Internship in Community Nutrition for Dietitians
The MDD was the first institution in Canada offering the community nutrition internship aiming at training dietitians as "specialists" in working with
needy families. From 1967 to 1978, some one hundred dietitians benefited from this one-year training. Many of them later became leaders in the promotion
of nutrition in their working field.
Emmy Maten, dietitian, served her internship at the MDD in 1977-1978.
"I chose to do my internship at the MDD because I would be using nutrition to prevent health problems with the poor. I wanted to do more with my life than
just teach nutrition; I wanted to do something positive for society. I was moved by Mrs. Higgins' vision: to break the poverty cycle where it begins, in
the womb, by using her prenatal nutrition intervention method. I learned so much in that year's internship, but above all, I learned about life and real values."
In 1978, when the ministère de l'éducation du Québec decided to integrate practical training within the dietetic baccalaureate curriculum, the one-year
community nutrition internship at the MDD ended. Since then, the Dispensary receives university dietetic students for six-week community nutrition internship.
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