity/infection and its connections with nutrition as well as looking at the acute impact of COVID-19 measures on food security. As these outputs emerge over coming weeks our science comms team will have much to do towards disseminating key messages for potential uptake. We have also managed to quickly input to the design of an acute London-based study in a hospital intensive care unit looking at how nutritional status/intervention might be correlated with clinical outcomes in COVID-19. We hope that through these efforts we will soon understand more clearly where Nutrition is positioned both in the realms of prevention as well as intervention in relation to COVID-19. I am immensely thankful to all contributors and the Taskforce which has been working tirelessly towards enabling us to make a humble contribution of one more piece towards the jigsaw puzzle that we are all living. The members of the Taskforce are below: NNEdPro COVID-19 Task Force Co-Chairs – Dr Dominic Crocombe (Exec) & Prof Shumone Ray (Ex-Officio) ​Attending Members – James Bradfield Education/Events), Dr Luke Buckner (Key Projects), Emily Fallon (Public Health), Dr Lyn Haynes (Networks), Shane McAuliffe (Science Comms) & Sucheta Mitra (Secretariat) ​Corresponding Members – Matheus Abrantes (Digital), Martin Kohlmeier (BMJ NPH) & Pauline Douglas (also on behalf of Prof Dan Del Rio, Dr Celia Laur & Dr Minha Rajput-Ray) TWO LESSONS LEARNED Reflecting on these two tumultuous months, highlights two key lessons for me personally, which I would like to share. The first one stems back to 2009-10 when I was an NIHR Public Health Fellow in the East of England and visited the WHO HQ in Geneva to witness the global response to the H1N1 (Swine Flu) pandemic which was estimated to have led to about 575,000 deaths at that time after which it continues to add to the overall burden of seasonal influenza which continues to kill half a million people annually. This pandemic just over a decade ago also challenged global public health systems quite significantly but of course was in many ways less lethal both in terms of its transmissibility as well as its case fatality in comparison to the agent of the current pandemic. However, the lesson from 2009/10 was one of PREPAREDNESS along the lines of the old adage of failing to prepare being equivalent to preparing to fail! By 2010 public health agencies all over the world had actually prepared for an even worse viral pandemic and the WHO had defined a multistage process to help with a coordinated and timely response. But processes are only as good as the people who discharge them and with the passage of time this lesson had perhaps faded from many a memory both at the level of individuals but also organisations. COVID-19 reminds us once again in a manner that cannot be ignored that we must prepare for a future in which there may be other unprecedented global challenges whether this takes the form of pandemics or the effects of climate change. We cannot control nature but we can curb some of our own actions that contribute towards the precipitation of calamities and we can certainly train ourselves to be better prepared and not take for granted the liberties that we have all been afforded to date. There is also a second lesson that I learned five years ago. At the time of the H1N1 Pandemic as part of the healthcare workforce I felt at arm’s length from the disease itself. But ironically in January 2015 I suffered from a particularly severe case of ‘Swine Flu’ myself. As an H1N1 survivor I remember being isolated in a high dependency unit running an unbelievably high temperature for days and ultimately having convulsions as well as being unconscious. I developed pulmonary haemorrhage, couldn’t breathe and felt like I was drowning on dry ground and from needing oxygen I was soon on positive pressure ventilation. In short, I went in days from having no underlying health conditions to being so extremely ill that I was certain it was the end and so were a number of others. However, despite the severity of illness I bounced back just as dramatically, thanks to modern healthcare and perhaps a competent immune system. It has been five years since then that I have perhaps been on borrowed time. My lungs underwent all the classical pathological changes associated with severe viral and recurring secondary pneumonia taking three years for me to recover fully. Despite the setback in early 2015, the past five years has brought a sense of urgency whereby I have attempted to utilise as much time as possible towards facilitating a small but tangible contribution to the mission that underpins the work of our Global Centre. The lesson I learned in this process was that of GRATITUDE. To appreciate all that we have and not take for granted the most important gift of all and that is to be alive and have time on our side! Many of us will not only be alive and well but we are also well positioned with opportunities to make contributions to science and society which look beyond immediate or individual returns and convert the power of privilege into priority actions that are needed to collectively address the global challenges of our time and beyond. The COVID-19 pandemic once again reminds us that we are all susceptible but also that we are all connected and that those of us who are fortunate enough to be spared can express gratitude in innumerable ways, even incognito, for the benefit of those who are most affected or at risk across the populations that we serve. TEN TOKENS OF THANKS If we all look, I am sure we can identify at least ten things for which we can give tokens of our thanks. My own heartfelt thanks (in no particular order and all with equal emphasis!) at this time go to: (1) Healthcare professionals and key workers the world over for saving lives every single moment and keeping things functioning across society; (2) Policymakers and those who hold the power to intervene at population level whilst maintaining law, order and decorum; (3) Scientists – both in biomedical/health as well as social/behavioural sciences – particularly those contributing to guiding prevention as well as intervention; (4) Our members, collaborators, stakeholders and beneficiaries for being such a source of inspiration and dedication as we try to do our little bit; (5) Family, friends and immediate colleagues who are all affected but never hesitate to think of others before themselves; (6) Teachers and educators who have found ways to ensure that the pursuit of learning can continue no matter what; (7) Innovators in all sections of society who are using ingenious ways to help us all retain the modern amenities that we have all become so used to; (8) The media and other forms of communication which have enabled us to stay excruciatingly up to date but also digitally more connected than perhaps ever before; (9) The supply of good food, clean water, comfortable accommodation and the economic as well as intellectual privileges which many not be available to so many when they need it the most; (10) The unique opportunities which both I and the NNEdPro Global Centre are continually presented with to make a positive difference in the world through our concerted efforts. I can also think of many more as I have had five years before this to reflect on the role of both preparedness as well as gratitude! THE PANDEMIC AND PANDORA’S BOX As we live through this pandemic, finding ways to not only survive but ultimately thrive, I cannot help but draw a metaphorical analogy to the well-known idiom of Pandora’s box. As most will know the box symbolises a source of great and unexpected troubles. The mythological story behind this described the box as containing sickness, death and despair which were released into the world. However, the one thing that was left behind was the most important attribute of all, the power of HOPE. This pandemic is of course very real, and it really is unimaginably bad. But this is not the first pandemic to have swept the world and it may not be the last. So as we all go through this together it is important that we continue to hold on to hope in all its forms which will help us persevere as well as preserve the momentum of our efforts to overcome this pandemic and any further challenges that the future may hold! I wish you all the very best of health whilst I offer my thoughts and prayers to those who have very sadly suffered loss already. I would like to close by lighting a ‘candle of hope’ which is something that has always guided me personally even at the most challenging of times so I would invite you to pass this message to one and all envisioning an increasingly brighter road ahead of us and one where we all walk together in solidarity HAPPY EASTER WITH HOPE FOR HAPPIER HORIZONS! Professor Sumantra (Shumone) Ray

@@helenatrigueir1 My name is Helena Trigueiro and I am a Portuguese trainee Dietitian, soon to be registered by the Dietitians Portuguese Council. When I was in high school my passion for food and health resulted in me falling in love with nutrition. I applied to the University of Porto where I studied Food Sciences and Nutrition, and later continued as a Masters’ student. Her thoughts on discovering & attending Summer School 2018 The course content is extremely diverse: you can be learning about body composition in one morning, and in the next one be exploring case-studies or scientific papers. This remarkable chance to hear lecturers from all over the world is joined by their generosity in sharing information and data. Top Tips from Helena Another thing I would say would be to enjoy the experience outside the lectures: socialise, visit Cambridge and enrol in the evening activities NNEdPro suggests for you, it will be well worth it! Finally, this experience is very short but very intense: be a sponge. Ask when you don’t understand something, try to acquire as much knowledge as you can… and be happy. I am very honoured and very glad that I had this experience, I would unquestionably recommend it and it was one of the highlights of my year. Thank you NNEdPro! – Helena, Summer School / IANE 2018 #Nutrition #SummerSchool

Reflecting on the last quarter The first quarter of 2019 has gotten off to quite a promising start for the NNEdPro Global Centre for Nutrition and Health.  As an organisation, we have already seen a number of key dates in our calendar with milestones celebrated and achieved in the last few months. This included our three flagship events marking five years of operations across India in the month of February. This started with our Five Year Symposium in Kolkata, showcasing the results from our urban slums mobile teaching kitchens and its innovative micro enterprise phase, followed by a BMJ India Nutrition Masterclass held in New Delhi for clinicians from a range of different Indian hospitals, and finally a rural adaptation workshop organised in Sanghol Punjab on mobile teaching kitchens, connecting our urban work with the University of Cambridge TIGR2ESS programme spanning all zones of India to create sustainable food supplies as well as improve nutrition and health. 13th  March marked the official opening of our new offices by Lord Balfe at the St John’s Innovation Centre in Cambridge, which symbolises our entry into a period of academic entrepreneurship. We were at the International Forum on Quality & Safety in Healthcare from 27th – 29th March in Glasgow where we conducted a NEPHelp workshop on ‘Food, fluid and nutritional care as key drivers to improve healthcare outcomes: The Nutrition Education policy for Healthcare Practice Training Package’ . We also had an important poster based on our paper: Time for Nutrition, and introduced our e-learning. Watch this space for more updates on these! During the first two months of 2019 I completed a secondment to the World Health Organisation’s Nutrition Directorate and have now been retained as a visiting consultant till the end of the summer in order to progress our joint strategy towards nutrition capacity building particularly in relation to health care and health systems. What we have in store Not only does all of this set the stage for the remainder of 2019 but it also allows us to focus on some of the immediate challenges before us, which are the capacity building activities that we now will focus on within the United Kingdom including the launch of our educational roadshow across different regions of the NHS to raise nutrition awareness in medical doctors and other healthcare professionals. Following the workshop at the BMJ Quality and Safety Conference in Glasgow, alongside the launch of our e-learning package, we will go to five different regions of the NHS in England to convey key messages and educational interventions. This will be followed by our Summer Events in Cambridge this July, particularly our Summer School and International Summit. This year we are also hosting the 13th Congress of the International Society for Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics. Underpinning all of our activities this year is also the advent of our external membership and mentoring scheme of the International Academy of Nutrition Educators (IANE) which sits within the NNEdPro Global Centre and works in conjunction with the Society for Nutrition Education and Behaviour in the United States as well as Monash online learning in Australia. This external membership and mentoring scheme offers a unique opportunity to receive one-on-one guidance towards becoming tomorrow’s nutrition educators and we are pleased to be welcoming our first external members as of February 2019 and is free for internal members. Do take a look at the events calendar for the months ahead, and I would be delighted to see as many of you as possible at our Summer Events this July in Cambridge where we bring the world to a common forum in order to move together with consensus around the next priorities and steps towards strengthening nutrition capacity for health. Very best wishes, Professor Sumantra (Shumone) Ray (NNEdPro Founding Chair and Executive Director)