Ms. Cynthia Colapinto
Ph.D. Candidate

Degrees and Professional Designations:

  • Registered Dietitian (College of Dietitians of Ontario)
  • Masters of Science in Applied Human Nutrition (Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax)
  • Dietetic Internship (St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto)
  • Bachelor of Science in Nutrition (Acadia University, Wolfville, NS)
  • Honours Bachelor of Science in Psychology (McMaster University, Hamilton)

Awards:

  • Health Professional Fellowship Award (CIHR)
  • Excellence Scholarship (University of Ottawa)
  • Tom Symons Fellowship (Statistics Canada, 2009)
  • Graduate student award (Dietitians of Canada, 2010)

Supervisor:

Dr. Mark Tremblay

Research Program:

  • PhD in Population Health – University of Ottawa
  • Graduate Diploma in Health Services and Policy Research – Ontario Training Centre in Health Services and Policy Research/University of Ottawa

Thesis Topic:

Examining the folate status of Canadians, in particular women of childbearing age, using the Canadian Health Measures Survey

Mini-biography:

Cynthia is a Registered Dietitian and Doctoral candidate at the University of Ottawa. Her research interests lie in maternal/child nutrition and epidemiology. She completed her dietetic internship at St. Michael’s Hospital and obtained her BSc in nutrition from Acadia University and Honours BSc in psychology from McMaster University.

Upon completion of her Master of Science degree at Mount Saint Vincent University, Cynthia gained four years of front-line experience as a Public Health Nutritionist with the Sudbury & District Health Unit primarily working in the area of maternal and child nutrition. Working with the community and chairing a provincial family health nutrition advisory group provided critical insights into health and policy issues that could benefit from research, including the need to understand the current folate status of women of childbearing age.

Her dissertation research is an examination of the folate status of Canadians, in particular women of childbearing age, using Statistics Canada’s Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS). This research provides a novel opportunity to inform policy with respect to food fortification and prenatal supplementation recommendations for the Canadian population, and to improve the reproductive health of women and optimize infant health.

In June 2011, Cynthia was appointed as a Council Member for District 4 (Eastern) by the College of Dietitians of Ontario.

Cynthia enjoys photography, cooking, walking, running, yoga, travel and music.