By Freya Shaw, News Reporter
A Bristol Medical School graduate has received a prestigious Diana Award for her campaign to put nutrition and diet on the UK curriculum.
Ally Jaffee co-founded Nutritank in 2017, with fellow Bristol student Iain Broadley, during her second year of study to improve nutritional education during medical training.
The Bristol graduate is one of a handful of people across the globe who have received a Diana Award in 2021. The award is given to those who show ‘their ability to inspire and mobilise new generations to serve their communities and create long lasting change on a global scale.’ For Ally, this was her dedication to make diet and nutrition a core part of the national curriculum.
This is special.
— Bristol University 🎓 (@BristolUni) June 29, 2021
Each year a handful of people around the world receive a Diana Award in memory of the late princess.
This year the amazing Ally Jaffee, who has just qualified from our Medical School, was one of those winners.
Find out more 👉 https://t.co/MieQUQeEXh #health pic.twitter.com/4PaoAD9qPD
Nutritank is a community interest company which advises UK medical schools on education of diet and nutrition, established after Ally discovered how little emphasis the current medical training put on diet and lifestyle.
The company was first launched in 2017 at the University of Bristol and currently works with more than 25 medical schools across the UK.
Speaking of her success, Ally said: ‘While at Bristol University I realised just how little emphasis the medical profession puts on diet and lifestyle, despite the huge impact they have on people’s mental and physical wellbeing and future health.
‘Having a lifestyle that benefits us is so important, not just for physical health but also our mental health.
‘I wanted to put nutrition squarely on the curriculum so that the next generation of doctors can be equipped to prescribe ways for patients to help themselves.
‘Winning a Diana Award was so out of the blue – I’m still absolutely stunned – but it’s amazing to see the work that Nutritank is doing being recognised by such a prestigious scheme.’
The Head of Bristol Medical School, Professor Ashley Blom, said: ‘We are extremely proud of what Ally has achieved. It is so encouraging when students are pro-active and help co-create the curriculum in this way.’
Featured Image: University of Bristol
What do you think of an increased role for diet and nutrition in the medical curriculum?
