Dana Olstad

Dr. Dana Lee Olstad

PhD, RD

Positions

Associate Professor

Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Community Health Sciences

Adjunct Academic Professor

Faculty of Kinesiology

Adjunct Academic Professor

University of Alberta

Member

Libin Cardiovascular Institute

Member

O'Brien Institute for Public Health

Contact information

Email

dana.olstad@ucalgary.ca

Web presence

Lab website

Phone number

Office: 403-210-8673

Location

Office: TRW3E16

I'm looking for...

Learning opportunities

I am looking for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to work in the areas of public health nutrition, social/nutritional epidemiology and unhealthy food marketing to children.

Background

Credentials

Registered Dietitian, College of Dietitians of Alberta, 2000

Educational Background

Doctor of Philosophy Nutrition and Public Health, University of Alberta, 2014

MSc Nutrition and Metabolism, University of Alberta, 2002

BSc Nutrition and Food Science with Distinction, University of Alberta, 2000

Biography

Dr. Dana Olstad is an Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary.  She holds Adjunct academic appointments in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary, the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta and the School of Public Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo.  She is also a Registered Dietitian.  Her primary expertise encompasses public health nutrition.

Socioeconomically disadvantaged groups have poorer dietary patterns than their more advantaged counterparts, and these differences have negative health consequences across the life course.  As a population and public health scholar and Registered Dietitian, Dr. Olstad's research investigates trends in socioeconomic inequities in diet quality and health, the structural drivers of these inequities, and the impact of scalable policy interventions to reduce them. The ultimate purpose of her work is to inform policies, both inside and outside of the health sector, to ensure that all individuals can access nutritious foods in support of their long-term health. Dr. Olstad uses qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods in her research.

Research

Areas of Research

Nutrition policy, Social policy, Socioeconomic inequities, Social determinants of health, Dietary patterns, Dietary and health equity, Food insecurity, Population and public health, Precision public health, Food environments, Food marketing to children

Courses

Course number Course title Semester
HSOC 301 Determinants of Health 2017 - present

Projects

Empowering food insecure Albertans to manage their diabetes through a subsidized healthy food prescription program
Protecting children from unhealthy food and brand marketing in the digital age: A novel artificial intelligence system to assess food and brand marketing on digital media
The impact of the COVID global pandemic and government policy responses on dietary and health inequities among individuals from racial/ethnic minority groups: A mixed methods, solution-focused investigation
Does the BC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Coupon Program improve the dietary behaviours and psychosocial well-being of low-income adults?

Awards

  • Early Career Researcher Partnership Prize, CIHR Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes and Canadian Nutrition Society. 2022
  • Emerging Research Leader Award, O’Brien Institute for Public Health, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. 2019
  • Petro-Canada Young Innovator Award in Community Health, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. 2019
  • Early Career Researcher Invited Keynote Presentation, International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity Annual Meeting, Hong Kong. 2018
  • Early Career Researcher Award and Invited Keynote Presentation, Australia and New Zealand Obesity Society. 2015
  • Best abstract nominee, Socioeconomic Inequalities Special Interest Group, International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity Annual Meeting (virtual due to COVID). 2020
  • Best abstract nominee , Socioeconomic Inequalities Special Interest Group, International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity Annual Meeting, Prague. 2019
  • Best abstract nominee, Socioeconomic Inequalities Special Interest Group, International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity Annual Meeting, Hong Kong. 2018

Publications

Scopus

Google Scholar

ORCID

In the News

More Information

Other appointments: Adjunct Academic Professor, School of Public Health Sciences, University of Waterloo