Dana Olstad

Assistant Professor

Community Health Sciences

Adjunct Academic Professor

Faculty of Kinesiology

PhD - Nutrition and Public Health

University of Alberta, 2014

MSc-Nutrition and Metabolism

University of Alberta, 2002

Registered Dietitian

College of Dietitians of Alberta, 2000

Contact information

Phone

Office: 403.210.8673

Web presence

Lab website

Courses

HSOC 301 Determinants of Health 2017-present 

Research and teaching

Research areas

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

Biography

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

Socioeconomically disadvantaged groups have poorer dietary patterns than their more advantages 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 to accomplish her aims. 

Publications

Scopus: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=35092844600 

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=6_WNRtcAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate 

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9787-9952 

Awards

  • 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