Hub Digest | Dec. 19, 2024
Investigating the erosion of traditional diets, 2024 Nova Annual Conference resources, and more.
Hi everyone! Community Builder Tolu here. This is our last Hub Digest of 2024! It has been a pleasure developing these Digests each month since joining the Nova team in May, and I look forward to capturing all the exciting updates and highlights that will come in 2025. Enjoy this month’s highlights and the rest of your holiday season! “See” you all next year!
Hub User Spotlight
We are excited to highlight the diverse food and nutrition interests of our Hub community in this month’s Hub User Spotlight. We hope this spotlight fosters meaningful connections and sparks new ideas among users.
Meet Carly Brown, a former pharmaceutical oncology professional turned public health nutrition enthusiast, currently pursuing a master’s in this field in Amsterdam, but British by origin.
What are your interests? I’m a passionate cook and spend a great deal of time each week searching for new recipes and experimenting in the kitchen! Which ties in nicely to my newfound interest in the more scientific side of nutrition. Nutrient profiling, labeling, and responsible marketing (so corporate accountability and regulation) have also become subjects of deep interest for me.
What are you working on that most excites you? I’m currently designing a research study investigating the erosion of traditional diets in favor of Western-style, highly processed, packaged foods in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania. I’ll be spending six months out there next year conducting a series of focus groups into the cultural, social, and individual drivers of this transition. It’s been such an enriching experience building such an extensive study plan and working with a team of incredible Dutch and Tanzanian clinicians and nutritionists. I’m apprehensive but wildly excited at the challenge that lies ahead getting the research up and running!
What do you welcome Hub users to connect with you about? If anyone has been involved in work similar to my upcoming research (as described above), I’d be really receptive to your reflections, guidance, or advice! Also, I’d be keen to connect on all things food/health policy as my longer term goals are to work towards a policy or diplomacy position at the FAO or similar!
Creating Well-Being: Opening Neural Pathways with Art, Movement, and Breath
Hub user Kevin Dwight Richardson invites everyone to reconnect with their inner selves, fostering creativity, relaxation, and healing to support a more balanced and fulfilling life in his second collaborative course with author, movement therapist, and teacher Beth Spindler. The 6-week course explores the connection between mind, body, and creativity to enhance overall well-being and is available virtually to individuals and organizations.
In Discussions
- Users add commentary and additional information sources around a narrative review that explores the connections between the main religions originated in the Mediterranean basin and their influence on the composition of the Mediterranean diet.
- Do you know just how stressful traffic noise can be?
- Share your take on different ways AI is creating interfaces that change how people interact with stories and give readers tools to go deeper, instantly.
- Imagine getting your political news from various perspectives – the left, the right, and the non-partisan author. What do you think?
- Relevant to Nova Scholars Christina Bethell and Diana Fishbein’s “Decade of the Child” initiative, a post about an editorial on new research explaining neurobiological mechanisms associated with the experience of childhood adversity.
…and many more in the Discussions page!
In Groups
- Mentoring Research Network (MRN) – Presentations from AMR Awareness Week and COP29
- Stress Management in Healthcare – A paper discussing issues faced with stress in the primary care setting, including barriers that have prevented clinicians from assessing and treating stress
- Nova Annual Conferences – A compilation of links to resources, additional information, and related books shared during this year’s conference
- Podcast Lovers – Check out the growing list of recommendations and add yours
- Nova4Nature – Can fresh air deliver “aeronutrients”?
…check out all the Groups (or create your own)!
Events
- Recordings of the 2024 Nova Annual Conference, “New Horizons: Toward an Era of Global Flourishing” are now available. This year’s conference focused on innovative approaches to advance an era of well-being for both people and the planet. Watch and share each session in its entirety or by speaker. Happy viewing!
See events and submit your own on our Community Calendar!
Hub Features & User Tips
- Tip for engagement: Tap into the great minds here on the Hub! Post your requests for information, research help, articles, etc., in a relevant group or discussion topic, or directly to your profile as a status update.
- Coming soon: The Nova Integration Hub will have an app soon! While the platform is already mobile-friendly, an app will make it that much easier to engage while on the go.
- Help populate our map: Please help us populate our members’ map and forge new connections among users by updating your profile with your state or province and country. While you’re at it, add your areas of expertise, interests, and passions so other users can learn more about you. You can find these fields in the “Required” and “Optional” areas of your profile.
- Invite friends to join the Hub! Click on your profile photo, navigate down to “Email Invites,” and click “Send Invites.” Customize a message or just send the link – it’s easy!
- Just getting started on the Hub? Check out the Hub User Guide to watch a video or get step-by-step instructions.
Thank you again for being part of our community. We’d love to hear from you! Let us know how you like using the Hub, share your ideas and suggestions, or just say hello! Message Airynn Strout or Tolu Adewole on the Hub or email us at airynn@novainstituteforhealth.org or tolu@novainstituteforhealth.org.
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