Webinars

Caring For People With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Humanitarian Crisis in Ukraine

Presenter: Seth Keller, M.D.
Description: This webinar describes the humanitarian crisis of people with IDD in Ukraine. It raises questions regarding the implications of such crisis for inclusion, human rights, cultural differences, collaboration, and public policy of the country. 

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Details:
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) commonly have complex healthcare needs often starting at birth. Some of these physical, cognitive and psychological challenges require immediate intervention and supports; otherwise they will lead to an increasing concern for the persons’ quality of life and even for their survival. Swallowing dysfunction and nutrition are some of the key issues that are often of concern especially in those with cerebral palsy, impairment of cognition and seizures. I had recently returned from a mission to Ukraine as part of a group with Disability Rights International (DRI).The trip included a visit to several Ukrainian institutions, as well as a meeting with local governmental authorities. The focus was on the concerns of neglect and possible abuse of those with IDD. The webinar will focus on this visit. Time will be set aside to ask and discuss a number of questions including: What early intervention can be provided NOW to help prevent malnutrition and early death? What additional physical and social interventions can NOW be provided to help mitigate the expected complications which arise? What partnerships can be created to help support the Ukrainians?

CPEU: 1.0 
CPE Level: Level 2
Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the humanitarian crisis of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in Ukraine
2. Summarize the factors that have led to the crisis.
3. Assess resources and ways for collaborating with other organizations that are responding to the crisis.

Performance Indicators:

• 1.7 Applies cultural competence and consideration for social determinants of health to show respect for individuals, groups and populations.
• 2.3 Collaborates with inter- and intra-professional team members to achieve common goals and to optimize delivery of services.
• 4.2 Exercises critical thinking when faced with opportunities and challenges.
• 12.1 Advocates for health promotion and disease prevention in communities, in populations and globally.

Speaker Bio:

Seth M. Keller, MD is a board certified neurologist in private practice with Neurology Associates of South Jersey. He cares for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)both in the community as well as in New Jersey’s Intermediate Care Facilities/Developmental Disability centers. Dr Keller is on the Executive Board of the Arc of Burlington County as well as on the board for The Arc of New Jersey’s Mainstreaming Medical Care Board.

Dr Keller is the Past President of the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry (AADMD) and is the co-chair of the National Task Group on Intellectual Disabilities and Dementia Practices (NTG). Dr. Keller is also the founder of the Adults with I/DD Section in the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). 

In June 2022, Dr. Keller joined a group of advocates that visited Ukraine. The visit was a part of Disability Rights International’s work to fight for deinstitutionalization and for family and community inclusion.

Addressing Nutrition Insecurity with Cultural Humility

Presenters: Wesley McWhorter, DrPH, MS, RDN, LD, CSCS
Date/Time: Tuesday, April 5, 2022 at 1pm ET

Description:

How can you, as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist be an advocate for your patients suffering from nutrition insecurity? This session will take a deep dive into leading with cultural humility and vulnerability to center the needs of our community members in nutrition education and recommendations. Dr. Wesley McWhorter will describe how colonialism, slavery, and racism shapes the ideal of healthy foods, nutrition research and recommendations. Attendees will learn to lead with cultural humility and challenge the Eurocentric world view that excludes food cultures from around the world and perpetuates systemic racism in our communities.

Recorded Webinar

Enhancing your IDEA Mindset: A Discussion on Social Determinants of Health with a Spotlight on South Asian Americans and People with Disabilities

Presenters: Rabiya Bower, MHSc, RDN, LDN and Marty Yadrick, MBI, MS, RDN, FAND
Date/Time: February 1, 2022 at 1pm CT

Description:

The session will begin with an in-depth discussion of social determinants of health, such as economic stability, education access and quality, health care access and quality, and include a discussion of health literacy and what steps dietetics professionals can take to help address it. The session continues with an examination at the factors unique to South Asian Americans and those with disabilities, with an activity for attendees to discover the intersection of the multiple identities we all hold. The session will conclude with suggestions on how to increase effectiveness and improve outcomes when working with these unique populations.

Recorded Webinar

Nutrition Considerations for Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapies and Providing an Inclusive Space for the Transgender Community

Presenters: Zachari Breeding, MS, RDN, CSO, LDN, FAND
Date/Time: December 21, 2021 at 1pm CT

Summary:

Transition often includes considerable medical interventions. Many transgender people undergo hormone therapy and surgical interventions often referred to as "gender confirmation." The registered dietitian is well equipped to address clinical issues impacting the nutrition of transgender individuals undergoing gender-affirming therapies. Participants will consider the impact of food insecurity, healthcare discrimination, and psychosocial concerns that influence eating patterns. This session will address best practices as well as offer recommendations on providing an inclusive care environment to this vulnerable population. A live Q&A will be held after the presentation to add depth and scope to research and evidence-based recommendations.

Recorded Webinar

Healthy Money, Healthy Life: 5 Simple Steps to Improve Your Financial Health

Presenter: Ashleigh J. Brooker, CFP®
Date: November 30, 2021

Summary:

We all know the role that healthy foods play in improving our quality of life, but our financial well-being, good or bad, can impact our overall health, as well. In Healthy Money, Healthy Life: 5 Simple steps to improve your financial health, participants will learn the fundamentals of personal finance that are useful for everyone. This webinar's topics include financial goal setting, personal financial management, planning for the expected and unexpected, and retirement planning strategies for all stages of your career. Planning requires organizational, critical thinking, and communication skills. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the worldwide economy has magnified the value of financial planning to the financial security of individuals and their families.

Recorded Webinar

A Taste of New Orleans: Cook-Along & Networking Event

Presenters: Beth Stark, RDN, LDN and Chef Alex Reitz
Date: October 6, 2021
Sponsored by: Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative

Summary:

Experience the traditional cuisine of New Orleans with COGA and create two iconic dishes in your very own kitchen! Join us for this unique cook-along networking event with Beth Stark, RDN, LDN for Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative and Chef Alex Reitz, National Cattleman’s Beef Association- Manager Culinary Center, featuring recipes for Cajun Style Steak and Grits and Bananas Foster.

Recorded Webinar

From Camera to Kitchen: How to Deliver Virtual Cooking Events that Entertain and Educate

Presenter: Beth Stark, RDN, LDN
Date: May 26, 2021
FREE to COGA MIG Members / $24 for Academy members / $54 for Non-Academy members

Summary:

Consumer interest in virtual cooking events and cooking at home remains at an all-time high. As the food and nutrition experts, registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) in various practice settings are uniquely positioned to acquire a new skill set, reach a new audience, better serve their client/patient population or share their expertise by offering entertaining and educational virtual cooking events. This webinar will discuss the opportunities at hand for RDNs and provide a detailed look at what’s needed to successfully lead a live or recorded virtual cooking event. Upon completion of this webinar, participants will have the knowledge and confidence needed to plan, market, host and evaluate their first event of this kind.

Webinar participants will also have the option to experience a virtual cooking event themselves by joining Beth in the preparation of an easy recipe for Mediterranean Tuna Salad. If you would like to cook along with our presenter, here is the recipe being demonstrated in our webinar.

Speaker Bio:

As a retail dietitian during the height of the COVID pandemic, Beth lead her team to the successful launch of virtual cooking events for adults and children that reached hundreds of participants each month.

Learning Objectives

1. Discuss rise in popularity of virtual cooking events and current consumer trends related to cooking at home.
2. Explore the opportunities that hosting virtual cooking events may present for RDs in a variety of practice settings.
3. Identify basic technology and platforms needed to host virtual cooking events.
4. Understand the logistics of facilitating a virtual cooking event to include planning, marketing, hosting and evaluating.

Performance Indicators: 2.1, 8.4, 9.3

CPEU: 1.0
CPE Level: 1

Recorded Webinar

Accessibility in Nutrition Education

Presenter: Stephanie Compton, MS, PhD(c)
Date: March 24, 2021
FREE to COGA MIG Members / $24 for Academy members / $54 for Non-Academy members

Summary:

This webinar will discuss the importance of accessibility in nutrition education, focusing largely on considerations in the online space. Also strategies for developing and delivering nutrition material in ways that consider all learning backgrounds and specific needs will be addressed.

Speaker Bio:

Stephanie Edwards Compton, MS is a current PhD Candidate and Dietetic Intern at Virginia Tech studying cellular and molecular nutrition and ovarian cancer metabolism. During her time out of lab, Stephanie has worked as a braille transcriber, tactile graphics designer, alternative text creator, and video captioner. She is passionate about bringing this knowledge to fellow health professionals to make nutrition and health education more accessible for everyone. Stephanie loves to combine science and practice to educate about nutrition, digital accessibility, and social media health communication.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the difference between accessibility, accommodations, and usability.
2. Recognize braille as an alphabet, and understand utilizations of tactile forms of nutrition education.
3. Define color contrast, alternative text, and captioning and why they should be used.

Performance Indicators: 9.3.1, 9.3.2, 9.4.2, 9.4.7

CPEU: 1.0
CPE Level: 1

Recorded Webinar

Generational Approach to Counseling People with Diabetes

Presenter: Toby Smithson, MS, RDN, LD, CDCES, CCP, FAND
Date: February 17, 2021
FREE to COGA MIG Members / $24 for Academy members / $54 for Non-Academy members

Summary:

As dietitians, we are as likely to see a 42 year old adult who has just been diagnosed with T2 diabetes, as we are a child or teen that has just been diagnosed with Type 1 or a 74 year old whose doctor said she has pre-diabetes. This presents a challenge to us as we face a cadre of clients from multiple generations.

Much like gender, socioeconomics and race, our generational affiliation strongly influences how we think, learn, communicate, and may affect make our food choices. The generations we are most likely to encounter in our diabetes education careers include five generational groups: Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennial and Generation Z.

It is important that dietitians understand the individual generational elements that can impact their diet and overall diabetes care and how can we best approach different generations to achieve our desired educational outcome.

This presentation will cover generational characteristics, the impact of these differences in patient care and best practices for diet strategies in the pursuit to manage diabetes.

Learning Objectives

1. Identify at least three defining events of each generation that shaped characteristic
2. Identify at least four differences in thoughts and views about diet management for people with diabetes
3. Name at least four ways to create bridges across generations to enhance the communication and learning

Performance Indicators: 2.1, 8.2, 9.6

CPEU: 1.0
CPE Level: 2

Recorded Webinar

Obtaining Health Through Heritage: Considerations in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Presenter: Constance Brown-Riggs, MSEd, RDN, CDCES, CDN
Date: December 9, 2020
FREE to COGA MIG Members / $24 for Academy members / $54 for Non-Academy members

Summary:

Noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes, obesity and hypertension not only affect people of African heritage in genetically or physiologically different ways, but African Americans also cope with the disease within a particular cultural context. Their approach to diet and exercise, their eating habits, their relationship with care givers, even their spirituality and behavior patterns are unique—and all of that has an impact on how they approach their disease diagnosis and manage their health. This solutions-oriented presentation will demonstrate how a diet rooted in African traditions may be the path to optimal health for African Americans.

The Urgency of Awareness: A Workshop on Communicating More Effectively Across All Demographics

Date: October 15, 2020

Presenter: Jodi Pfarr, MDiv, President, JPfarr Consulting

Sponsored by: General Mills Big G Cereals

No workshop recording is available, however, please find the valuable excerpt/video below from Presenter Jodi Pfarr.

Food and nutrition impact every person regardless of age, gender, ethnicity and religious affiliation. It’s important to acknowledge that our age, ethnicity and gender all effect how we may use food and view nutrition.

Dietitians are inherently passionate about ensuring individuals are more aware of nutritional importance and have access to healthy food. But, how does our own experience of food impact how dietitians present our information? In the book Urgency of Awareness, we look at 18 sets of diversity. We explore 18 ways we may have experienced our societal system differently than others, thus giving us a broader understanding of how others might view food and nutrition.

If we want to maximize our efforts, we must:

1. Become aware of where we have been part of societal norms and where we have not. We need to process how our own personal experiences impact how we use food and view nutrition – and then acknowledge how that may differ for other individuals.
2. Tap into the wisdom of, become more involved in, and inform people of the work and mission of the MIGs. Even if we identify with a gender, ethnicity or age that is not the dominate, there are likely places within our life where we are part of the normalized dominate. Educating ourselves and others about the many identities people hold will help better understand how people might view food and nutrition.
3. MIGs can bring awareness to offering concrete and helpful ways to incorporate the view and experience of individuals who are not living the normalized experience. For example: when someone does not have access to fresh food due to earning an income that is lower than a livable wage, remember to offer affordable, accessible, and nutritious food options that are widely available and meet the person’s physical and ethnic needs, as well as their preferences.