Science Atlantic Nutrition and Foods Conference 2025
Theme: Nutrition and Food as Medicine
The conference will be held online on March 28 and 29, 2025. Registration and abstract submission closes on February 28, 2025, 11:59 PM AST.
The Science Atlantic Nutrition and Foods Conference – 2025 - hosted by Â鶹´«Ã½ and .
What is Science Atlantic?
Ìýis a registered charitable organization for scientists, faculty, and students in Atlantic Canada. Science Atlantic, formerly the Atlantic Provinces Council on the Sciences, was founded in 1962 with the aim of advancing post-secondary science education and research in Atlantic Canada. Science Atlantic activities include annual academic conferences, lecture tours by notable scientists, awards recognizing research and science communication skills, travel assistance for students to attend conferences, and managing the Atlantic Facilities and Research Equipment Database (AFRED).
The goal of the SANF conference is to provide undergraduate and graduate students with an opportunity to present their research and attend presentations from keynote speakers. This conference also gives students the opportunity to connect and network with other students and faculty from universities across Atlantic Canada to immerse them further in the disciplines of food and nutrition science.
Currently, Science Atlantic hosts ten annual discipline conferences in a variety of fields, including , chemistry, physics and astronomy, mathematics and computer science, biology, psychology, and others.Ìý
Science Atlantic Nutrition and Foods Committee was founded in 2016 (by itsÌý) and hosted its inaugural conference in 2019 at Mount Saint Vincent University.
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Message from Conference Co-chairs
On behalf of the organizing committee, we would like to invite you to the 6th Annual Conference of the Science Atlantic Nutrition and Food Division.
Overconsumption of high-calorie, high-salt, high-sugar and low-nutrient-density foods and drinks are significant contributors to chronic and metabolic disease risk. A balanced diet, portion control, and nutrition and food bioactive intervention are the cornerstone of the prevention and treatment of many of these chronic and metabolic diseases. < I recommend adding references/ citations.
We at the Science Atlantic Nutrition and Food Division advocate for a comprehensive approach to preventing and treating diet-associated chronic diseases in Atlantic Canada and beyond through teaching fundamentals of nutrition, dietetics and food science and technology as well as conducting interdisciplinary research. This year, our theme for the conference is nutrition and food as medicine.
Nutrition and Food as Medicine
Evidence demonstrates the relationship between balanced nutrition and food bioactives in the reduction of incidence of oxidative stress- and chronic inflammation-regulated chronic disease. Now, urgent collaborative actions by community, industry, academia and government are required to re-introduce sustainable, affordable, and safe food, while promoting food security and sovereignty. The Indigenous knowledge of food as medicine encompasses a wealth of traditions, practices, and philosophies rooted in deep connections to the land, water, and other elements. Our esteemed keynote speaker will kick-off the conference with a talk exploring these ways of knowing, including Etuaptmumk, or two-eyed seeing or the gift of multiple perspectives, stressing the commitment scientists must make to understanding and applying the various calls to action, including but not limited to UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
We believe that the Science Atlantic Nutrition and Foods Conference is a venue to bring together the next generation of nutrition and food professionals to engage in co-learning and co-developing strategies with their mentors, teachers, and community, for the prevention and treatment of chronic and metabolic disease.
Together, we are stronger. Thank you, wela'lioq, merci,
Conference Co-Chairs 2025
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Dr. Vasantha Rupasinghe, Ph.D., P.Ag., FCIFST
Professor of Functional Foods & Nutraceuticals and
Arthur B. McDonald Chair of Research Excellence,
Department of Plant, Food, and Environmental Sciences,
Faculty of Agriculture, Â鶹´«Ã½,
vrupasinghe@dal.ca
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, PDt, MSc, PhD
Department of Women’s Studies, Faculty of Arts and Science, Mount Saint Vincent University
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Â鶹´«Ã½
Shannan.Grant2@msvu.ca
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Dr. Irene Ogada, RD, PhD
Assistant Professor and Registered Dietitian, ​​​
Department of Applied Human Nutrition,
Mount Saint Vincent University.
irene.ogada1@msvu.ca
Conference Program, including Speakers
Conference Program (Tentative)
March 28 (Friday), 2025:
7:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Keynote Presentation 1 (Tuma Young, Cape Breton University; Mijipjewey na Pisun (Food as Medicine): Food security, land and indigenous rights as a foundation)
March 29 (Saturday), 2025
9:00 am – 9:05 am: Opening remarks
9:05 am – 9:35 am: Guest Lecture 1 (Dr. Thomas Pulinilkunnil, Â鶹´«Ã½;Amino Acid signalling and metabolism in health and disease)
9:35 am – 12:00 pm: Session A – Undergraduate student oral presentations
12:00 pm –1:00 pm: Lunch Break
1:00 pm to 1:30 pm: Guest Lecture 2 (Dr. Petra Kienesberger, Â鶹´«Ã½; Bioactive lipid metabolism and signalling in metabolic disease)
1:30 pm to 3:00 pm: Session B – Graduate oral student presentations
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm: Session C: 3-minute poster presentations
4:00 pm to 5:00 pm: Keynote Presentation 2 (Dr. David Ma, University of Guelph; Diet and Health: From omega-3 lipids for cancer prevention to sustainable dietary intervention)
5:00 pm – 5:30 pm:Ìý Awards Ceremony and Closing Remarks
Once registered, delegates will be emailed the details of online access to the sessions.
Speakers
Keynote Speaker 1
Topic:ÌýMijipjewey na Pisun (Food as Medicine): Food Security, Land and Indigenous Rights as a Foundation
Speaker:ÌýTuma Young
Affiliation:ÌýUnama’kik College Institute and Department of Political Science & Indigenous Studies, Cape Breton University, Sydney, NS
Date and Time: March 28 Friday at 7:00 pm
Abstract:
The World Health Organization and others define food security as when all people have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences.ÌýAccording to this definition, many Indigenous people are not food secure, an important consideration for people interested in contributing to the field of nutrition and food. This presentation will be delivered by Tuma Young, a respected knowledge keeper, Nujiaqnutmewinu (Lawyer), and university educator. It will explore food security from the perspective of Indigenous rights.
Biosketch:
Tuma Young is the first Mi’kmaw-speaking lawyer in Nova Scotia, raised in Malagawatch First Nation Community , and is a member of Eskasoni. A respected teacher of Mi’kmaq Studies at Cape Breton University, Tuma has several interests research interests, related to reclaiming and restoring Mi’kmaq legal principles, the traditional roles and responsibilities of two-spirited people. For decades now, Tuma has worked tirelessly for Indigenous rights, including 2SLGBTQ+ rights, by raising awareness at the local level and ensuring that two-spirited people are celebrated in their communities. He has engaged in several projects with our sponsoring institutions, including a valued mentor for the Etuaptmunk (Two-Eyed Seeing) Program, that aims to bring together difference ways of knowing, understanding and applying what we refer to as science.Ìý
Keynote speaker 2Ìý
Topic:ÌýDiet and Health: From omega-3 lipids for cancer prevention, from experimental models to families dietary intervention
Speaker: Dr. David Ma, Professor
Affiliation: Department of Human Health & Nutritional Sciences, University of Guelph, Guleph, ON.
Date and Time: March 29 Saturday at 4:00 pm
Abstract:
The long-term objective of my research program is to increase our fundamental knowledge of the role of dietary fatty acids in human health and disease. I am interested in the effects of fats throughout the life cycle from in utero to old age in both the prevention and treatment of disease. Currently, my research is primarily funded in the area of breast cancer prevention examining how omega-3 fatty acids modify mammary gland development, signaling, and tumour development. In addition, I am the Director of the Guelph Family Health Study, one of the largest active family cohorts in Canada. The presentation includes our findings on dietary interventions by omega-3 fatty acids for the prevention of breast cancer and status of omega-3 intake in humans.
Biosketch:
Dr. David W.L. Ma obtained his PhD in Medical Sciences in 2001 at the University of Alberta conducting research on the anticancer properties of conjugated linoleic acids in breast cancer. He was a postdoctoral fellow at Texas A&M University where he investigated the role of omega-3 fatty acids and folate in colon cancer. In 2004, he joined the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto as an Assistant Professor. Then, in 2007, he joined the faculty in the Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Guelph and currently serving as Full Professor and Director of the Guelph Family Health Study. He has also served as the President of the Canadian Nutrition Society and is a Fellow of the Canadian Nutrition Society.
Guest Lecture 1
Topic: Amino Acid signalling and metabolism in health and disease
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Thomas Pulinilkunnil, M.S. (Pharm), PhD, Professor
Affiliation: ÌýÂ鶹´«Ã½, Faculty of Medicine, Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Dept of Physiology and Biophysics, Co-Lead (DalCREW; Â鶹´«Ã½ Cardiac Research Excellence Wave)
Date and Time: March 29 Saturday at 9:00 am
Abstract:
Energy metabolism is a process that is central to organ health and disease. High ATP turnover in the muscle is required to maintain contractile function, and ATP deficiency is a hallmark of metabolic dysregulation. Maladaptive changes in nutrient uptake, oxidation, storage and signalling can lead to reduced energetic efficiency, ATP starvation, impaired growth, and tissue dysfunction. During obesity, nutrient overload disrupts cardiac and skeletal muscle insulin signaling, leading to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Dysfunctional branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) catabolism increases intracellular branched-chain keto acids (BCKA), which inhibit insulin signaling by activating the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR). The research program in the Pulinilkunnil laboratory examines novel mechanisms of amino acid signalling and metabolism and explores translational avenues to target amino acid metabolism and signalling for the treatment of cardio-metabolic disorders.
Biosketch:
Dr. Thomas Pulinilkunnil is a Professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Dept of Physiology & Biophysics, Â鶹´«Ã½, Canada, since 2012. Dr. Pulinilkunnil earned his Ph.D. in the laboratory of Dr. Brian Rodrigues at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Dr. Pulinilkunnil pursued two postdoctoral fellowships in the laboratories of Dr. Barbara Kahn and Dr. Jason Dyck at Harvard Medical School and the University of Alberta, respectively. Dr. Pulinilkunnil has expertise in examining the biology and signal transduction pathways of metabolism in health and diseases like obesity, diabetes, heart failure and breast cancer. Pulinilkunnil lab employs a multispecies approach to identify novel mediators and molecular mechanisms by which hormones and nutrients remodel metabolism to govern autophagic protein degradation and protein synthesis. Dr. Pulinilkunnil received several awards, including the Diabetes Canada Scholar Award. Dr. Pulinilkunnil’s research program is funded by CIHR, NSERC, HSFC, Diabetes Canada, and CFI. Dr. Pulinilkunnil has published more than 75 research papers in reputed journals. Dr. Pulinilkunnil is a passionate mentor and teacher.
Guest Lecture 2
Topic: Bioactive lipid metabolism and signalling in metabolic disease
Speaker: Dr. Petra Kienesberger, MSc, PhD, Associate Professor
Affiliation: Â鶹´«Ã½, Faculty of Medicine, Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Date and Time: March 29 Saturday at 9:30 am
Abstract:
Cell signalling initiated by bioactive lysolipids modulates organismal energy homeostasis. The Kienesberger laboratory examines the role of bioactive lysolipids such as lysophosphatidic acid in the dysregulation of energy metabolism, impaired insulin function, and remodelling of the cardiac and skeletal muscle during metabolic diseases including obesity and diabetes mellitus. Using cultured cells and in vivo models of metabolic disease, the Kienesberger laboratory aims to determine whether modulation of lysophosphatidic acid metabolism and signalling could be exploited therapeutically to prevent or ameliorate obesity-related tissue insulin resistance, mitochondrial dysfunction, and cardiomyopathy.
Biosketch:
Dr. Petra Kienesberger is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Â鶹´«Ã½, Canada. She holds a PhD degree from the University of Graz, Austria. Dr. Kienesberger then pursued postdoctoral research at the University of Alberta, Canada. She joined Â鶹´«Ã½ as an Assistant Professor in 2013, where her research focuses on studying the role of bioactive lipid metabolism and signalling in energy homeostasis. Dr. Kienesberger is a recipient of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada National New Investigator award and Roberto Bolli Young Investigator Award from the International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences. She serves as a reviewer for national and international grant panels and co-organized national and international conferences, including the ISHR-NAS conference in Halifax in 2018.
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