Nestlé Nutrition Institute supports leading institutions on a Nutrition Educational Initiative for healthcare professionals
At convocation ceremonies held in Nairobi(Kenya), Lusaka, Harare, Johannesburg, Abuja and Lagos during November, a large number of healthcare professionals received their Postgraduate Certificates in Paediatric Nutrition from the Boston University School of Medicine.
The Postgraduate Programme in Paediatric Nutrition (PGPN) is a global academic programme, which has been developed by the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and MedInscribe to help keep healthcare professionals up-to-date on evolving science. The Programme is supported by the Nestlé Nutrition Institute.
Pindelwa Mda, Regional Business Head of Nutrition at Nestlé South Africa said: “As the Nestlé Nutrition Institute Africa, we sponsored this educational programme with an endeavour to contribute to improving the nutritional status of African children one step at a time. Proper nutrition in the first 1 000 days has been recognised globally to have a profound impact on a child’s ability to grow, learn and thrive – and has a lasting impact on long-term health. This is a rapidly evolving area where new scientific advances are occurring at a rapid pace.”
The Programme offers a unique opportunity to strengthen healthcare professionals’ knowledge and practice in paediatric nutrition. It familiarises them with evidence-based guidelines and recommendations through a series of online learning modules, delivered in various formats including text, video and audio. The final stage of education is presented in a series of live meetings delivered in various locations worldwide.
Since the launch of the PGPN programme, close to 4 500 healthcare professionals from 63 countries have joined. The PGPN journey started in Africa in 2016 and about African 450 Health Care Professional enrolled. Others were from Asia and the Middle East where, typically, the burden of nutritional challenges in children is higher and access to nutritional education is limited
The live, interactive symposium and convocation ceremony in Africa was officiated by Dr Clifford Lo – an Adjunct Professor of Nutrition at Harvard Medical School in Boston, as well as local faculty members attending within their region. The faculty member in Johannesburg was Dr Ali Dhansay – the Director of Nutritional Intervention Research Unit; and in Lagos and Abuja, Dr Chris Isokpunwu, Head of the Nutrition Division, Federal Ministry of Health in Nigeria and Professor Ignatius Onimawo, Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry and Vice Chancellor Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma, Edo State took the podium.
Dr Sanjeev Ganguly, Global Head, Medical & Scientific Affairs, NNI South Asia; representatives of Nestlé Switzerland; some government functionaries; heads of health institutions; and renowned members of the medical and health community also attended the ceremony.
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South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho participants |
Kenyan participants (Nairobi) |
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Nigerian participants in Lagos |
Nigerian participants in Lagos |
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Nigerian participants in Lagos |
Nigerian participants in Abuja |
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Zambian Participants |
