This year we have built on our success in the New Colombo Program funding from last year and we’re delighted to announce our success in the 2016 Asia Postgraduate Grant round. These grants support students to undertake short term study overseas as part of their qualification, including dietetic students. They are a great benefit to both students and staff by creating opportunities to engage globally in countries such as Singapore and Indonesia, see nutrition problems from a different perspective and collaborate with other institutions.

In 2015 five students travelled to Singapore on a New Colombo Program grant under the guidance of Professor Michelle Miller and Dr Jacqui Miller. Projects undertaken during this time included evaluating the effectiveness of a targeted nutritional intervention in improving the albumin levels of patients with chronic kidney disease receiving peritoneal dialysis and exploring the effectiveness of nutrition screening and intervention programmes in reducing the prevalence of malnutrition in a nursing home.

In 2016, four MND students and a staff member will travel to in Jogjakarta, Indonesia to undertake a placement at University Gadjah Mada (UGM). In addition to participating in the Nutrition and Dietetics curriculum at UGM, the students will also have an opportunity to work on projects such as protein-energy malnutrition in children and iodine deficiency – both of which are common in the surrounding areas of Jogjakarta. We look forward to sharing with you an update on their experience and photos on our Alumni Facebook page.