On Thursday , September 29 th , 2016 , DNSAA held its annual Mentorship Program Kick-Off at the David C . Naylor building . The Mentorship Program was established in 2012 to connect current DNS undergraduate and graduate student with DNS alumni .
The event consisted of an engaging speaker series and meaningful discussion between mentorship pairs . After the structure of the program was outlined , alumni Catherine Braunstein and Stephanie Nishi spoke on behalf of their past and continuing experiences with the DNS Mentorship Program and outlined the many benefits as both a mentee and mentor . DNS Chair Dr . Mary L ’ Abbé concluded the speaker series . Speakers and mentors alike shared their experiences as an undergraduate student and now , as an alumnus of Nutritional Sciences . This evening was a great opportunity for recent and experienced graduates to provide guidance to students and for students to be able to ask questions and learn more about the various fields within nutrition and research .
Several University of Toronto graduate students participated as mentors , acting as great role models and counsellors to undergraduates interested in nutritional research and graduate school at the University of Toronto . Furthermore , the DNS Mentorship Program attracted a wide diversity of students , with varying interests and research focuses – from clinical studies at St . Michael ’ s Hospital to pertinent meta-analyses performed right here at the university .
Overall , the evening was a great success that allowed undergraduates , graduate students and alumni to mingle and establish a strong mentorship relationship for the year to come !
DNS
Mentorship
Program Kick-Off
We would like to thank all DNSAA volunteers for their commitment in guiding and fostering future DNS alumni , NSSA for helping and volunteering , and Manulife Financial for their sponsorship of the program .
For any inquiries about the program , becoming a mentor or mentee , please contact the Office of Advancement at . medicine . advancement @ utoronto . ca or the DNSAA at dnsaa . toronto @ gmail . com .
By : Ashleigh Wiggins , Ingrid Santaren , and Rebecca Ng
Issue 3 | Nutrition of Everything | 22