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FROM THE PRESIDENT
Diversity. What makes each of us unique? This may include our backgrounds, personality, life experiences and beliefs; all of the things that make us who we are. Diversity requires us to recognise, respect and value differences based on ethnicity, gender, age, race, religion, disability and sexual orientation. Beyond these differences, diversity also includes an infinite range of individual unique characteristics and experiences: communication style, career path, life experience, educational background, geographic location, income level, marital status, parental status and other variables that influence personal perspectives.
In this edition of the newsletter we share the success story of how history was made when dietitians were finally listed as service providers for injury on duty patients. We report on media training for ADSA spokespersons, where we learned how to let our individual personalities shine through and apply our diverse communication skills to optimise impact in the media. Sue Cloran shares her career path - talk of diversity! Congratulations to our recipe competition winners, we look forward to the demo videos showcasing your creations. We are also very excited about the mentorship program, launched during May 2022 and have already received feedback on how this initiative is not only empowering for the mentees, but also a rewarding experience for our mentor volunteers.
ADSA embraces diversity within the profession of dietetics. Not only the diversity of our colleagues in terms of our individual backgrounds and differences, but also the diversity in career pathways. As dietitians we care and support patients from diverse backgrounds, throughout the lifespan, with acute or chronic illness, in diverse clinical care settings. You may also be working in a non-clinical setting, with corporate clients, elite athletes, in academia, in the food industry or for a non-governmental organisation.
I wish you well and celebrate with you who you are, each one as an individual dietitian, and collectively as a panel of experts in nutrition. Best wishes,
Maria van der Merwe ADSA PRESIDENT, 2021 TO 2023
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ADSA E-NEWSLETTER VOL 11
