NOVA Medical School will be holding three free classes open to the whole community on topics related to nutrition, as part of the curricular units of the Degree in Nutritional Sciences.
Initiatives like this are unique opportunities for NMS, as a medical school, to intervene pragmatically in society, as a vehicle for transferring skills from academia to people's real lives.
The first session will take place on February 20, between 9:30 and 10:20 am, and will focus on "Introduction to Community Nutrition". During this class, participants will be able to understand how individual food choices influence not only personal health, but also the well-being of the community, and this class will be coordinated by Prof. Catarina Roquette Durão.
On the following day, February 21, the class will demystify the labels on packages to help you better understand food and its nutritional value, helping you to make conscious choices for a balanced diet. Taught by Professor Cláudia Marques, the class on "Labeling" will take place between 10:30 and 11:20 am, in a face-to-face format.
The third class will deal with "Principles of nutritional epidemiology", as a basic science of community nutrition and public health, and will take place on March 5, starting at 9:30 am.
"As a medical school, NOVA Medical School assumes its role in society in terms of transforming the health ecosystem. It has been reinforcing this commitment, based on one of the institution's fundamental pillars - community outreach, with the aim of increasing health literacy. Since inadequate eating habits have left their mark on what has been the national (and international) panorama of the most prevalent diseases, opening the doors of the faculty to all those who want to improve their knowledge in the area of food and nutrition is not only contributing to a more informed society, but also with skills for change, playing a decisive role in raising awareness of the importance of dietary routines for preventing disease and thus promoting health and longevity," says Conceição Calhau, Deputy Director for Community Outreach and Coordinator of the Degree in Nutrition Sciences.
The three sessions are part of the Degree in Nutrition Sciences and take place in person at the NOVA Medical School headquarters, in Campo Mártires da Pátria, Lisbon. Registrations are made exclusively by emailing communityengagement@nms.unl.pt up to 48 hours before the class takes place.
In addition to these classes open to the community, there are also classes for health professionals, namely on "dietary patterns in the management and prevention of diabetes mellitus and its complications" (March 9) and for gastroenterologists on "fiber" (March 13).