About Dr. Prado

Dr. Carla Prado, PhD, RD

Education & Training:

Dr. Carla Prado picture

Dr. Carla Prado completed her Nutrition degree and internship at the Federal University of Goias, in her home Country of Brazil. She then received her Ph.D. in Nutrition and Metabolism at the University of Alberta and underwent post-doctoral training at the Cross Cancer Institute, Canada and at the National Institutes of Health, USA. She joined the faculty at Florida State University in 2011 as a tenure-track Assistant Professor. In 2013, she spend time at Newcastle University (UK) as a visiting professor. In 2014, Dr. Prado returned to her beloved University of Alberta, where she is now a (Full) Professor and Campus Alberta Innovate Program Chair in Nutrition, Food and Health. She is also the director of the Human Nutrition Research Unit, the best of its kind in Canada.

Dr. Prado has received several research, teaching and service awards. She has published over 230 highly cited publications and has been a guest speaker at over 240 Conferences worldwide. Carla is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle (IF: 12.06) and of Clinical Nutrition (IF: 7.64), and Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care (IF: 3.62). She serves as a consultant for several nutrition and pharmaceutical companies interested in preventing/reversing muscle loss associated with clinical conditions. Additionally, Dr. Prado has a strong teaching background (including a postgraduate degree in Academic Teaching) and is a member of several committees and task forces nationally and internationally.

Carla has shared her expertise in many high-profile media outlets such as Forbes, The Atlantic, Marie Claire, Women’s Health and The Globe and Mail. As a champion for women in science, Carla was featured as a prominent Canadian scientist on the CBC documentary Ms. Scientist. Her work is also featured at Edmonton’s Telus World of Science, a broad-based science centre supporting science education.

She is passionate about knowledge translation and has dedicated substantial time of her research program to connect with health care professionals and members of the greater community.


Professional Affiliations: 

 - Provincial


Approved Bio for scientific meetings:

Carla Prado, PhD, RD

Professor, University of Alberta;

CAIP Chair in Nutrition, Food & Health;

Director, Human Nutrition Research Unit

Dr. Carla Prado is a Professor and Registered Dietitian at the University of Alberta, and a Campus Alberta Innovates (CAIP) Chair in Nutrition, Food and Health. She is the Director of the Human Nutrition Research Unit, one of the top research and training facilities for body composition and energy metabolism assessments worldwide.

Carla is an expert in assessing nutritional status through the precise measurement of body composition and energy metabolism. The focus of her current research program is to investigate the prevalence and health outcomes of abnormal body composition phenotypes in patients with diverse chronic conditions. She is also developing targeted nutrition interventions to optimize body composition, particularly muscle mass in these patients. She is currently leading six randomized controlled trials and a number of other clinical studies investigating the impact of nutrition intervention on energy metabolism, body composition and health.

Dr. Prado received her Ph.D. from the University of Alberta, Canada, and has completed further training at the Cross Cancer Institute (Canada), the National Institutes of Health (USA), Newcastle University (UK), and the University of Hawaii Cancer Center (USA). She is an Associate Editor of Clinical Nutrition, the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, and Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care. Dr. Prado was recently inducted into the Royal Society of Canada, the highest academic honor in the country for early career researchers, and has received the title of Most Powerful Women in Canada: Top 100.


Approved Bio for scientific meetings: (short version)  

Dr. Carla Prado is a Professor and Registered Dietitian at the University of Alberta, and a Campus Alberta Innovates (CAIP) Chair in Nutrition, Food and Health. She is the Director of the Human Nutrition Research Unit, one of the top research and training facilities for body composition and energy metabolism assessments worldwide.

Carla is an expert in assessing nutritional status through the precise measurement of body composition and energy metabolism. She is an Associate Editor of Clinical Nutrition, the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, and Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and  Metabolic Care. Dr. Prado is a member of the Royal Society of Canada, the highest academic honor in the country for early career researchers and has recently received the title of Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100.