Bhubaneswar: School of Food Science & Nutrition Management, J. D. Birla Institute celebrated World Health Day on 7 April, 2026. The programme comprised of series of Lecture and panel discussion along with a free Body Composition analysis (BCA) with diet counselling. Ms. Hena Nafis, Consultant Nutritionist, Wellness coach and a Harvard graduate in Public Health Nutrition and Global Health delivered insightful lecture on “Fuel Your Potential with the Right Diet”. Mr. Ritesh Bawri – a visionary entrepreneur and the founder of Breathe Again, a platform dedicated to transform health to live longer, discussed about “Transforming Nutritional Expertise into Sustainable Income”.
A Panel discussion was carried out on “Application of Artificial Intelligence & Career Pathways in Food Science & Nutrition” by six renowned Alumni members of the department of Food Science & Nutrition Management, J.D.Birla Institute- Dt. Prerana Solanki, a Registered Dietitian certified by the Indian Dietetic Association & Co-founder of Nutridiction, Ms. Samraggi Roy, a Public Health Nutritionist and Programme Executive, ITC Limited- CSR department, Ms. Pratyasha Agrawal, course coordinator in the Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics at Gokhale Memorial Girls’ College, Ms. Komal Srivastava, Senior Dietitian at Apollo Multispecialty Hospital, Kolkata, Registered Dietitian as well as a Certified Diabetes Educator recognized by the International Diabetes Federation, Ms. Anvi Gandhi, a dynamic Nutritionist, entrepreneur, and the founder of The Nutri Lab & Ms. Aamna Qaisar, clinical dietitian and researcher, Assistant Manager at Fitelo. The discussion highlighted the evolving landscape of nutrition careers in response to the rising burden of lifestyle diseases and the growing demand for specialized fields. The panel further explored emerging career pathways in public health nutrition and the wellness industry along with the growing scope for entrepreneurship. A major focus of the session was on the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in nutrition. Experts discussed how AI is reshaping personalized diet planning, enhancing research capabilities, improving healthcare delivery and enabling efficient management of large-scale community nutrition programs.
The students of the department also conducted a free Body Composition analysis (BCA) and diet counselling for 75 participants to address issues like skeletal muscle gain, weight loss, and the management of metabolic and health-related conditions such as diabetes mellitus, fatty liver disease, PCOD/PCOS and hypertension. Their effort reflects a strong impact to promote health awareness and personalized nutrition guidance and through the practical application of knowledge, they gained valuable hands-on experience. Their teamwork, communication skills and scientific approach were evident throughout the process.
This initiative highlights celebrating World Health Day with awareness, wellness and empowering healthier choices enhanced through AI-driven insights, personalized guidance and smarter preventive healthcare.
-OdishaAge
