“I consider it one of the greatest honours you can get”
Elin Lövestam, Professor at the Department of Food Studies, Nutrition and Dietetics, has been named Dietitian of the Year. Photo: Henning Brüllhoff
Her research and development work on standardised terminology and documentation is an important foundation for the daily work of many dietitians. Now Elin Lövestam, Professor at the Department of Food Studies, Nutrition and Dietetics, has been named Dietitian of the Year by the Board of the Swedish Association of Registered Dietitians.
Why are you being honoured?
In part for my work with doctoral education in food studies and dietetics – I am the director of studies for doctoral studies in food studies, nutrition and dietetics at Uppsala University and also lead the InSyNC (Integrating Sustainability in Nutrition Care) research school, which is the first ever research school in Sweden in nutrition and dietetics. But it is also a nod to my long-standing research on how dietitians around the world use standardised terminology for nutrition care.
What does this mean to you?
Naturally, it is great to be recognised for the work I have done, and I feel really honoured to receive this award. The Swedish Association of Registered Dietitians is a very active professional organisation with many committed and competent members. I have always considered Dietitian of the Year to be one of the greatest honours you can get!
What are you working with right now?
A lot of different things! For one, we are conducting a large international research project called INIS concerning dietitians’ use of standardised terminology and work processes in 22 countries. Right now, we are analysing the results of the latest data collection done in 2023. I am also supervising several doctoral students in several different research projects that focus on areas such as development work in hospital meals, the work of clinical dietitians in cancer care, and ethical aspects of dietary counselling in primary care. I am also preparing for the start of courses. Next week, our dietitian students will be starting a course in dietetics in severe disease states, a course for which I serve as course director. And I am also doing planning work for the InSyNC research school, which has both a seminar and a supervisors’ committee meeting next week.
Why is it important to have standardised terminology?
In our everyday lives, it is usually not a huge problem if you misunderstand what someone means. But healthcare professionals often need to express themselves in a precise manner, because misunderstandings can have serious consequences. That is why it is good to agree on what different terms actually mean. It is also about the ability to monitor treatment results at the group level. For example, to determine which treatments are effective against disease-related malnutrition, we need to first define what “disease-related malnutrition” is, and then agree on what the different forms of treatment we want to test entail.
Åsa Malmberg