About Dr. Prado
Dr. Carla Prado, PhD, RD
Education & Training:
Visiting Professor - University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center, Honolulu-HI
Visiting Professor - Institute for Ageing and Health, Newcastle University, UK.
Postdoctoral Fellowship - NIDDK, National Institutes of Health, USA.
Postdoctoral Fellowship - Department of Oncology/Cross Cancer Institute, University of Alberta, Canada.
Doctorate - Nutrition & Metabolism, Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Alberta, Canada.
Postgraduate Degree (Specialist) - Academic Teaching, Educational Foundation of Goias, Brazil.
Undergraduate - Nutrition/Internship, Federal University of Goias, Brazil.
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.
On a personal note, Carla loves Zumba®, perfumes (she has about 100 bottles), and classic movies and series (favorites include: Murder she Wrote and Gilmore Girls).
Professional Affiliations:
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
American Society for Nutrition
American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN)
Canadian Nutrition Society
College of Dietitians of Alberta,
Dietitians of Canada
European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN)
Society on Sarcopenia, Cachexia and Wasting Disorders
- Provincial
Alberta Diabetes Institute (ADI)
Alberta Transplant Institute
Cancer Research Institute of Northern Alberta (CRINA)
Cardiovascular Research Institute (CVRI)
Women and Children's Health Research Institute (WCHRI)
Approved Bio for scientific meetings: (to be shortened as needed)
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 at the University of Alberta in Canada and a Campus Alberta Innovates (CAIP) Chair in Nutrition, Food and Health. She is the Director of the Human Nutrition Research Unit, a state-of-the-art research and training facility.
Dr. Prado is an expert in assessing nutritional status through the precise measurement of body composition and energy metabolism. Her research has shown for the first time the prevalence and clinical implications of sarcopenic obesity (concurrent appearance of low muscle and high fat) in cancer, and has provided evidence of the independent effect of body composition on cancer recurrence, treatment and survival. The focus of her current research program is to develop targeted nutrition interventions for the prevention and treatment of low muscle mass in patients with cancer. She is currently the Principal Investigator of four randomized controlled trials investigating the impact of nutrition intervention on body composition and health.
Dr. Prado holds a dietitian title from both Canada and Brazil. She 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 University of Hawaiʻi (USA). She is currently a member of the GLIM Body Composition Working Group, the Sarcopenic Obesity Consensus Group (ESPEN/EASO), and Global Leadership Initiative in Sarcopenia (GLIS). She is an Associate Editor of Clinical Nutrition and the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, and Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care. Dr. Prado is a recipient of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40, a prestigious award that celebrates exceptional young Canadian leaders of all sectors. She was recently inducted into the Royal Society of Canada College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists, the highest academic honor in the country.