By Fred Sgambati (’83)

Ellie Doggett may not have started in the School of Nutrition and Dietetics at Acadia, but she was sure glad she finished there.

The 2013 graduate, who will complete a 12-month dietetic internship on the South Shore of Nova Scotia in December, began her academic career at Acadia in biology. Doggett says she didn’t really know about the Nutrition program then. All she knew was she wanted to work in the health care industry.

However, at the end of her first year, Doggett was hungry for something different. Exploring options, she met with Barb Anderson, director of the School of Nutrition and Dietetics at Acadia. During the course of their conversation, Anderson provided important guidance that gave Doggett the confidence to expand her boundaries personally and academically.

Anderson says, “we are one of the few programs where, after students graduate, they become our immediate professional peers as dietitians. That’s a unique situation. We play a role in their success, we are part of that journey, and it’s an opportunity for us to provide the fodder – the growing material – and to really understand that these are young lives we’re influencing. It’s a privilege and a gift, and I’m always mindful of that.”

Anderson says Doggett took advantage of the various opportunities in the Nutrition and Dietetics program to dig deeper into an area of passion by taking an Independent Studies course. “Not many people do that,” she adds. “Ellie chose to really explore an area of interest, which is a great thing.”

Work ethic rewarded

That willingness was rewarded in 2013 when Doggett applied for and received a Judy Van Tilburg Memorial Award, given in recognition of the recipient’s personal and professional potential in the dietetic profession. The award helps interns network with other dietitians and assists them in furthering their professional development. It also supports a complimentary Dietitians of Canada (DC) annual conference registration for two qualifying members across Canada who are enrolled in a DC-accredited internship/practicum program.

Doggett attended the national conference in Victoria, B.C. and presented research she had completed at Acadia on the relationship between food insecurity and risk factors for type 2 diabetes. “It was really amazing,” Doggett says. “I was honoured to be chosen, and it really got me excited about my profession. There were over 600 dietitians there and I met so many other interns from across Canada.”

In preparation, Doggett and Anderson met weekly in a collaborative learning environment that focused on her specific area of study, the topic for her paper and how to present it. “Barb stimulated the discussion,” Doggett says, “and got more and more out of me. She helped me work on the report and presentation, too. It was definitely hands-on.”

That sort of personal attention was typical of Doggett’s Acadia experience from start to finish. She came from Dartmouth High originally to get a preliminary look at the campus during Acadia Days “and basically fell in love with the place. I knew right away I’d be able to build relationships and have a better experience due to the smaller class sizes. By the end of fourth year, our class was pretty close. It was a special experience, and I think we were all sad to leave.”

Anderson says, “the value of this type of undergraduate program is you have the opportunity to explore many career choices. You’re not pigeon-holed in one way or type of practice. You can go on to take medicine, dentistry or optometry if you wish. It’s a great applied science degree.”

For now, Doggett plans to finish her internship and then test the job market. The many relationships and personalized education that characterized her experience has given her the tools to meet the challenge. She looks back fondly on her time at Acadia, and is looking ahead with great anticipation to a future career in her chosen field.