Unlocking Nutritional Excellence: IMU University’s Dietetics with Nutrition Programme Shines at National Conference

The IMU University’s Dietetics with Nutrition Programme has once again demonstrated its commitment to excellence and innovation, capturing the spotlight at the MDES Conference 2024. The 3^rd prize award for poster presentation attained by two of IMU’s undergraduate dietetic students  not only highlighted the remarkable achievements of our students and faculty but also underscored the comprehensive, hands-on approach that sets the IMU’s dietetics programme apart.

The MDES Conference is a biannual flagship conference of the Malaysian Diabetes Educators Society (MDES). Healthcare providers from multiple disciplines that provide care to people living with diabetes attended this conference to get updates on and exchange information to provide the comprehensive care needed to promote the well-being of people living with diabetes. The invited speakers for this conference included IMU faculty Prof Dr Winnie Chee, Dr Meenal Mavinkurve, Dr Lee Ching Li, and Dr Tan Ming Yeong.

One of the key highlights of the event was the scientific poster session that included the presentation of research projects that relate to diabetes care by medical doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and dietitians. These projects covered a diverse range of topics, from clinical management of diabetes to provision of education to patients in the home-care setting, community clinics, and hospital care.

Highlighting the calibre of our students, Ruubini A/P Ravichandran and Sofiyya Hassan who are currently in the final year of their dietetic studies, presented their poster at the conference and won 3^rd prize! Their poster, titled “The Acceptability and Impact of a ‘Diabetes Conversation Map’ for Older Adults Among Malaysians with Type 2 Diabetes Attending a Primary Care Clinic,” received widespread acclaim.

“We are very proud of Ruubini and Sofiyya! They remained composed despite competing against experienced healthcare professionals” said Jamilah Abd Jamil, a supervisor of the project.

This project also highlights the BSc (Hons) in Dietetics with Nutrition spiral curriculum. The map was first developed in Semester 5 as part of the Education and Counselling in Dietetics module, and then tested for acceptability and impact in Semester 6 as part of the Research Project in Nutrition and Dietetics module.

It was quite an adventure for the students to experience ‘nutrition education’ from the development stage to implementation and sharing of knowledge with other healthcare professionals.

This impactful project was supervised by Dr Lee Ching Li and Jamilah Jamil from the Nutrition and Dietetics Department. The other co-authors included Dr Tan Ming Yeong (IMU Adjunct Senior Lecturer), Dr Hariyati Shahrima (IJN College Health Psychologist), Dr Saheera Abdul Rahman and Dr Sharifah Nora Syed Ahmad Dahalan (Klinik Kesihatan Seremban 2 Medical Officers), and Pn Rathi Muthukrishnan (Klinik Kesihatan Seremban 2 Dietitian). This achievement exemplifies the high level of scholarship and research excellence nurtured at IMU.

The IMU University’s Dietetics with Nutrition programme is renowned for its emphasis on experiential learning. At the end of the conference, Sofiyya remarked that “After going through the whole process, I realised that I enjoy research more than I thought I would. This experience has been a pivotal moment for me as a student and young researcher, shaping my future goals and aspirations. It has inspired me to advocate for innovative and patient centred  educational approaches within the healthcare system”.

Supporting the importance of research in healthcare, Ruubini said “Communicating our research findings is as crucial as doing the research itself. If the findings are delivered to the right people, we can help translate research into practice”.

Within the broader context of healthcare, Ruubini reflected that “By being part of this project, I managed to see diabetes care from a different angle. Not just as a dietitian, but from the perspective of other healthcare professionals. Not just as a healthcare provider, bur from the perspective of the people living with diabetes themselves”.

Sofiyya further expressed that “This experience has taught me, more than anything, the importance of patient education. When conducting the education session for the project, we received positive feedback and requests for more similar session from the participants. This reinforced how impactful the education session was for the participants who were older adults living with Diabetes. I really saw firsthand how effective educational tools can empower patients by enhancing their understanding and management of their condition”.

As we look to the future, IMU University remains committed to advancing the science of nutrition and dietetics through education, research, and community service. The comprehensive education and training provided at IMU empower our students to become leaders and change-makers in the field of dietetics.