Ariana Aghaeinia

Ariana Aghaeinia is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Toronto St. George campus, majoring in Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences. Her summer research project focused on food skills and knowledge acquisition for children in the Peel region to reduce the risk of cardiometabolic diseases. In collaboration with Ecosource, a non-profit environmental organization, she was able to use evidence-based practices to create programming for children ages 6-14 attending summer camp. This involved creating recipes and activities with locally sourced produce, and leading daily kitchen sessions where children had the opportunity to participate in garden to table kitchen practices. Ariana also conducted pre- and post-program surveys to observe the impact of the interventions in place. Finally, using her findings, Ariana was able to create a summary resource highlighting best practices for future programming.  

Supervisors: Ms. Merissa Nudelman and Ms. Britt McKee