Samina Qureshi RDN, LD

I began my career in dietetics in the field of corporate wellness and health risk management. I have always practiced with a holistic mindset, encompassing not only nutrition but physical activity, stress management, sleep hygiene, and other areas of wellness to restore balance back into my clients’ lives. I help people discover the root cause of their health concerns instead of only treating or masking symptoms. Recently I opened up my own practice, Wholesome Start, to reach more people within my community.

Rosie Schwartz, RD

My career path has been a very long one! I was one of the first to start a private practice in Canada over 40 years ago. There were three of us that started at the same time. I started doing regular media gigs including TV and radio just a few years after I started in private practice. I had regular spots on national TV shows back in the 80s and had my first book,The Enlightened Eater, published back in 1987. I started a weekly newspaper column with the same name in the Ottawa Citizen in 1991 (which I had nightmares about writing!). It was syndicated across Canada for a number of years. I also had a weekly TV column on CBC Morning for a number of years. The National Post also carried my Enlightened Eater column for a number of years as well. I’ve had regular magazine columns.

Angela Birnie MEd, RD, RCC

I focus on helping clients with eating disorders and disordered eating, though I also work with clients with chronic illnesses. Most of my clients know what they “should” be doing to improve their mental and physical health, and come to me because they feel stuck in trying to make those changes.

Michelle Jaelin, BFA, BASc, RD

I would like to see more diversity in the field; men and women of different ethnicities, sizes, abilities, religions, sexual orientations and classes. Past Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics President Dr. Evelyn Crayton published a paper about the lack of diversity in dietetics in the 2015 issue of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and also presented this evidence at the 4th International Critical Dietetics Conference in Chicago. I would like to see a more inclusive and diverse profession.

Nathan Diaz, MS, RD, LDN

I am all over the place when it comes to the areas of dietetics that I am involved in. On one side of the spectrum, I work in the private practice sector where I deal primarily with younger adults as well as athletes of various ages. When I am not meeting with clients privately, I work as the sole dietitian for a long term care facility dealing primarily with the geriatric population. When I am not in the nursing home or in my office counseling clients, I am cooking and developing recipes to showcase for potential personal chef clients.

Patricia Chuey, MSc., RD, FDC

In a nut shell, I help create peace of mind for consumers on the subject of food in their lives. What should be a basic and fairly easy task of eating to fuel our busy lives get unnecessarily confusing in the endless sea of food and nutrition information we all sail on. My work is focused on equipping people with accurate and practical knowledge and skills to stay well nourished, enjoy what they're eating and live a healthy, happy life without constant focus on food.

interviews