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Daiva E. Nielsen

Assistant Professor; Director, Mary Emily Clinical Nutrition Research Centre (MECNRU)

T: 514-398-7677 | daiva.nielsen [at] mcgill.ca (Email) | Macdonald-Stewart Building MS2-035 | Biosketch | Twitter: @DaivaNielsen

Degrees

BSc University of Toronto
PhD University of Toronto

Short Bio

Daiva Nielsen completed her graduate work at the University of Toronto in the areas of nutrigenomics and personalized nutrition. She went on to conduct postdoctoral research in translation genomics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA, USA, where she was involved in some of the first clinical trials aimed at evaluating the medical, behavioural and economic outcomes of incorporating genomic sequencing into medical practice. Dr. Nielsen’s training background has provided her with skills in dietary assessment, behaviour modification, genomics and knowledge translation. Her research goals include combining genomic and environmental exposure information together, including retail food exposures and sensory aspects of food, to better understand the complexities around human eating behaviour. She aims to apply her research findings to develop novel tailored intervention studies to promote healthful eating and ensure optimal knowledge translation to key players including food industry and health professionals.

Research Interests

Evaluating how genetic variation and everyday food exposures are linked to eating behaviour and indicators of health. The overall goal of my research program is to design genetically-informed dietary interventions to promote healthful eating.