Tamara Cohen, Director of Dietetics (RD, PhD)
Tamara (she/hers) started her appointment as Director of Dietetics and an Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems in January 2020. She was born and raised on the Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ and Omàmìwininìwag (Algonquin) lands before moving to Ho-de-no-sau-nee-ga (Haudenosaunee) Kanienʼkehá꞉ka (Mohawk) to pursue a degree in dietetics from McGill University. After graduation, she practiced as a clinical dietitian in an acute care centre and opened up a private practice. After discovering this was not for her, she found a job as a community dietitian, specifically working in homecare and an out-patient clinic in Montreal. Tamara decided to return to McGill and pursue a Master’s degree in Nutritional Sciences, specifically working with pregnant women and exploring how lifestyle behaviours influence gestational weight gain. She then taught at McGill as a Faculty Lecturer / Clinical Coordinator for McGill’s Dietetic program before joining McGill again to pursue a PhD in Nutritional Sciences. Her PhD focused on childhood obesity, and she created a family-based lifestyle intervention for children aged 6-12 years. In addition to her work with the dietetics program, Tamara runs a research program that supports master and PhD trainees, in addition to undergraduate directed studies students and volunteers. Her research focuses on eating behaviours, adherence to dietary interventions and aims to create nutrition education tools that are inclusive and accessible. Tamara is an Investigator at BC Children’s Hospital.
Anna Brisco, Lecturer and Master of Nutrition and Dietetics Program Lead (RD, MEd)
Anna is a queer, neurodivergent (disabled), non-Indigenous white settler, currently living within the unceded, traditional shared territories of the sə̓lílwətaʔɬ, šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmaɁɬ, and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh nations. Reckoning with the unsettling histories and present of the places they call home remains a foundational part of their work as an educator and as a human being.
Prior to completing the UBC Bachelors in Food and Nutrition (Dietetics Major) in 2016, they studied biology, went to culinary school, and worked in food service and urban agriculture. As a registered dietitian, they have developed their passions for nutrition and education through roles in a wide range of organizations, including residential care, grocery stores, community nonprofits, food education for K-12, and as an Adjunct Instructor at UBC. Anna recently completed their Master of Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (Tkaronto), with a focus on critical approaches to difficult histories, civic engagement, and addressing colonialism and other forms of supremacy in education, science, and health. They are grateful to all their teachers—formal and informal—for generously sharing their passion, their patience, and their stories.
Bruna Donatti, Lecturer and Masters of Nutrition and Dietetics Educator (RD, MSc)
Bruna is a first-generation immigrant that moved to Canada from Brazil in 2018. She is thankful to be currently living and working within the unceded, traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
Bruna earned her BSc in Nutrition Sciences and Dietetics in Brazil in 2007. Further, she completed post-graduate courses in Clinical Nutrition and Nutrition Support. She practiced as a clinical dietitian in acute care and outpatient settings for many years. Bruna also has substantial teaching experience in Dietetics. She worked for eight years as a faculty lecturer and visiting lecturer, teaching nutrition-related courses for both undergraduate and post-secondary levels in Brazil. After moving to Canada, she completed a MSc in Human Nutrition in 2020 from McGill University (Montreal/QC) and worked as a clinical dietitian at the McGill University Health Center, mostly supporting surgical, oncological, and critically ill patients.
Bruna joined UBC in the Food, Nutrition and Health Program as a Lecturer in July 2022, teaching in the Dietetics and the Master of Nutrition and Dietetics programs.
When not working, Bruna loves to spend time with her friends and to be outside, hiking and getting to know new places.
Tamar Kafka, Dietetics Educator (RD, MSc)
Tamar is a registered dietitian who joined the UBC Dietetics Program in 2011. Tamar completed her BSc in Dietetics at UBC, then her post-graduate internship at the Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre in Manitoba. She worked as a clinical dietitian in Winnipeg, then in Vancouver, primarily with adults in ICU and on hemodialysis, as well as with babies in the neonatal intensive care unit. After a decade as a clinical dietitian, Tamar returned to school to complete her MSc in Nutrition from Tufts University in Boston. Upon her return to BC after graduate school, she worked as a clinical dietitian educator where she recognized her deep passion for dietetics education, which led to her role with the UBC Dietetics Program. Tamar’s role is focused on program educational planning and delivery, as well as program management. The dietetics profession is wonderfully diverse, and her role is no exception. She tries her best every day to be a learner, an educator, a collaborator, an advocate, a listener, a leader, and much more. Tamar lives on the traditional territories of the Coast Salish and Tsleil-Waututh nations. She is the first generation in her family to be born in Canada and spent most of her childhood growing up on or near the unceded lands of the Coast Salish, Katzie, Tsawwassen, and Stolo people. When not working, Tamar is usually with her 3 little kids. She travels with them as much as possible, to follow her partner’s overseas work adventures. Otherwise, she is outside, getting her hands dirty in the soil around her home, learning how to grow as many vegetables, fruit trees, and flowers that her yard can manage.
Gordon Ly, Dietetics Educator (RD)
Gordon (he/him/his) is a queer, first-generation Chinese settler on Coast Salish territories of the Tsleil-Waututh and Qayqayt Nations. He grew up in the Okanagan territories of the Syilx (also known as Kelowna), where his family fled from Southeast Asia as refugees. Gordon is a registered dietitian, having completed his Bachelor of Science in Food, Nutrition, and Health with Honours at UBC, with his integrated practicum at Fraser Health Authority. He has worked in a variety of practice areas, including inpatient medical/surgical units in hospitals, private primary care, retail dietetics, outpatient clinics for adults and pediatrics, and private food service consulting. He currently works casually at BC Children’s Hospital. He practices from a weight inclusive perspective and has a special interest in pediatrics. Gordon is currently pursuing his Master of Health Leadership and Policy at UBC. He is passionate about dietetics education, especially in the context of the intersections with health equity and gender, race, and weight bias.
Kara Vogt, Dietetics Educator (RD, MEd)
Kara (she/her/hers) qualified as a registered dietitian and entered the profession in 2006. Kara completed her dietetics degree at the University of British Columbia, and a post-graduate dietetic internship with Vancouver Island Health Authority. As part of her studies, she spent six months at the University of Wollongong in Australia. She has worked as a clinical dietitian in inpatient, outpatient, and residential care roles for several BC health authorities. In her current position as a dietetics educator, she is involved in a variety of program management, curriculum leadership, and teaching roles. In 2014, she completed a Masters in Educational Leadership at Simon Fraser University and published her research on professional development models for dietitians, in the Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research. Kara is inspired by the diverse contributions dietitians make to wellness promotion, chronic disease management, food systems, public policy, and more. Equity and social justice have always been core values in her practice. As a white settler living on the unceded, traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations, Kara strives to use her privilege to push the dietetics profession toward greater equity. Kara contributes to furthering provincial and national priorities for the dietetics profession as part of several groups and committees; she was elected to serve on the Dietitians of Canada Board of Directors from 2017-2021.
Melissa Baker-Wilson, Dietetics Educator (RD, MHSc)
Melissa (she/hers) lives on the unceded traditional territories of several Coast Salish nations, including the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Melissa has practiced as a registered dietitian since 2013 when she graduated from the UBC dietetics program herself. Melissa completed most of her practice education with Northern Health and is grateful for the valuable experience this provided. She has spent much of her career working at UBC in student and faculty/staff health promotion roles, but has also worked in retail, industry and clinical settings. Melissa completed her Master of Health Science in Nutrition Communication from Toronto Metropolitan University in 2015 and went on to regularly write for HuffPost and do other media work for several years. She was also elected to serve on the Dietitians of Canada Board-of-Directors from 2015-2018. When not working, Melissa loves to bike, do yoga and spend time outside with her twin sons, twin nephews and her partner (who also happens to be a twin!).
Xinyan Fan, Dietetics Program Manager (MA)
Xinyan moved to Canada from Shanghai, China in 2013 and started his graduate study at the University of Victoria on the traditional land of lək̓ʷəŋən peoples. As an early childhood educator before, he focused his research with the local kindergarten teachers on the topic of gender, equity, and education in his Master’s thesis. In 2016, Xinyan was accepted to a PhD program by the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy at UBC. During that period, he was engaged in several roles on campus, including one research of the student teachers who participate in the international exchange program, organizing events for Wingspan research cohort, and working as a Peer Advisor in the department to support other graduate students. After the struggle of his dissertation, he shifted his path to a more practical area: student services. Prior to joining the Faculty of Land and Food Systems, Xinyan worked as a Student Information Services Officer in the Registrar’s office at Capilano University for two years. Holding the knowledge of curriculum theories and the experience from the previous position, he believes that education should be a holistic journey for each student, a lived experience that occurs not only in the classroom, but in every encounter/conversation/activity with the staff, fellow students, and the land. Inspired by this spirit, he wishes to support every student in the program and be a part of their learning experience. Although he is not a dietitian, Xinyan loves cooking, baking, and exploring different coffee. He even worked as a Shift Supervisor at Starbucks. Feel free to grab him for a coffee chat and walk!
Skylar Parent, Dietetics Program Coordinator (B.Env)
Skylar (he/him) is of mixed French and Indigenous ancestry, and currently resides, works, learns and recreates on the traditional territory of Musqueam, Squamish, and Tseil-Waututh Nations in what is now called Vancouver. Prior to living in Vancouver, Skylar grew up in the Slocan Valley on the traditional territories of the Sinixt people. He originally moved to Vancouver to attend Art School but after that didn’t pan out, his interest in outdoor sports led to him working in the outdoor retail industry for a number of years at both North Face and Icebreaker. In 2017 the time came for him to go back to continue his post secondary journey, enrolling in general studies. It was his part-time work in various facets of the food industry, as well as an interest in the natural environment, that led him to picking a major in Resource and Environmental Management. A degree path where he focused on food system planning and ecology. In the final few years of his degree, he spent summers working for BC Parks as a ranger. A great experience, however one that did not give him the desired work life balance or lead to future career goals. Although not a dietitian, Skylar has always been interested in food and nutrition, as well as the dietetics field as whole. He has hopes of continuing his education, with a masters and possible a PHD, in a field that relates to food, nutrition, and health.