CROSS BORDER AGREEMENT LINKS TWO SIMILAR SCHOOLS

Food, Nutrition, and Dietetics Are Focus

BUFFALO - "I became interested in dietetics while making many visits to the hospital where my dad was a patient. He received visits from a dietitian and I saw how diet helped in his treatment and in general health. That, and help from my academic advisor, got me interested in becoming a dietitian,” said Kristin Irwin, a senior at Brescia University College in London, Ontario.

Kristin is in the Foods and Nutrition program at Brescia and hopes to come to D’Youville College in Buffalo to continue her education as part of a new agreement between the two intuitions.

Under this agreement students who complete the Bachelor of Science program and meet the academic standards at Brescia will be accepted into the fourth year of D’Youville’s combined Bachelor of Science/Master of Science program in Dietetics.

The agreement was developed by Dr. Edward H. Weiss, professor of dietetics, Ronald H. Dannecker, director of international admissions, both of D’Youville, and Dr. Alicia Garcia, chair of the Division of Food and Nutritional Sciences program at Brescia. "Freshmen can complete the Brescia B.S. and the D’Youville coordinated B.S./M.S. program in six years earning both a bachelors and combined bachelors/master’s degree in dietetics,” says Dannecker.

Kristin, who will graduate in May with her bachelor’s degree, will earn her masters in two years at D’Youville.

"The collaborative efforts between Brescia University College and D'Youville College will provide opportunities for our students to continue their education and expand their knowledge in the area of Nutrition and dietetics. Students will gain practical experiences during their Supervised Practice, conducting thesis research and also earn a graduate degree. This provides an attractive option for some of our students who are interested in continuing their education in the United States," says Dr.Sharareh Hekmat, associate professor and acting chair of the Division of Food and Nutritional Sciences at Brescia.

The institutions are very similar; Brescia, "Canada’s women’s university”, was founded in 1919 by the Ursuline Sisters, a religious order started by St. Angela Merici in Brescia, Italy, (thus the name of the university), in the early 1500s. They became educators and founded communities and schools throughout the world including Canada and the United States.

Brescia is affiliated with the University of Western Ontario.

D’Youville was founded by the Grey Nuns as the first college for women in western New York State in 1908. It is named for Saint Marguerite d’Youville, an 18th century Canadian woman from Montreal who, along with others, helped the poor. They became the Grey Nuns, Sister of Charity.

D’Youville, internationally known for its health care and teacher education programs and, being right on the border, enrolls a significant number of Canadian students.

A historical footnote: Saint Marguerite d’Youville was educated as a child by the Ursuline Sisters in Quebec.

Both schools are now co-educational.

With the increased emphasis on disease prevention through improved dietary habits, dietetics is growing in importance worldwide and schools are seeing a higher demand for the profession. "To support this demand for qualified registered dietitians, our students gain valuable skills and practical experiences at more than 35 practice sites throughout western New York. The Buffalo area offers a wide variety of experiences at teaching and community hospitals, long term care facilities, restaurants, schools, corporations, and community agencies,” says Dr. Weiss.

A recent visit to Brescia by D’Youville officials to talk with interested students provided an opportunity for the students to ask questions about the program and make plans for applying.

Emily To, Rui Tiang and Dawn Lai are all interested in continuing their program at D’Youville and needed information regarding tuition, visas, insurance scholarships, and clinical practice. Rui had applied for admission earlier and was accepted into the master’s program, which has a limited number of openings. She said she is looking forward to the experience at a U.S. college.

Rojin Golbaz, a senior who wants to teach nutrition and perhaps start her own business as a counselor in nutrition, took a course in dietetics and became interested in the field as a profession. You could say her interest in dietetics started early in life. Her parents once owned a pizza shop in London, and Rojin helped out. Rojin said she still knows how "to toss a pizza.”

All the students wanted to know how their Canadian university marks converted to the U.S. marking system.

The majority of the Brescia students heard about the special agreement from their professors or guidance counselors and were interested in learning more at the scheduled meetings with the representatives.

"This special agreement is good for the students in that they can earn two degrees in six years, from two educational institutions and complete a fully coordinated dietetics program and sit for the Registered Dietitians exam in Canada or the U.S.” Dannecker said. "Plus, it helps both institutions in offering much more to students seeking a career in dietetics.”

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