South East England Branch
The BDA South East England Branch has enjoyed expanding its membership engagement this year, through collaborations, sharing resources, and organising CPD and networking events.
We introduced a “Shared Resources” page on the BDA Branch website, where Diet Sheets created by Dietitians across South East England are available for all Branch members to see. This showcases the hard work gone into creating these patient resources, and enables the sharing of information to reduce time spent by other departments creating similar resources.
We have increased our presence on social media, using Instagram, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). We have loved sharing what Dietitians in South East England are doing, especially around Dietitians Week.
We held three CPD and networking events this year, and were delighted to hold our first face to face event since 2019.
In February we collaborated with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and organised a webinar to hear six stories of Dietitians transitioning into research careers. Dr Steve Wooton (Associate Professor of Human Nutrition, University of Southampton) introduced Dr Emma Parsons, Lindsey Allan, Tanya Klopper, Dr Caroline Anderson, Dr Emma Redman, and Bethan Jenkins who each presented their “Research Journeys”.
The NIHR provided links, resources and ongoing support for anyone interested in research.
In May we collaborated with the BDA Sustainable Diets Specialist Group, recognising that sustainability is a critical and worldwide issue that needs implementing into all specialities of Dietetics.
Tanya Haffner (CEO & Strategic Lead on Nutrition & Sustainability at MyNutriWeb & Nutrilicious, Chair of the BDA Sustainable Diets Group) presented “Implementing Healthy Sustainable Diets in Dietetics”. This webinar provided attendees with the latest bite sized overview of what a sustainable diet is. It also provided practical tips and guidance on implementing sustainability into practice.
In November the University of Winchester kindly hosted us for our first face to face networking event since 2019. Dr Emily Walters (Malnutrition Officer for BAPEN) and Long Li (Lecturer in Dietetics, 2023 CN Award for Social Media Personality of the Year) presented on “Using Social Media in Dietetics”.
Emily developed and runs BAPEN’s pre-registration dietetic placements, and she talked about the development of the BAPEN pre-reg Instagram account, giving advice for getting started with a business account.
Long’s remarkable digital presence in dietetics is evident through his management of the Dietetics social media platforms. He presented his methods at increasing social media presence and promoting Dietetics.
This networking event brought local Dietitians together, and also allowed students from the University of Winchester to meet Registered Dietitians from Portsmouth, Southampton, Salisbury, Oxford and Winchester to get a better understanding of what a career in Dietetics holds for them.
We are so grateful to all our past and present committee members who have volunteered so much of their time to fulfil the purpose of the Branch.
The Branch always welcomes new ideas as to how we can support you as Dietitians in the South East of England. Please contact us with any suggestions
Email - [email protected]
And visit our branch page here:
https://www.bda.uk.com/specialist-groups-and-branches/south-east-england-branch.html