General Session
Join the 2026 Rhoads Research Lecture Award Recipient, Dr. Tanis Fenton for a lecture about dispelling myths about child growth.
Child growth assessments are a key component of public health surveillance as well as both individual health screening and clinical care. Normal growth should be defined differently for populations versus individuals, but guidelines for individuals have limitations. Dr. Fenton will review the strengths and weaknesses of current guidelines and make evidence-informed recommendations for improvements.
Dr. Tanis Fenton is a Registered Dietitian, Epidemiologist and Adjunct Professor at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine. Dr. Fenton is the Dietitians of Canada Liaison for the Canadian Pediatric Society’s Nutrition Committee. She is best known for the growth chart she developed based on a need she saw for better growth charts for preterm infants when working clinically as a neonatal dietitian. Dr. Fenton is considered a thought leader for child growth assessments and has been invited to speak about growth and nutrition care around the world.
Date & Time:
February 17, 2026
7:45 AM – 9:00 AM PT
Format:
In Person & Virtual
CE Credits:
1.0 Hours
UAN: JA0002345-0000-26-044-L99-P
Course level:
Advanced
Pediatric Content Included
What You'll Learn
- Summarize current guidelines for assessing overweight, underweight, wasting, stunting, and growth faltering
- Analyze limitations when applying growth cut-points to individuals
- Propose evidence-informed revisions to current growth cut-points
- Describe how parent communications about growth can support responsive feeding while avoiding stigma
Topics & Presenters
Dispelling Myths About Child Growth
Registered Dietitian, Epidemiologist, and Adjunct Professor
Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary