Pathway Contributor: Jayne Thirsk

RD, PhD, FDC

Jayne Thirsk RD, PhD, FDC completed her undergraduate degree at the University of British Columbia in 1980 and her internship at the Calgary General Hospital the following year. In 1988 she received her doctorate from the University of Calgary’s Department of Medical Science. In 2010, she received her fellowship from Dietitians of Canada. Jayne has worked as a dietitian for nearly 30 years in positions spanning clinician, food service manager, health care manager, policy developer, and researcher. In 1984, while working on her doctoral degree she responded to a call for proposals from the Canadian Space Agency, the result of which was her experiment flying aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1992 as one of five Canadian experiments in the first International Microgravity Laboratory. Since joining DC in 1997, she has been involved in profiling the role and leadership of dietitians, policy development, and the design and delivery of a broad scope of professional development initiatives to support the dietetic profession. Since 2003 her primary role within DC has focused on knowledge translation and fostering evidence-based practice. She and colleague Debbie Mac Lelland co-chaired an international working group to develop a definition of evidence-based dietetic practice, which was endorsed by the Board of the International Confederation of Dietetic Associations in 2010.