UWC To host 2016 World Nutrition Congress

The University of the Western Cape (UWC) is set to host the 2nd edition of the World Public Health Nutrition Association’s (WPHNA) World Nutrition Congress from 30 August – 2 September 2016.

“The World Nutrition Congress, takes place at a time of unprecedented challenges in population nutrition,” says Congress Chair and Emeritus Professor at UWC, David Sanders. “The Global South is experiencing a rapid ‘nutrition transition’, where an increasing number of Southern countries are faced with a ‘double burden’ of malnutrition, persisting high levels of chronic undernutrition and escalating rates of overweight and obesity, with their accompanying diseases,” adds Professor Sanders.

These challenges are ultimately a reflection of flaws in food, nutrition and health systems.

To this end, the theme of the 2016 congress aims to highlight ways to address the double burden of malnutrition in a globalised world . Researchers, policymakers, students, and activists will come together from different fields ranging from land and agriculture; to dietetics, food retail and advertising, health systems, and nutritional outcomes, to address these challenges. Among the leading local and international researchers and advocates set to deliver keynote speeches is:

• Dr Francesco Branca: Director of the Department of Nutrition for Health and Development in the World Health Organization, Geneva
• Professor Carlos Monteiro: Member of the World Health Organisation Nutrition Expert Advisory Group and Professor of Nutrition and Public Health at the School of Public Health, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
• Professor Boyd Swinburn: Professor of Population Nutrition and Global Health at the University of Auckland and Alfred Deakin Professor and Co-Director of the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention at Deakin University in Melbourne.
• Professor Ann Ashworth: Emeritus Professor of Community Nutrition at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She chairs the International Malnutrition Task Force which is a global advocacy and capacity-building partnership of academics and UN and non-government agencies.
• Professor Linda Richter: Director of the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Human Development. In 2015 she was awarded the prestigious South African Medical Research Council President’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
• Professor Shiriki Kumanyika: Professor Emerita of Epidemiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, and Research Professor of Community Health & Prevention, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health. She leads the African American Collaborative Obesity Research Network, which seeks to improve nutrition, physical activity, and weight control to advance the health of black communities. She is also an advisor to the World Health Organization and the World Cancer Research Fund.

The names of other speakers confirmed to present at the conference are available on the website .

“Hosting the World Nutrition Congress in South Africa has the potential to inform key policy makers and researchers and significantly shape the food and nutrition policy landscape in South Africa, Africa and beyond,” says Professor Rina Swart, Chair of the Local Organising Committee.

The Congress is hosted by UWC in partnership with the WPHNA , the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security (CoE-FS) and the School of Public Health, UWC .

Professors Sanders and Swart are based at the School of Public Health and are principal investigators for the Food Consumption thematic area of research at the CoE-FS.

Submission for abstracts for oral presentations, poster presentations, and workshops is extended to 1 May 2016. Visit our website or email [email protected] for information.

For more information or enquiries, email: [email protected] or call on +27 21 683 5106.

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