Meaka Garland

I'm a Registered Dietitian with 1 year community service experience at Rob Ferreira, a tertiary hospital in Mbombela. I graduated from Stellenbosch University with a BSc Dietetics Cum Laude in 2022. I help patients manage their medical conditions through evidence-based dietary and behavioural changes, meal plans and educational material. 

Some examples include: 

- As a community service dietitian, I hosted an 8 month weightloss programme for 60 hospital employees that included meal plans, individual consultations, weekly exercise sessions and grand prizes for the "Biggest Loser" in collaboration with sponsors. This was a National Nutrition Week campaign for the hospital. 

- As a community service dietitian, I rotated through the Intensive Care Unit, Paediatrics, Neonates, Internal Medicine, Oncology and Surgery wards where I provided nutrition counselling, parenteral and enteral feeds, dietary supplementation and a multidisciplinary approach to problem solving. 

- As a community service dietitian, I saw outpatients in both the hospital and clinic setting for follow-up appointments, behaviour change counselling and provision of nutrition therapeutic products. 

I get excited about opportunities where I can practice my problem solving skills in a clinical setting with a healthcare team. I am enthusiastic about providing nutrition services that not only provide guidance, but also empower and encourage clients to take ownership of their health in this vulnerable season of their life. I am keenly interested in critical care, paediatrics, non-communicable diseases and national policy changes that ensure sustainability of health in our beautiful country.

Community Service Dietitian (Mpumalanga Department of Health) 

- Provided assessment of nutritional status using screening and anthropometrical tools. 
- Further assessment of nutritional status via interpretation of biochemical data, clinical signs and diet history. 
- Calculated and provided individual nutritional requirements either via enteral- or parenteral nutrition as well as dietary supplementation. 
- Provide science-based nutritional education and –counselling.
- Provided and created meal plans, educational material and health education presentations. 
- Hosted a National Nutrition Week project that spanned 8 months with 60 healthcare employees enrolled. We provided dietary counselling, education and weekly exercise classes which resulted in winners receiving sponsored prizes. 
- Collaborated with multidisciplinary healthcare teams to provide medical nutrition therapy, while sustaining all necessary documentation of assessments, interventions, and patient progress.
- Hosted a series of events in Breastfeeding Week to raise awareness and support to Breastfeeding mothers in the workplace.

BSc Dietetics Cum Laude at Stellenbosch University (2019-2022)

Grade: Cum Laude; Full Academic Honours Merit Award: BSc DieteticsGrade: Cum Laude; Full Academic Honours Merit Award: BSc Dietetics

Activities and societies: Golden Key Honour Society achieved yearly from 2019-2022Activities and societies: Golden Key Honour Society achieved yearly from 2019-2022

- Research Methodology (Top Achiever) 
Thesis Topic: Validation Study on Height Estimation Methods Compared to the Gold Standard in the Tygerberg Hospital Setting
Presented at the International Conference for Undergraduate Research (Warwick University, UK).

- Top Academic Achiever in Year 1 BSc Dietetics