Pre-Conference

Thursday, May 7, 2026

Draft schedule; subject to change.  All times ADT (Atlantic time).

Registration

8:30am - 4:00pm
Pre-Conference Food for Health workshop
Fresh Perspectives on Highly Processed Foods and Health: Global Evidence and Challenges
Convention Level, Room C4

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Pre-Conference Food for Health Workshop registration can be purchased as an add-on to the general conference registration.
1:00pm - 4:00pm
Pre-Conference Trainee Workshop
From Idea to Impact: Designing Nutrition Research for Uptake
Convention Level, Room 109

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The Pre-Conference Trainee Workshop is open exclusively to CNS Student (Undergraduate and Graduate) members and CNS Early Career I researcher/postdoctoral fellow members. Trainees must register for the conference to attend the workshop. Pre-Conference Trainee Workshop registration can be purchased as an add-on to the general conference registration. This is an in-person event only, and space is limited to 50 participants.
This event is supported by the CIHR INMD Training and Community Support Grant.
5:00pm - 6:30pm
Annual General Meeting
Convention Level, Room C4
One Degree, Many Paths: Careers Aren’t One Job
Trainee Career Panel and Networking Social
4:45pm - 6:15pm
Convention Level, Room109
Included with conference registration.

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This event is supported by the CIHR INMD Training and Community Support Grant.
6:30pm - 7:30pm
Opening Reception
Convention Level
Included with conference registration
TBD -  Advance Poster & Infographic Expo 

Conference Schedule

Day 1: Friday, May 8, 2026

Draft schedule; subject to change. All times ADT (Atlantic time).

Registration

7:00am

Registration opens; self-serve breakfast available
Convention Level

7:45am - 8:45am 
Sponsored Satellite Session
7:45 - 8:45, Room C4
Whole Grains: A Powerful Punch – Why We Can't Forget Them
Speakers: John Sievenpiper, MD, PhD, FRCPC - University of Toronto and Joanne Slavin, PhD, RDN - University of Minnesota



Session overview
Flash Presentations
8:15 - 9:00, Room C3

Presenters
9:00am - 9:20am
General session opening remarks
9:00 - 9:20, Room C1
9:20am - 9:40am
Khursheed Jeejeebhoy Award for best application of clinical nutrition research findings to clinical practice
9:20 - 9:40, Room C1
Award Recipient: Jessie Hulst, MD, PhD - The Hospital for Sick Children

Session overview
9:40am - 10:40am
Addressing health equity through co-design: Community-based research frameworks for implementing nutrition guidelines to practice
9:40 - 10:40, Room C1
Speakers: Tamara Cohen, PhD, RD - University of British Columbia and Vasanti Malik, PhD - University of Toronto

Session overview
10:40am -  11:00am
Break (10:40 - 11:00)
11:00am - 12:10pm
The Nutrition Graduate Student and Trainee Award oral presentations
11:00 - 12:10, Room C1

2026 Oral Competition Finalists
12:10pm - 12:30pm
Lunch served (12:10 - 12:30)
12:30pm - 1:30pm 
Sponsored Satellite Session
12:30 - 1:30, Room C4
Turning Data into Decisions: Revealing the Value of Nutrition Interventions in health care using Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR)
Speakers: Kirk Kerr, PhD, Medical Affairs and Research - Abbott Nutrition and Teresa O’Callaghan, RN, BScN, MBA, CHE, Vice President Community Hospitals, Networks & Programs - Fraser Health



Session overview

 

Poster / Infographic Expo 
Exhibit Expo 
12:30 - 2:00, Room C1 and Hall C5
1:45pm - 2:00pm

Break (1:45 - 2:00) 

2:00pm - 3:00pm
Groceries as interventions for chronic disease
2:00 - 3:00, Room C1
Speakers: Dana Lee Olstad, PhD, RD - University of Alberta and Bohdan Luhovyy, PhD - Mount Saint Vincent University

Session overview
Pediatric obesity: Interplay between genetics, pharmacotherapy, and nutrition
2:00 - 3:00, Room C4
Speakers: Flavio T. Vieira, PhD - University of Alberta and Andrea M. Haqq, MD, MHS, FRCP(C), FAAP - University of Alberta

Session overview
Translating Lipidomics and Metabolomics Data into Actionable Insights for Personalized Nutrition Strategies
2:00 - 3:00, Room C3
Speakers: Ken Stark, PhD- University of Waterloo and Michel Aliani, PhD - University of Manitoba 

Session overview
3:00pm - 3:15pm

Break (3:00 - 3:15)

3:15pm - 4:15pm
From Mandate to Menu: Leading the Shift to Planetary Health through Food in Health Care
3:15 - 4:15, Room C1
Speakers: Annie Lalande, MDCM, PhD - University of British Columbia and Jennifer Reynolds - Nourish 

Session overview
Vitamin B12 in Growth and Development
3:15 - 4:15, Room C3
Speakers: Tor Strand, MD, PhD- Innlandet Hospital Trust, Norway and Adrian McCann, PhD - Bevital, Bergen, Norway

Session overview
Multimodal Approaches in Nutrition Care
3:15 - 4:15, Room C4
Speakers: Puneeta Tandon, MD, FRCP(C) - University of Alberta and Chelsia Gillis, RD, PhD - McGill University

Session overview
4:30pm - 6:00pm 

Flash Presentations
4:30 - 5:15, Room C3
 

Presenters

 

Poster / Infographic Expo & Reception
Exhibitor Expo & Reception
4:30 - 6:00, Room C1 and Hall C5
6:30pm

Social Activity (optional): Ultimate Lobster Supper at Waterfront Warehouse

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Conference Schedule

Day 2: Saturday, May 9, 2026

Draft schedule; subject to change. All times ADT (Atlantic time).

Registration

7:00am

Registration opens; self-serve breakfast available
Convention Level

7:45am - 8:45am 
Sponsored Satellite Session
7:45 - 8:45, Room C4
The Microbiome Matters: The Role of Fibre and Enteral Feeding in Clinical Nutrition
Speakers: Levi Teigen, PhD, RD - University of Minnesota and Lisa Epp, RDN, CNSC, LD, FASPEN - Mayo Clinic Rochester



Session overview
Flash Presentations
8:15 - 9:00, Room C3

Presenters
Poster / Infographic Expo 
Exhibit Expo 
8:00 - 9:00, Room C1 and Hall C5
9:00am - 9:10am
Day 2 opening remarks
9:00 - 9:10, Room C1
9:10am - 9:30am
Young Investigator Award for outstanding research
9:10 - 9:30, Room C1
Award Recipient: JoAnne Arcand, PhD, RD - Ontario Tech University

Session overview
9:30am - 10:40am
The Nutrition Graduate Student and Trainee Award oral presentations
9:30 - 10:40, Room C1

2026 Oral Competition Finalists
10:40am -  11:00am
Break (10:40 - 11:00)
11:00am - 12:00pm
Optimizing Women’s Health Through Nutrition and Exercise: Myths, Mechanisms, and Practical Applications
11:00 - 12:00, Room C1
Speakers: Jenna Gillen, PhD - University of Toronto and Michaela Devries-Aboud, PhD, RKin - University of Waterloo

Session overview
Nourishing connection and healthy aging through culinary medicine programs for persons with cognitive change
11:00 - 12:00, Room C4
Speakers: Heather Keller, RD,PhD, FDC  - University of Waterloo and Allison Cammer, PhD, RD - University of Saskatchewan

Session overview
Implementation of a dietitian led peri-operative nutrition clinic in general surgery patients in a regional acute care hospital
11:00 - 12:00, Room C3
Speakers: Ashley Manuel, RD, CNSC- Nova Scotia Health and Ahmed Jad, MD, FRCSC, FACS, FASMBS, ABOM diplomate - Nova Scotia Health

Session overview
12:00pm - 12:20pm
Lunch served (12:00 - 12:20)
12:30pm - 1:30pm 
Sponsored Satellite Session
12:30 - 1:30, Room C4
Bridging Nutrient Adequacy and Diet Quality: Evidence & Implications for Dietary Guidance
Speakers: Mavra Ahmed, MSc, PhD - University of Toronto and Andrew Mente, MSc, PhD - McMaster University



Session overview

 

Sponsored Satellite Session
12:30 - 1:30pm, Room C3
Supplemented Foods: Balancing regulation and science to develop a new food category
Speakers: William Yan, PhD - University of Ottawa and Andrew Morgan - Morgan Regulatory Affairs Inc. 



Session overview

 

Poster / Infographic Expo 
Exhibit Expo
12:30 - 1:45, Room C1 and Hall C5
1:30pm - 1:45pm

Break (1:30 - 1:45) 

1:45pm - 2:45pm
Assessing Malnutrition Care to Inform Training and Drive Quality Improvement
1:45 - 2:45, Room C3
Speakers: Lisa Martin, PhD, RD - Alberta Health Services and Marlis Atkins, RD - Alberta Health Services

Session overview
Critical Thinking in Nutrition Science: Evaluating Evidence from Bench to Bedside
1:45 - 2:45, Room C1
Speakers: Mélanie Plourde, PhD - Université de Sherbrooke and Richard Bazinet, PhD - University of Toronto

Session overview
Bridging the nutrition policy implementation gap: Responsive feeding in child care settings in Canada and beyond
1:45 - 2:45, Room C4
Speakers: Claire Tugault-Lafleur, PhD, RD - University of Ottawa, Jessie-Lee McIsaac, PhD, MSc  - Mount Saint Vincent University and Ashna Chauhan, MS - University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Session overview
2:45pm - 3:00pm

Break (2:45 - 3:00)

3:00pm - 4:15pm
Adopting Sustainable Diets: From Plants and Processed Foods to Planetary Health, Evidence, Insights, and Opportunities for Practice
3:00 - 4:15, Room C1
Speakers: Nanci Guest, PhD, RD, CSCS - University of Toronto and Andrea Glenn, PhD, RD - New York University

Session overview
6:30pm

CNS Awards Banquet