Where do dietitians work and who do they work with?

In Canada, several sectors and workplace settings recognize the importance of working with dietitians to deliver comprehensive health services.¹ As such, dietitians working in Population and Public Health are employed in a variety of health settings across local, provincial and national levels.

Here are some examples of where dietitians in Population and Public Health might work, among others:

• Community Health Centres (CHCs)
• Disease specific organizations or charities (e.g. Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada)
• Food commodity groups (e.g. Dairy Farmers of Canada)
• Food industry, including grocery stores (e.g. Loblaws Canada) and food producers (e.g. General Mills Canada)
• Government organizations
  • Municipal governmental organizations (e.g. Public Health Unit [PHU] such as the Sudbury & District PHU)
  • Provincial governmental organizations (e.g. Ministry of Health such as the Alberta Ministry of Health)
  • National level governmental organizations (e.g. Health Canada)
• Health promotion resource centres (e.g. Nutrition Resource Centre)
• Non-governmental organizations (e.g. OXFAM Canada)
• Professional bodies (e.g. Dietitians of Canada)
• Research and academic institutions (e.g. Canadian Institutes of Health Research)
• Social service agencies (e.g. United Way Canada) and community recreation centres

Dietitians practicing in Population and Public Health do not work in isolation.  To develop, implement and evaluate effective programs and policies, dietitians will often work with:

• Community and/or cultural leaders
• Community development workers
• Educators from educational settings (e.g. school boards, teachers)
• Early childhood educators
• Food scientists
• Local farmers
• Municipal, provincial and federal politicians
• Regulated health professionals (e.g. physicians, registered nurses) and regulated professionals (e.g. social workers)
• Non-regulated health professionals (e.g. lactation consultants, health promotion specialists)

¹ Ontario Society of Nutrition Professionals in Public Health. (1998). Public Health Nutrition…An investment in the Future. Retrieved July 9, 2015 from http://www.osnpph.on.ca/membership/documents?category=18