P-POD 2014 Tallies From Attendee Evaluations
Handwritten evaluation forms were requested from attendees in person, and the CME/CEU accrediting organization also requested evaluations online from continuing education credit recipients. The tallies below have merged all data from both these evaluation efforts.
FOR ALL ITEMS, “5” REPRESENTS THE BEST OR MOST AFFIRMATIVE RESPONSE, where a “1 to 5″ range was offered.
FIRST….
under “Please indicate how well the conference met each of the listed learning objectives….”
**Identify dietary risk factors associated with development or progression of major chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes.
–59 scored 5 out of 5
–4 scored 4 out of 5
**Describe protective factors or mechanisms via which plant-based diets, or their components, are known to reduce risk of major chronic diseases.
–52 scored 5 out of 5
–9 scored 4 out of 5
**Describe evidence or scientific background for utilizing plant-based dietary approaches as part of clinical treatment for remediation of chronic medical conditions.
–58 scored 5 out of 5
–3 scored 4 out of 5
–1 scored 3 out of 5
**Identify techniques and strategies that increase likelihood of successful dietary behavior change when counseling patients in a clinical setting.
–33 scored 5 out of 5
–18 scored 4 out of 5
–5 scored 3 out of 5
–1 scored 2 out of 5
–1 scored 1 out of 5
**This activity increased my knowledge.
–Yes: 24
–No: 0
**This activity increased my competence.
–Yes: 23
–No: 1
**This activity improved my performance.
–Yes: 22
–No: 2
**This activity will improve my patient outcomes.
–Yes: 21
–No: 2
**Do you feel the activity was scientifically sound and free of commercial bias* or influence?
–Yes: 22
–No: 1
**The content of this activity matched my current (or potential) scope of practice.
–Yes: 21
–No: 3
**Overall, were the presentations balanced, objective, and scientifically rigorous?
–Yes: 23
–No: 0
SECOND….
under “Please evaluate the effectiveness of each presenter (for all sessions actually attended)….”
These are COMBINED totals for ALL speakers:
**For “knowledge”….
–557 scored 5 out of 5
–61 scored 4 out of 5
–5 scored 3 out of 5
**For “delivery”….
–483 scored 5 out of 5
–121 scored 4 out of 5
–30 scored 3 out of 5
–1 scored 2 out of 5
**For “organization”….
–515 scored 5 out of 5
–87 scored 4 out of 5
–10 scored 3 out of 5
–2 scored 2 out of 5
**For “teaching methods”….
–481 scored 5 out of 5
–121 scored 4 out of 5
–27 scored 3 out of 5
–2 scored 2 out of 5
**For “The instructor’s presentation(s) positively impacted my ability to provide services to patients and/or clients, and the instructor is knowledgeable in his/her subject matter and is able to communicate it effectively to the learners.”….
–260 scored 5 out of 5
–95 scored 4 out of 5
–8 scored 3 out of 5
P-POD 2014 Basic Participation Data
16 states and 1 Canadian province were represented by the registrants.
19 distinguished speakers participated, plus
4 other staff, and
5 moderators for the interactive discussion groups.
67 persons received continuing education credits, as physicians, Registered Dietitians, nurses, Nurse Practitioners, osteopaths, Physician Assistants, acupuncturists, occupational therapists and social workers.
19 others registered as students in the health professions.
35 others registered as members of the general public.
5 others attended under scholarship.
27 others attended as volunteers.
5 persons tabled for nonprofit organizations.
187 persons in all were counted at the Saturday vegan luncheon feast.
In addition, the U. of N. Carolina Asheville Department of Health and Wellness allowed each of its students the privilege of sitting in on 1 or 2 P-POD classes without charge, and no attempt was made to count them.
P-POD 2014: All Comments By Attendees About The Conference Overall
The following are ALL the comments received about the conference overall, whether signed comments in e-mail, or anonymous comments on paper forms, or online comments solicited by continuing education accreditors. These exclude detail comments about one speaker, or one lunch ingredient, or one room assignment, or an announcement or message, or time schedule, or campus layout etc., but otherwise nothing has been edited or cut. All names have been removed.
This is my favoritest conference ever. The speakers were all so great! Powerful information! The food was fabulous. I really hope that this conference is the first of many!
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I wanted to thank you for coordinating this wonderful conference. It was a great experience, terrific information, and delicious food. I’m sad to see it end (I’m sure you’re glad it’s over) but I am excited to digest this information and pass it on to others. I am looking forward to the information that you can pass on from the speakers.
Thank you for all the hard work and dedication you put into this project. All your efforts were well worth it.
Your fellow p-podian,
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Best conference I have ever attended. Sign me up for next year too.
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First of all, THANK YOU for orchestrating the P-POD conference!!! It was an amazing, edifying weekend that empowered me professionally and reinvigorated my ethical drive to provide the best care possible to all my patients. We participants saw only a glimpse of all the time, effort, and preparation you put into the weekend, but I am very grateful for it!
Hope you’re all recovered yet energized from the P-POD weekend!
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Wow! I still can’t tell you how grateful I was to be a part of P-POD.
The energy there was incredibly special and I also feel so lucky and inspired to have connected with so many movers and shakers in the plant-based nutrition world!
I am so appreciative of all the hard work, initiative, and vision you and others put into making the conference happen!! Thank you so much for assisting me in attending the conference.
It was such a meaningful experience for me and I look forward to helping with the conference next year!
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I know you did so much and poured countless hours and tireless effort in preparation for this wonderful event. We just wanted you to know, it did not go unnoticed. You are absolutely right, the hearts and minds that came together are ones of genuine compassion and perserverence, it is truly inspiring.
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Congratulations to P-POD organizers! Fantastic conference. Looking forward to the 2nd!!!
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You are a dynamo, and because of that, P-POD was a resounding success. I hope you have the wherewithal to keep it as an annual event.
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It’s hard to believe a week has passed since attending the P-POD conference. I would like to take a moment to thank you for all your hard work and thoughtfulness in arranging the detail accommodations. I am so glad for having attended and very grateful for all that I learned.
Thank you and I look forward to bringing friends and family to future conferences.
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Nice job putting together a fantastic conference.
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We wanted to tell you what a TERRIFIC job you did on the P-POD conference. Your selection of teachers was excellent- they were so knowledgeable, dedicated, energetic, and enthusiastic!! The schedule was very good. And the turn-out was good for the first time. We really enjoyed every minute of it. We referred several participants to the conference.
The food was superb and the facilities of course tops. Hope our paths cross again soon.
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It was an absolute pleasure to be a part of the first annual P-POD Conference, and I truly cannot wait for next year!
Thank you for all of the hard work you put into this very important event. It was certainly worth it and I hope that next year’s turn-out is enormous.
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Thank you for a wonderful weekend. The conference was a big success. It was very energizing and optimistic to see so many people rooting for the same cause.
Please get some well deserved and much needed rest.
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I have never attended a conference with such engaging speakers. I’m sure I would have paid attention anyway, given the fascinating subject matter, but they were all so talented. It’s exciting to have options in treatment and prevention.
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This was amazing! I feel so much support in my stance from people with so much expertise!
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I’m still coming off my veg high from the P-POD conference a few weeks ago. Thank you for your contributions to the weekend! It was a fantastic experience, and I loved seeing how much professional support exists in this field. Thanks for sharing your work with the community!
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You did a stellar job. This conference will rise to be a most important annual event for practitioners.
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Excellent conference…. great speakers! Great topics!! Thank you for all your hard work and very affordable.
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Excellent conference. Inspiring to see so many different health professionals passionate about plant-based nutrition.
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Again, I really enjoyed the conference. Thanks for all your hard work in putting it together and carrying it out so well. The topics, presenters, and panels were excellent, and the food was really tasty.
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Yes, congratulations! you are amazing. Well done!!!
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Fantastic food. Excellent facility. Excellent speakers. Way to go! Dreams really do come true! Today a small manageable conference, tomorrow a good MONSTER!
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Really great conference, especially as a first annual. The food was EXCELLENT. Overall, a really great conference — You should all be very proud of the work you did to organize and carry out this event!
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Great conference. I enjoyed it immensely.
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The conference was outstanding!
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Excellent conference — all the speakers were knowledgeable and even as an RDN who is whole-foods-plant-based I learned a lot. Super conference!
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*Very inspiring conference!!*
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Excellent conference! More than I expected. Would be happy to help you with your second annual conference.
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It was great! Many thanks to everyone!!!!!!!!
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There was a great deal of scientific evidence prevented to support a plantbased diet. I will have more knowledge and understanding, along with more applicable research to cite and other tools to use in working with my patients. All speakers should be advised to repeat or summarize questions from the audience, as many of the questions from participants are hard to hear in a large room.
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Great job!! You did fantastic at coordinating this.
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All presenters were extremely knowledgeable! There are so many interesting areas surrounding this subject. I felt like the presenters all gave the exact same information, with a few exceptions (better on Sunday — more variety).
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Thanks again for the best conference ever! Can’t wait for the 2nd annual.
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Thank you!! I feel so lucky to have been able to attend! Wow! I cannot express how appreciative and thankful I am for your effort in putting on the event and allowing me to attend the conference!! I cannot believe all the amazing work I have been exposed to here, and all of the people who are such role-models for me in the nutrition field.
Thank you so much for making this event a reality, it was an amazing weekend. So many thanks, see you next year!
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Awesome, awesome conference! I am sure you have heard that often. Congratulations. All in all – it was a fabulous turnout for the first one. It was mostly high quality and it was very inspiring to hear doctors speak honestly and openly.
Great job!! You can be very, very proud of yourself for making this happen.
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Excellent conference. Speakers and food were exceptional — great information and delivery. Thanks to all who made this conference possible.
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Very please with the presenters and I am looking forward to the next one.
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I will recommend more plant based diet to my patients based on data.
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Thank you for arranging this great conference.
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Amazing speakers! So motivational! So informative! Great conference! I love how it went from informational sessions toward behavior change at the end. Love & respect that no corporate sponsors! A little chaotic at times due to organization / communication / preparedness could be more professional.
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Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of P-POD’s first annual conference!! I hope to continue to be involved and be happy to help in the future.
Congratulations on all the effort, coordination and success — you are amazing. Kudos to you!!
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This conference has increased my skill level in discussing and motivating my clients in choosing foods that will support their wellness.
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You did a great job putting this conference together.
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This info brings me closer to my personal changes, and to the opportunity to share this with many other health-minded individuals with whom I am in contact. I’m changing my personal eating behavior to better model a balanced Holistic lifestyle, and sharing info with associates.
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Excellent conference!!!
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Spot on! Excellent, knowledgeable faculty. Will introduce these concepts to my patients. Since atherosclerosis is present in almost everyone who eats a Standard American Diet, and since cancer patients have a keen interest in improving their health, I think that introducing the benefits of a plant based whole foods diet is wise. Certainly for men with prostate cancer and perhaps for women with breast cancer in situ adoption of such a diet is most reasonable.
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This was a really great conference, and I’m looking forward to the next one!
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The wide-spread application of this dietary lifestyle was very impressive to me and reenforced my passion to teach this way of eating and prevention from avoidable chronic maladies. I will center my activities seeing hypertensive & diabetic patients in a wellness center.
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All presenters were very knowledgeable, sincere and good communicators. Too much scientific rigor, not enough real-world consciousness of what drives people’s eating choices. Overall the conference suffered from selfindulgence…assumptions of being correct. Truthfully, I took the title, “Plant-based…” to mean “mostly plant foods”. Instead it was a Vegan conference using a newer popular term. No one distinguished animal foods or acknowledged any values to human health, though traditional cultures throughout the world have consistently eaten some animal foods.
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Great info for non-health-care vegetarians who want to be more informed, to talk with family/friends. Speakers were good about putting the brussels sprouts on the bottom shelf so non-professionals could understand the concepts.
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I will be able to more thoroughly describe the benefits of a whole food, plant based diet.
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Can’t wait to hear about the next conference and thank you for all of your hard work on the recent conference and getting the next one planned. Can’t wait!!
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The research evidence help improve my knowledge of plant-base diet and increased my compliance. On a personal level will adopt a plant-based diet. On a professional level will find ways to incorporate this message to patients I interact with.
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All speakers were excellent! Thank you!
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Wonderful gathering of pioneer people promoting whole-food-plant-based lifestyle to help the public realize they are their own health advocates!
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Good start. Locations not optimal, considering weather. Have registration / checkin process professional & timely.
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To hear that the weight of science is on the same track with serious fellow physicians I will be more vigilant than ever.
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I’m glad I could volunteer for the conference and I enjoyed attending the conference. The speakers were very informative and interesting. Thank you for the opportunity. I am looking forward to attending the next conference.
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I will feel more confident with the science & defending it with my colleagues.
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Thank you very much for organizing this event.
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Excellent. Will help educate my patients regarding nutrition and how it related to disease…. provide scientifically based evidence to my patients on how to reduce atherosclerosis.
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To begin with, I have and will continue to change my own diet. I am not a vegan but have eliminated dairy products and significantly decreased animal protein intake since the conference. I have been speaking to clients about reduced animal protein in addition to the other lifestyle changes we discussed.
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I enjoyed the conference and I look forward to next years. Thanks!
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This was a unique conference — felt more close to Mother Earth! Great time networking. All the best!
THE COMMENTS BELOW WERE ALL FROM SPEAKERS:
THANK YOU AND GREAT ORGANIZING!!
Thank you so so much for creating such a wonderful event and for including me. Please let me know if/what I can do for you in the future, I would love to support you in future projects.
Gratefully,
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What a great conference. I am honored to have been one of the speakers. I don’t think that I have met a more amazing and inspiring group of doctors and other health professionals who all seem to be on the same page, in the same book.
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Just wanted to thank you VERY much for such a terrific company at the conference!!! special thanks to you and your volunteers for making sure the conference goes so well as it did.
I don’t know about you, but I felt inspired being in the presence of so many like-minded and passionate and very nice people. Once again, many thanks for this great conference.
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I am still talking about the conference. It was amazing. I will repeat: You did an amazing job.
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Once again GREAT JOB. Congrats on a very successful first year. Thank you for the invitation and opportunity to join you. I look forward to being of service again in the future.
Once again congratulations on a job well done.
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Thank you again for organizing and hosting such a great conference, what an amazing effort!
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Thank you for the opportunity. Thank you so much for hosting me at P-POD. I had a great time and had a chance to meet so many interesting people, including you, the past few days. The whole experience was really inspiring. Thank you very much for all the effort you put in to making it happen. You are an amazing person to pull off such an event. Bless you!
Hope we meet again soon,
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Thanks again for having me as a speaker. I heard nothing but raving reviews from conference attendees and the speakers. You did an amazing job. Hats off.
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Thank you very much for the invitation to join the conference. You were a phenomenal host. Best wishes on everything you are doing.
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I hope that you get some much needed rest soon.
The event was amazing. I have such gratitude and appreciation for all the work that you, and the volunteers, did.
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Thank you so much for the fantastic weekend,
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Many thanks for being such a gracious and terrific host. It was great to see/meet everyone.
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what a great job you’ve done creating this so far! Thank you for having me as part of it.
It was an honor and a pleasure to be part of this event and to connect with all of you!
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Thanks once again for the invitation to the conference and for your gentle approach. I haven’t enjoyed listening to a conference moderator as much in a long while. I found your approach to be very kind and yet succinct. This was one of the most clinically applicable conferences I’ve been to in a long while. I will use more scientific evidence in counseling patients.
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Thanks again for inviting me! I hope to be a part of next year’s event. What a hit!
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I am still feeling the love from the weekend.
Kudos to you for all that you did to bring us together.
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Thank you again for including me in P-POD. Your incredibly hard work paid off.
I hope you have time to relax and recuperate!
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Very well organized talks, great speakers. I will use the resources available to empower my patients.
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I wanted to first of all thank you for organizing a wonderful conference- Thank you for letting me be part of it.
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It was wonderful to meet you all and spend the weekend with kindred researchers and practitioners.
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This conference will improve my patient outcomes through better awareness of breadth and depth of literature; better skills for implementation.
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Had a blast in Asheville and learned from the valuable speakers.
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Once again thanks for inviting me to this amazing conference.
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