Education Specialist; Dietitian – Global Child Health

Overview

Position

Description:

The Centre for Global Child Health at The Hospital for Sick Children (Sick Kids) is recruiting a Dietitian Education Specialist to contribute to the Increase Gains in Nutrition by Integration, Education, Evaluation, Empowerment (IGNIT3) project. This five-year initiative is being implemented in Malawi, Ghana, and Pakistan in collaboration with local academic and clinical partners. Now in its third year, IGNIT3 is driving meaningful change to improve nutrition outcomes among women, adolescent girls, and children.

More information on the project can be found at

Based in Toronto, Canada, the Dietitian Education Specialist will work alongside partners in Malawi both virtually and through in-country site visits. They will provide academic and professional leadership in dietetics education, paediatric clinical practice, and scholarship, with a focus on supporting the undergraduate dietetics program and continuing education at the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS) and contributing to the implementation of paediatric clinical nutrition guidelines at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital.

Working across multiple platforms, the Dietitian Education Specialist will play a key role in building sustainable capacity and advancing the emerging role of the hospital-based dietitian in Malawi. This position provides an opportunity to be part of a collaborative team with diverse professionals including other interprofessional educators at Sick Kids and in Malawi.

Here’s What You’ll Get to Do:

• Collaboratively develop and refine course materials, tools and resources to facilitate competencies outlined in the undergraduate paediatric nutrition curriculum and continuing education courses
• Co-teach alongside local faculty in the classroom, skills lab and clinical setting using a variety of interactive teaching methods and fostering integration of theoretical education and practice
• Co-lead and/or refine faculty and preceptor development sessions
• Use Quality Improvement approaches to support implementation of hospital-based clinical nutrition care guidelines to advance the role of the dietitian, interprofessional practice and improve care delivery for paediatric patients and their families
• Integrate best practices in education delivery and guideline implementation in the context of the partner’s specific regulations, requirements and needs
• Prepare reports, work plans, and various project documents and deliverables in conjunction with the project management and education team
• Contribute to an evaluation plan and monitor evaluation results, adjusting programming accordingly to ensure continuous improvement and accountability for results
• Document and disseminate best practices and lessons learned via joint reports, publications and presentations at conferences
• Foster partnership and strengthen relationships with nursing associations, academic institutions, clinical facilities, regulatory bodies, Ministries, donors and other NGOs in partner countries
• Work across other areas of IGNIT3 as required and in alignment with the educators’ skill set
• Registration with the College of Dietitians of Ontario
• Master’s degree in Nutrition or related field
• Minimum of three years relevant work experience in clinical paediatrics, preferably in an acute care setting
• Experience in adult education and education programming, including individual and group education
• Experience mentoring new staff/learners
• Knowledge of best practices in paediatric nutrition and interprofessional education
• Demonstrated ability to develop and enhance collaborative partnerships
• Understanding of global health and nutrition issues, including social determinants of health, health equity, gender equality, health promotion and burden of illness in resource-limited settings
• Adaptable, innovative, creative and results oriented
• Excellent time management skills and ability to manage multiple priorities
• Ability to flex work hours to align with the academic teaching schedule and time difference
• Ability to travel internationally (for up to 2-4 weeks at a time approximately twice per year)

Assets:

• Experience with a variety of teaching and learning strategies…