Just when you feel you’ve been to enough meetings one last meeting makes it all worthwhile. Last weekend I attended the DCMADA (DC Metro Area Dietetic Association) 2011 annual meeting held in Bethesda, Maryland. The obvious benefit of networking with colleagues and visiting sponsor’s table top presentations needs no further discussion. However, the opportunities for learning from an impressive lineup of speakers may not be so obvious.
Despite the fact that I am not currently employed in a clinical setting I found the presentation from Leigh-Anne Wooten about her experiences getting order writing privileges for dietitians at Georgetown University Hospital gave me a picture of how the appreciation for RD professionalism has increased and how strong willed characters can move mountains when they believe in their cause.
On a very different note, Dr. Patsy Brannon from Cornell University who served on the IOM committee to determine a DRI for vitamin D gave a riveting discussion about the research that was considered in making the new vitamin recommendations that were released this past fall. Dr. Brannon explained the obstacles for establishing appropriate level of intake for vitamin D which are unique to this hormone because it is endogenously produced, yet conditionally dependent on varying levels of sun exposure. She presented a slide which got my attention when she pointed out that an egg is one of the few natural sources of vitamin D.
Unfortunately, she did not have the most recent nutrient data for eggs which found a large egg provides 41IU of vitamin D making a good source. I did speak with her after her presentation and promised to share this USDA data with her.
Later in the day, there was a very interesting presentation from Ellen Karlin, a registered dietitian who counsels patients with allergies in her practice at the Comprehensive Asthma and Allergy Center in Owings Mills, MD. She offered insights into how difficult it is for patients who cannot control or get accurate information about the ingredients in foods in their environments. She did discuss the latest recommendations about allergies, which suggests that no food should be avoided after weaning at 4-6 months unless there is documented evidence of allergic reaction. This contradicts the old wisdom which in the case of eggs were not generally considered safe to include in an infant’s diet until 1-2yrs.
I also learned a lot from speakers who participated in panel discussions about Nutrition and Food Policy as well as communication differences between generations in the workplace. I’m very glad I took the opportunity to spend my Saturday learning from others in my profession who practice so differently than where I’m currently employed.