A Nutrition and Dietetics student at the University of Winchester has gained valuable real-world experience and contacts thanks to a year-long placement with the European Federation of the Associations of Dietitians (EFAD).
Enterprising 22-year-old Isaac Ebejer gained his place with EFAD (which describes itself as “the voice of more than half the dietetic profession in Europe”) after contacting the organisation through LinkedIn.
During his time with EFAD Isaac contributed to the AntiDop project aimed at educating coaches and sports dietitians about the risks of accidental doping of athletes.
Isaac, 22, produced a poster on the subject which he showed at the recent EFAD Congress held in Malmo, Sweden.
Working remotely, Isaac was tasked with reading scores of interviews coaches, dieticians and other support personnel whose athletes had fallen foul of doping regulations thanks to unintentional exposure to banned substances.
His research was wide ranging, looking at cases from several different countries, including Belgium, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Serbia, and Spain.
Isaac’s conclusion, outlined in his poster, was that there was still lack of consistent, accessible education on anti-doping and supplement safety.
He admitted that this was surprising considering the number of high-profile cases of athletes being disqualified and banned through accidental misuse of supplements.
“Many coaches and dietitians have had no training on the risks of accidental doping and how easy it is to test positive for banned supplements,” said Isaac.
His poster recommended mandatory ongoing education for Athlete Supports Personnel (ASPs); clear, engaging resources, infographics, videos, and apps to educate athletes; and engaging and repetitive education for young athletes to foster safe, informed supplement use throughout their careers.
In addition to the Anitdop project, Isaac also:
As well as whetting Isaac’s appetite for sport nutrition, the internship was useful introduction to the general world of work involving working to deadlines, taking part in video calls, giving progress reports to colleagues and honing his digital skills by contributing posts to the EFAD LinkedIn community page.
Isaac said: “Through these activities, I have gained practical experience in translating scientific knowledge into engaging resources, learned how to adapt nutrition education to different target groups, and strengthened my skills in communication and digital design.
“A highlight of the internship was contributing to projects and learning substantial information regarding these topics, which combine sports nutrition with public health impact, while collaborating with professionals across Europe.”
Jaan Jeffery RD, Programme Lead for Nutrition and Dietetics at Winchester, said: “I am really proud to see our dietetic students demonstrating their initiative by finding opportunities to expand their knowledge, skills and professional networks. I hope that Isaac’s experience encourages other students to seek similar opportunities.
“Dietetics is an exciting and varied career with many avenues. We are hoping to launch a master’s degree in Sport Nutrition soon, which would further support students such as Isacc to follow their career dreams.”
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