More than sixty leaders in nutrition, health, and food will be presenting and sharing knowledge at the Healthy Eating in Practice Conference August 26-29 at The Omni Grove Park Inn.
The conference welcomes speakers of both national and local significance including leading practitioners, researchers, policy experts, and more.
Healthy Eating in Practice is a hands-on conference for healthcare professionals and advocates, focused on changing the culture of healthcare to better support healthy eating behaviors, particularly in children and families, and prevent chronic diet-related diseases.
Nationally-known speakers include Daphne Miller, M.D., author of Farmacology: Total Health from the Ground Up; Nimali Fernando, M.D., founder of the Doctor Yum Project; Kelly D. Brownell, who was cited by Time magazine as a leading “warrior” in the area of nutrition and public policy; and more.
Local health and nutrition leaders who will be presenting at the conference include Garth Davis, M.D., who is the new medical director of of Mission Hospital Weight Management Center. Having spent 17 years in the field of surgical and medical weight management, Dr. Davis is a recognized expert in initial bariatric procedures as well as revisional bariatric surgery.
“If we are going to teach that food is medicine, as health care providers, we should be great examples to our patients,” says Dr. Davis about his passion for the issue and the conference.
Conference attendees will also be able to experience hands-on field trips to the best of Western North Carolina’s local food community. Attendees will visit area farms, farmers markets, and gardens, including Hickory Nut Gap Farm, KT’s Orchard and Apiary, Patchwork Urban Farms, Warren Wilson College Farm, and West Asheville Tailgate Market. Participatory cooking workshops will be team taught by nutrition experts alongside culinary leaders including John Fleer of Rhubarb, Meherwan Irani of Chai Pani, Mark Rosenstein, and more.
Healthy Eating in Practice is presented by ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project), in partnership with Duke University World Food Policy Center, University of North Carolina Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, and Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) with support from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation.
For more than two decades ASAP has been a leader in connecting communities to food and farms, simultaneously building markets for locally grown food, increasing access, and promoting positive relationships with healthy foods. Grounded in experiential learning, this national conference will equip attendees with practical skills and approaches that work in the day-to-day reality of healthcare.
Registration for the conference is now open at healthyeatinginpractice.org. Scholarship opportunities are available for North Carolina-based students and early-career practitioners. Continuing education credits, including 19.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits, are accredited through a joint providership of the MAHEC and ASAP.