Lifestyle & Nutrition Presentations

Dysphagia and Nutrition

Isabelle Germain is an adjunct professor at the School of Human Nutrition and scientist working at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Her specialty is value-added foods. Her career began at Veterans Affairs Canada where she worked on specialty food development for the treatment of dysphagia. She holds a PhD and a MSc degree from McGill University in Nutrition and Rheology.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify dysphagia, potential etiologies and clienteles
2. Identify rheology and various methods of assessment for liquids
3. Identify nutritional impacts of dysphagia
4. Identify key clinical partners to assess and provide an individualized adapted treatment plan

New Eating Disorders: What You Need to Know

Mimi Israel has been a treating psychiatrist and medical director of the Douglas Eating Disorders Program since 1998 and is involved in the clinical, teaching, research and knowledge transfer missions of the program. She is also consultant psychiatrist to first-line community mental health care teams, and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at McGill.

Learning Objectives:

1. Name diagnostic criteria for restrictive or avoidant eating disorders (ARFID), identify the key elements that distinguish ARFID from anorexia nervosa and recognize different presentations based on subtypes
2. Demonstrate the capacity to assess the severity of the problem and determine the medical risk
3. Apply a clinical approach based on best practices in the management of patients presenting with ARFID

Eating Disorders, Heredity and Environmental Activation: Things clinicians, patients and carers need to know

Howard Steiger directs Quebec’s only large-scale, specialized eating-disorders program—the Douglas Institute Eating Disorders Continuum (EDC). The EDC offers a full range of Inpatient, Day Treatment and Outpatient services for adolescents and adults affected by EDs and their families. He is Professor in Psychiatry and Associate Member in Psychology at McGill University. An active clinician, researcher, and teacher, Steiger has published numerous articles and chapters on the eating disorders. He is Associate Editor of the Journal of EDs, Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, Fellow of the Academy for Eating Disorders, and has been Associate Editor of the International Journal of Eating Disorders, President of the ED Research Society, Co-President of the Quebec Charter for a Healthy and Diversified Body Image, and Member of the Academy for EDs executive.

Learning Objectives:

1. Epigenetic research may help to identify markers for illness staging and sub-typing and targets for future innovations in treatment
2. Epigenetic mechanisms provide a physiological explanation for how gene and environment interact in (the development of) eating disorders
3. Epigenetically informed models of eating disorders may increase self-acceptance and hopes of recovery in individuals affected by eating disorders

Update on Weight Loss and Dieting

Piraveena Piremathasan is a Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Educator and Certified Bariatric Educator practicing in Montreal, Quebec. She is a graduate from the McGill University and a member of the Ordre des diététistes-nutritionnistes du Québec (ODNQ), since 2014. She has worked as a Community Nutritionist at the Cree Health Board and CIUSSS West-Central Montreal, and as a Diabetes Educator at a specialized endocrinology clinic. Recently, she took on a role as a Senior Patient Care Specialist with Dexcom.

Learning Objectives:

1. Review the Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines for weight management
2. Recognize the difference between fad diets and healthy weight loss plans
3. Describe healthy weight management goals
4. Discuss nutritional recommendations for clients to adopt healthy eating patterns