Here we are again at the end of another year reflecting on the accomplishments of Obesity Canada’s Students’ and New Professionals (OC-SNPs) National Executive.
This year was the first year that we in introduced our From Grad School and Beyond series. This initiative focuses on highlighting various careers in academia and industry in an effort to provide career direction to graduates and new professionals. From this initiative, we held a From Grad School and Beyond Breakfast at the 6th Canadian Obesity Summit (COS) to offer more opportunities for mentorship, networking, and professional development. We also launched the Conference Connections Program at COS which afforded SNPs further networking opportunities.
Additionally, we continued our annual events/initiatives: the (i) National Pedometer Challenge, (ii) Infographic Competition and (iii) Mentorship Match Program.
Each year, we aim to increase the number of new OC-SNP Chapters in an effort to spread the word about obesity as a chronic disease. This year, a new Chapter was established at Ontario Tech University (University of Ontario Institute of Technology) expanding our network to 21 Chapters.
What’s next?
- National Executive elections: If you have a knack for volunteering or keen interest in obesity research in Canada, applications for OC-SNPs 2019-2020 National Executive is open until July 5, 2019.
- Our bi-annual student conference organized by students, for students: This 7th Canadian Obesity Student Meeting will be held at York University in 2020.
A heartfelt thank you to our amazing OC-SNP National Executive and Obesity Canada for all their efforts throughout the executive year – we couldn’t do it without you!
Taniya & Nadia
OC-SNP Chair & Vice Chair
