Sylvia Santosa
As a Canada Research Chair in Clinical Nutrition, Dr. Santosa conducts cutting edge research to identify the long-term effects of obesity, from the cell to the entire body. Weight is a concern of millions of Canadians both on an individual and societal level. Despite existing public policy and individual weight interventions, we are still “growing” as a population with more Canadians overweight than not. The metabolic and cellular mechanisms of why some overweight individuals develop diseases while others do not are not fully understood. Furthermore, in people with diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, we do not fully understand how obesity affects the progression or treatment. Obesity treatment itself remains ineffective as most people who lose weight eventually gain it back. Dr. Santosa applies techniques in biology, physiology and nutrition to investigate and understand the underlying effects of obesity that contribute to weight gain and disease. Results from her studies will promote the development of better public health interventions from disease prevention to management. Dr. Santosa's research has been/is currently funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Canadian Foundation for Dietetic Research, the Quebec Bioimaging Network, the PERFORM Centre, NSERC, and a Canada Research Chair, Tier 2.
2019-2024 Canada Research Chair, Tier 2 – Clinical Nutrition (CIHR)