Editorial

It is such a privilege for our profession to have the opportunity to gather in Naarm (Melbourne) on the ancestral lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Boon Wurrung peoples, who are part of the larger Kulin nation. We pay our respects to the traditional owners and elders past, present and emerging, and thank them especially for their care of the land, air and waterways in protecting the sustainability of local food systems for over 50 000 years. It has been our tremendous pleasure to work alongside Summit working group colleagues, the wonderful A/Prof Helen MacLaughlin APD and Dr. Lauren Hanna APD as well as the ever-dedicated Dietitians Australia team including Michelle Topham, Sarah Sutevski and Anita Connors. Over the past 9 months we have been working diligently across activities including reviewing the 156 submitted abstracts and planning a friendly welcome reception. The National Nutrition and Dietetics Research Summit's theme is ‘Evidence to impact: Science with purpose’. The nutrition and dietetics profession has a proud history in conducting quality scientific research in food, nutrition and dietetics and it is also this research that will continue to shape the future of dietetic practice as a dynamic profession. With rapid changes in food supplies, diet behaviours and health, equity and sustainability outcomes we face a critical period for nutrition and dietetic research. We need to not only continue to invest in our purposeful scientific endeavours to gain evidence of the causes of and solutions to food, nutrition and dietetic problems, but also focus on translating that evidence into policy and practice impacts. It's exciting to observe the Summit's research topics range from clinical practice to sustainable food systems, from individuals to society and from health promotion to treatment. We hope that you will enjoy learning from the incredible diversity of quality research presented by the Summit delegates and captured in this Supplement. We look forward to meeting you in Melbourne to share amazing research, learn new skills and enjoy the company of so many colleagues brought together by Dietitians Australia. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.