Jennifer Welsh MSc

Jennifer Welsh was a faculty member in the School of Nutrition at Ryerson University from 1970-2004, serving as director 1980-1987 and 1998-2004, and as dean of the Faculty of Community Services 1988-1993. As a Registered Dietitian and Professional Home Economist she was actively involved with several professional associations during her career, receiving the Ontario Home Economics Association Founder's Honour Award in 2004. Her teaching areas included a course in Consumer Ecology (in the 1970's), World and Community Nutrition, and Socio-Cultural Aspects of Food. Always interested in crossing intellectual boundaries, she organized three annual workshops (87-89) between the Canada-wide organizations of Home Economics Research and Women's Studies. In Toronto, she facilitated the Food System Seminar Series among York University, University of Toronto, and Ryerson University. This collaboration, as well as involvement with community practitioners, laid the groundwork to establish the Toronto Food Policy Council and Jennifer served as its first Community Co-Chair 1990-1992. As Ryerson University acquired a mandate for both research and graduate studies in 1993, the opportunity arose to develop interdisciplinary centres allowing Mustafa Koc and Jennifer to initiate the Centre for Studies in Food Security which they co-chaired until 2004. The Centre was instrumental in developing both Food Secure Canada and The Canadian Association for Food Studies.