São Paulo, May 2019:
This May NNEdPro visited São Paulo in Brasil for a series of very successful events, the highlight of which was launch of the Network in Brazil. The team was formed of Prof Sumantra Ray, Matheus Abrantes, Helena Trigueiro from the NNEdPro Virtual Core and had logistic support from Larissa Nicomedes, a Brazilian student.
This visit to Brazil was prepared for 2 months in advance with a complex array of liaison activities to mobilise nutrition network contacts within the Brazil and São Paulo academic and practice communities. The challenge was to identify key individuals in the Brazilian Nutrition arena, understand common interest areas, and promote dialogue and debate related to current gaps, and how could NNEdPro might help address these.
Our journey begun at the Bett Educar, a massive general educational expo where NNEdPro was represented for four days. This presence at Bett Educar allowed multiple contacts with very different entities of the Brazilian Education scene, but also with some Brazilian Nutrition Faculty who visited our stand.
On the 18th of May we held our official launch event and roundtable hosted by FIA São Paulo Business School. This event was a meeting of 17 representatives carefully invited from multiple stakeholders, such as FIA, University of São Paulo (USP), São Camilo University, ASBRAN (Association of Brazilian Nutritionists) and independent public representatives with backgrounds in language translation and media/communications. This event was a great opportunity to witness interactions amongst these representatives. Everyone presented their goals, and we later ran a workshop to assess expressed needs and formalise clear objectives for the network. Furthermore, NNEdPro formally represented the new Global Nutrition, Health and Disease group at Ulster University led by Prof. Sumantra Ray.
Day 7 started with a visit to the local health centre at University of São Paulo, where we visited the facilities and debated the importance of theses centres for the community. Prof. Sumantra and Helena Trigueiro then delivered an invited talk at University of São Paulo through formal adjunct appointments as International Visiting Professor and Lecturer respectively.
Our journey through Brazilian Nutrition Academia didn’t end there: we finished the day at Centro Universitário São Camilo. We had a very warm reception and interesting discussion, followed by a tour of the amazing educational infrastructure that São Camilo has.
Next day we returned to USP and had the opportunity to be part of a panel for impressive national interdisciplinary student initiatives, “Bandeira Científica” and “Jornadas Universitárias da Saúde”. These initiatives provide health coverage in difficult to reach areas of Brazil. We also learned about the projects USP is doing related to sustainability in the Diet, specially the Sustentarea Project. Finally we visited the principal teaching hospital and it’s clinical research facilities which is home to the famous Brazilian ELSA cohort in which we have been invited to advise the third cycle of nutrition data collection.
NNEdPro knows that international networks in nutrition should be accessible to multiple stakeholders, so these days were filled with intersectoral conversations with different organisations. We aim to translate and disseminate evidence, allow the expansion of future working groups and endorse new international strategic partnerships, which are necessary. We have once again demonstrated NNEdPro’s ability to rapidly mobilise a ‘Global Knowledge Exchange Faculty’ and work with limited resources to bring forth a vibrant new network in previously unchartered territory.
What is next for the Brazilian Network? We will be in touch with everyone involved and shape the future of this already active Network.
Aims: • Strengthen the Brazilian Nutrition workforce; • Enable the Brazilian Nutrition workforce, with a positive impact in health professionals; • Pilot the NNEdPro Mobile Teaching Kitchen project – replicability at favelas or lower-income-areas; • Promote an Annual Regional Meeting.
Written by Helena Trigueiro and edited by Sumantra Ray
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