Wanda Firth, PD
Halifax, NS | @WandaNutrition
Program Lead, Hearts & Health in Motion
Nova Scotia Health Mumford Professional Centre
Halifax, NS | @WandaNutrition
CWHHA member since 2021
Biography
Throughout my career I have been fortunate to do work that I love while also being creative, taking on challenges and unique projects, and developing personal areas of expertise. I have a particular passion for cardiovascular nutrition in prevention and wellness and have vast experience working with patients in cardiology programs and lipid clinics. In 2005, in collaboration with the medical director, I helped to establish Community Cardiovascular Hearts in Motion, a cardiac prevention and rehabilitation research program. The success of Hearts in Motion led to permanent funding and I was proud to be a part of the team when the program received a 2014 Accreditation Canada Leading Practice award. I am currently the program lead of the expanded Hearts & Health in Motion programs.
During the past 14 years, along with our Hearts in Motion research team, I conducted research on our nutrition and behaviour change interventions, validity and reliability testing of our food scores, cardiovascular risk factor outcomes of our patient population and knowledge translation from urban to rural communities. I have presented nationally and at the annual European Society of Cardiology conferences and American Heart Association conferences. I am actively involved with research teams in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver as a co-investigator for a pan-Canadian ACCELERATION wellness study on health behaviours.
I have served on many committees in the field of nutrition, risk factor management, and behaviour change including review panels and committees for dyslipidemia guidelines, the Canadian Association of Cardiac Prevention & Rehabilitation Dietitians Working Group and recently with Virtual Cardiac Rehab programming. My love for nutrition education and teaching led to great experiences in giving presentations for the public, patients and peers over the years, as well as media opportunities with regular segments on “Live at 5” and the weekend version of Good Morning Canada. I have also had the privilege of teaching at the School of Nutrition & Dietetics for four years at Acadia University.
I am thankful to have had such great connections to patients throughout my career and have learned so much from my patients with regard to listing skills, compassion, and mindfulness. I am also so grateful that I get to work with such a dynamic and dedicated team who demonstrate abundant strengths and expertise. No two days are the same and I look forward to what each day will bring. My husband and I and our 2 sons were sprint canoe paddlers in the past and now we share a passion for running. I also love to tap into my creative side with painting and I have practiced yoga regularly for years.
