Assistant Professor
University of Toronto, Canada
Dr. Laura Chiavaroli recently joined the Department of Nutritional Sciences, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto as an Assistant Professor with an appointment at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital as Affiliate Scientist. She completed her MSc and PhD in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto and Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Centre, St. Michael’s Hospital with Dr. David Jenkins where she conducted multidisciplinary randomized controlled trials on dietary patterns for diabetes and cardiovascular risk management. She completed her first post-doctoral fellowship training at the University of Parma, Italy, where she developed course content on trial methodology and explored variables affecting glycemic response. She then received a Mitacs Elevate scholarship for a post-doctoral fellowship with Dr. John Sievenpiper at the Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto and the Canadian Sugar Institute where she expanded her skillset to include nutritional epidemiology, specifically in the conduct of large systematic reviews and meta-analyses including a series on the effects of important food sources of fructose-containing sugars on cardiometabolic outcomes, as well as analyses of national survey data using the Canadian Community Health Survey to explore associations between sugars and nutrient intakes. In the last few years of her post-doctoral fellowship, she expanded her experience in knowledge translation strategies, including patient- and physician-facing resource development and web-based mobile app development. Her current research focus is on developing tools and strategies to translate clinical practice guidelines on dietary patterns and Canadian Food Policy, including strategies to change food environments and health service delivery models, to assess uptake, adherence and effectiveness for the prevention and management of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Her work includes strong collaboration with stakeholders, particularly those at high cardiovascular risk, and practices to address equity, diversity and inclusivity throughout. She also has a great interest in education and mentorship.