The final year of any undergraduate degree would often be a thrilling and challenging journey filled with unforgettable experiences. For DN117, IMU’s final year dietetics students, the journey was made even more memorable with the participation at two major events- the 26th Malaysian Dietitians’ Association (MDA) Conference and the International Virtual Undergraduate Symposium on Clinical Dietetics (IUCD).
The MDA Conference is an annual event that provides a platform for dietitians to share case studies and scientific findings as well as cultivate meaningful discussions. This year, the 26th MDA Conference was held virtually for the first time, and as always, was filled with insightful plenary discussions, interesting case studies and research presentations. However, our dietetics students were not only participants at this national meet.
Among the many student-category submissions, two from IMU’s DN117 cohort managed to clinch 2 awards.
| Prize | Student(s) Name | Topic | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Student Poster Presentation 2021 | Lee Sue Syuen Claudia Ng Mei Xuan | “Evaluation of a Food Environment Survey in Three Different Types of Eateries in Hulu Langat and Bangsar Pudu Neighbourhoods” |  |
| 3rd place prize for Best Student Research Presentation 2021 | Cheow Yi Qi Kong Wen Yuan | “Association between Cognitive Function and Sedentary Behaviour with Sarcopenia among Older Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in a Primary Care Setting” |  |
Both student pairs were supervised by Prof Winnie Chee Siew Swee and Dr Harvinder Kaur.
“It was an eye-opening experience for me and being prepared is the key to success. Therefore, I would like to thank my research supervisors and partner for their guidance and support throughout the preparations for the presentation.” – Cheow Yi Qi, DN 1/17
The other event in which DN117 students made waves was the International Virtual Undergraduate Symposium on Clinical Dietetics (IUCD) held on 29 to 30 June. This international meeting was hosted in collaboration between Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), University of Santo Tomas, Philippines; Universitas Gadjah Mada and Politeknik Kesehatan Kemenkes Semarang, Indonesia.
Amongst the fielded submissions, IMU’s students won 2 prizes in the ‘In-patient’ (IPD) category.
| Prize | Student(s) Name | Topic | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Prize: Best Oral Presentation | Syarifah Hasanah Adeila binti Hassan Spervisors: Siti Nurhana and Charmaine Lavinia | ‘The Role of a Dietitian in the Management of Enteral Feeding Transition” |  |
| Second Prize: Best Oral Presentation | Chin Hau Tung Supervisor:Teo Soo Lay | “Middle Cerebral Artery Infarction in Adult Inpatient Setting” |  |
“As a student, I was overwhelmed with the support that the IMU lecturers and clinical instructors provided me to ensure I was equipped with adequate knowledge and presented well. I am so grateful that they spent hours helping me improve myself and upscale my presentation skills.” – Syarifah Hasanah, DN 1/17
Overall, the MDA Conference and the IUCD Symposium was exceptional learning platforms for the students. The experience of presenting on a national and international stage whilst learning from peers from across different universities was truly insightful.
The successes at these two events are attributed to the strong foundation of the IMU Dietetics with Nutrition programme. At first, when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, many students doubted their ability to truly experience the full opportunities the undergraduate programme had to offer. But with the programme’s quick introduction of hybrid learning, students gained the opportunity to strengthen their nutrition care process, medical nutrition therapy knowledge as well as polish their presentation skills as they learnt to review each patient case with the clinical instructors. Also, with rigorous mentoring and continuous support, not only were the competencies and exposures of the students unaffected, but their instilled perseverance as well as resilience were additionally enhanced.
It is obvious that the IMU Nutrition & Dietetics faculty has greatly refined the programme to adapt to unpredictable times in order to equip the students with the best knowledge and opportunities. This has led to the Dietetics with Nutrition programme nurturing a batch of bright students who will continue to bring IMU’s name to greater heights and we hope to see them continuously reaching for the stars in the field of dietetics.
Written by Syarifah Hasanah Adeila, IMU Dietetics with Nutrition student
