Q&A with Dr Emily Prpa PhD

At Chickpea Marketing, our ethos is to nourish with purpose, so we’re speaking to a variety of inspirational people working in the food and drink industry doing just that.

Our next interview is with Dr Emily Prpa PhD, Award Winning Nutritionist and Science Manager at Yakult.

Corrine (C) : Can you please tell us a bit about you and your current role? 

Emily (E) : Would love to! I’m Emily, I’m a registered nutritionist with a PhD in nutritional sciences from King’s College London. I’ve been working in Industry since my PhD, so for 3 years now, where I specialise in science communications. I think Industry nutritionists can sometimes get a bad rap – they’ve gone to “the dark side” some might say. I have never thought this to be true. Why? I believe that working within Industry is one of the best vehicles for bringing about the change all nutrition professionals want to see. I have worked on all sides of the fence – from policy, non-for-profits, to academia – and my most impactful experiences for promoting tangible change in today’s society have come from my time in Industry. 

Today, I lead the Yakult UK and Ireland Science department in communicating the latest research on the gut microbiota and probiotics to healthcare professionals (HCPs). I devise effective strategies to disseminate this research and build awareness of the Yakult Science brand - everyone knows that “little bottle”, but there is less understanding about the education we offer to HCPs. We provide CPD through a range of activities, everything from hosting the Microbiome Matters podcast, organising webinars and events, publishing factsheets and educational videos, to offering grants for HCPs to attend trainings/conferences.

With so many activities to oversee, it’s difficult to give you an accurate representation of “a day in the life” because no day is ever the same. Here is a flavour of what a week looks like:

·       Monday: Record interviews with leading experts for new series of the Microbiome Matters Podcast.

·       Tuesday: Represent Yakult at external scientific conference, showcasing what we offer. Present talk on “Communicating Gut Health Messages” to GP audience.

·       Wednesday: Attend regulatory working group meeting, to instate the use of the term “probiotics” on food products; draft scientific article for HCP magazine.

·       Thursday: Meetings with Science Team in UK and Europe to provide updates, and with Yakult Science Partners to discuss ongoing external activities.

·       Friday: Review cross-department activities, e.g., social media posts, marketing department advertisements, PR campaigns for accuracy of scientific details.

My job has seen me travel abroad to different cities, meet leading experts in the field, and hone my science communication skills. I am excited about where my squiggly career will take me next, but for the time being, I am happy to continue my mission of bridging the gap between academic research and Industry to promote health through nutrition, on this side of the fence.

C: How did you get into your area of work? We’d love to hear about your career journey up until this point!

E: It all started during my PhD... During those 4 years, I investigated if “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”, by looking at the effect of an apple polyphenol extract on postprandial glycaemia. I can’t say I enjoyed every minute of my PhD – I even had times when I felt like quitting – but I am incredibly grateful for it, because it was during this time that I found my passion for science communications. Over this time, I entered every science comms competition and used any opportunity to hone my skills in communications – this ranged from being a national finalist at the 3-Minute Thesis Competition through to setting up my own podcast. It was through these experiences that I secured a fellowship at the Parliamentary Office of Science Technology (read about my fellowship here); I published briefing notes for Parliamentarians on nutrition policy.

It's reasonable to suggest that informing policy is the vehicle through which, as nutritionists, we can bring about the greatest health benefits to the population, but my time at POST made me eager to explore the other ways we can promote change. I secured an internship at the World Sugar Research Organisation and became their Science Policy & Communications Manager, a job which married my research and communication skills. Later, I was approached by Yakult Europe after connecting with their Science Director during my time on the European Nutrition Leadership Programme. I became their new Yakult Science Manager across the UK and Ireland last year.

I want to take a moment to reflect on my career path to date. On paper, it all looks very logical; a chronological stepwise process. But what those previous paragraphs don’t capture are all the times I felt like a square peg in a round hole, feeling like I wasn’t in the ‘right job’, and worried I wasn’t progressing up the career ladder at a fast enough pace. For anyone who still feels like this, don’t panic. The greatest thing about being a nutritionist is that we can take the squiggly career route. We can wear different hats, try on different roles for size and say yes to lots of different paths. There is no right way of doing this gig, so take the pressure off yourself.

C: What are you most excited about in your work at the moment?

E: The importance of ‘good gut health’ has exploded in the national media in recent years, but with so much information out there it can be hard for health professionals (let alone their patients and clients) to make sense of it all. That’s why I’m excited about our upcoming Yakult Science Study Day on Thursday 2nd November, where we’ll focus in on getting to grips with the latest science in this field, covering diverse topic areas and discussing what this means for professional practice. World leading experts are going to cover everything from, personalised nutrition and the gut microbiome; the gut-skin axis; food and mood; menopause and the gut microbiome and more. There will also be practical take-home advice to make sense of the current research base.

C: If you could provide one tip for someone looking to learn more or gain more experience in your line of work, what would that be?

E: There’s so many ways to get involved in science communications and different channels to try out. Whether that’s presenting your BSc or MSc research at conferences or within your university, or reaching out to speak on a podcast or ghost write for established nutritionists or dietitians websites, or you could even start your own social media page or blog. Anyway that you can showcase the skill of translating complex nutrition science into key messages is a great starting point.

C: Do you have a favourite chickpea snack or meal?

E: “Tuna chickpea” sarnie! It’s mushed up chickpeas seasoned with dill, some chopped capers, a dollop of Dijon mustard and a sprinkling of nutritional yeast. Spread it on top of toasted sourdough and top with sliced avocado and a pinch of sea salt – and wollah!

C: Where can we contact you/ follow you/find out more?

E: I’m @TheNutritionReporter on Instagram and Dr Emily Prpa on LinkedIn. I do also have a Twitter account (@EmP_Nutrition) but I’m on Instagram and LinkedIn more.