Members of the Expert Advisory Group on the National Nutrition Pregnancy Guidelines

As of February 2011, the Expert Advisory Group is no longer active. The work of this committee has now concluded.

Aline Allain-Doiron
Miramichi, New Brunswick

Aline Allain-Doiron is a Public Health Nutritionist-Dietitian with the Miramichi Regional Health Authority. In 1979, she obtained a BSc in Nutrition at Université de Moncton and completed a dietetic internship at the Queen Elizabeth Health Science Center in Halifax in 1980. For fourteen years she was employed at the Miramichi Hospital where she worked as a Clinical Nutrition Coordinator in a number of services, including obstetrics. She has been working with Public Health for the past thirteen years and has gained valuable experience in delivering services to high-risk pregnant women through programs such as the Early Childhood Initiatives (ECI). She has been an active member of both regional and provincial committees, such as the ECI advisory committees. Aline is the current chair of the Regional Baby-Friendly Initiative (BFI) Committee and the regional representative on the Provincial BFI Committee. She is also very involved in the implementation of a support group for pregnant women and new mothers (0 to 24 months) called 'Mommies and Tummies'. This program is the result of a National Demonstration Pilot Project 'Breastfeeding, Healthy Eating, Active Living: Natural tools for Diabetes Prevention'.

Andrée Gruslin
Ottawa, Ontario

Dr. Andrée Gruslin, M.D. FRCS is an Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa , and the Director of the University's post-graduate residency training program in obstetrics and gynaecology (OBS-GYN). In 1989, she obtained her medical degree from the University of Ottawa . In 1994, she completed her Residency Training in OBS-GYN, followed by a Fellowship Training in Maternal-Fetal Medicine in San Diego . Her research interests include placental growth and development, as it relates to the progression of fetal growth restriction and pre-eclampsia. Her clinical research has focused on the diagnosis and treatment of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. She has published over 45 papers/chapters and has presented at numerous national and international meetings. At the University of Ottawa , Andrée is the current chair of the postgraduate training committee, and a member of two other postgraduate training committees. She is also serving a three year term as Examiner with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. She recently obtained funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to develop a risk scoring system for women with preeclampsia and to continue her studies on the regulation of feto-placental growth.

Sheila M. Innis
Vancouver, British Columbia

Dr. Sheila Innis is a Professor at the Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia, and the Director of the Nutrition and Metabolism Program at the Child and Family Research Institute. She also holds a scientific and professional staff appointment at the Children's and Women's Hospital in Vancouver. In 1981, she completed her PhD in nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto and joined the University of British Columbia in 1983 as a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Sheila has a long-standing research and academic career in nutrition, growth and development. Her expertise relates largely to the role of lipids and essential fatty acids. She has over 170 peer-reviewed publications and has been continuously funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) for the last two decades. She has served on numerous committees and expert panels, including the Institute of Medicine Dietary Reference Panel on macronutrients, and the Health Canada Task Force on Trans Fatty Acids. She has also provided expert advice to the US Environmental Protection Agency panels on the risks of methyl mercury from seafoods as a developmental neurotoxin. Currently, Sheila is preparing a manuscript on the results of a randomized intervention study on omega-3 fatty acids. The study focuses on dietary intakes, maternal status and the impact on child development.

Kristine G. Koski
Montreal, Quebec

Dr. Kristine Koski is Director of the School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition and is an Associate Professor in the Division of Experimental Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University. In 1985, she obtained a PhD in Nutrition from the University of California-Davis. From 1985 to 1988, she was the recipient of the prestigious American Institute of Nutrition/Nestle Fellowship in Maternal and Child Nutrition. Her 20 year scientific career, which has been funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and Fonds québécois de recherche sur la nature et les technologies, has focused on maternal and child nutrition. Her research interests include pregnancy and lactation in humans and animal models and the nutritional composition of amniotic fluid and its relationship with fetal growth. Her international work focuses on dietary intakes during pregnancy and the role of vitamin A, iron, and folate supplementation on maternal and child health. Kristine has over 60 peer reviewed publications and several published invited reviews and keynote presentations. In 1998, she participated on an expert panel for Health Canada on the implementation of the Dietary Reference Intakes. Currently, she serves on a grant review panel for CIHR.

Michel Lucas
Quebec, Quebec

Nutritionist-Epidemiologist, Michel Lucas holds a position as Research Associate at the Public Health Research Unit, Laval University Medical Research Centre (CHUQ). He is currently finishing a PhD in Epidemiology at Laval University. His PhD project title is "An enriched eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) omega-3 fatty acid supplement in the treatment of psychological distress and depressive symptoms among midlife women: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial". In 2008, he will be pursuing a Post-Doctorate in Epidemiology and Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health with Dr. Walter Willett. His research interests include omega-3 fatty acids in relation to mental health and pregnancy, and the impact of marine fatty acids and environmental contaminants on health. Throughout his graduate studies, Michel received a number of awards and contributed to many different research projects. For instance, he was a co-investigator in 2004-05, in determining the fatty acids and environmental contaminants in wild and farm Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout. Through a grant received from the Sick Kids Foundation, Michel is currently a co-investigator for a clinical intervention on docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) among breastfeeding mothers who have prematurely delivered. He is also co-investigator on a grant application for a nutritional intervention on marine omega-3 fatty acids among pregnant women with low socio-economic status.

Laura A. Magee (member since 2009)
Vancouver, British Columbia

Dr. Laura Magee is a general internist with training in medical complications of pregnancy, clinical epidemiology, and clinical pharmacology/reproductive toxicology. She currently holds a position as Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia. Her current clinical practice, based at the BC Women's Hospital and Health Centre, spans the spectrum of obstetric medicine, with particular interest in the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. She obtained Royal College Certification in both Internal Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology in 1992 and 1994, respectively, before undertaking a two-year post-graduate clinical research fellowship in Oxford and London, UK. In 1996, she obtained a MSc in Community Health from the University of Toronto. Dr. Magee's research focus is on pre-existing and gestational hypertension, with particular interest in blood pressure control in pregnancy and its impact on perinatal outcomes. She is the principal investigator on numerous multicentre research projects, including CIHR-funded projects such as the "Control of Hypertension In Pregnancy Study" (CHIPS) pilot and main trials, as well as the inaugural project of the Canadian Perinatal Network titled "Birth under 29 weeks". She has also been a medical consultant to the British Columbia Perinatal Health Programme (BCPHP) since 2007.

Ann Montgomery
Ottawa, Ontario

Ann Montgomery is an associate midwife and preceptor with the Midwifery Collective of Ottawa. In 1994, she received a BSc Hon in Nutritional Biochemistry from the University of Ottawa and later completed a BHSc in Midwifery from Ryerson University. Since 2005, she has been working towards an MSc in Epidemiology from the University of London in the UK. Her final project is on measuring maternal morbidity in the Sub-Sahara, Africa. She has been involved for a number of years with maternal health projects in Nepal, addressing training of midwives and access to emergency obstetric care. Ann is also a contributor to a recently published book focusing on women's health in the majority world. She currently sits on the Council of the College of Midwives of Ontario.

Michelle F. Mottola (member since 2009)
London, Ontario

Dr. Michelle Mottola is an anatomist and exercise physiologist who has a Joint Position as an Associate Professor in the School of Kinesiology at the Faculty of Health Sciences, and the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology in the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. At the University of Western Ontario, she is Director of the R. Samuel McLaughlin Foundation - Exercise and Pregnancy Laboratory, which is the only laboratory in North America specializing in the area of exercise in the prenatal and postpartum period. In the past 20 years, she has conducted research on the effects of maternal exercise on both the mother and the developing fetus, and more recently into the postpartum period. She has published over 65 papers on the topic of exercise during pregnancy. Her research also led to a co-authorship on the Canadian Society of Exercise Physiologists PARmed-X for Pregnancy, which contains Canadian exercise guidelines for pregnant women. Her current research focuses on the impact of exercise during pregnancy on chronic disease risks for both the mother and her offspring. She is currently investigating the effects of the "Nutrition & Exercise Lifestyle Intervention Program" during the prenatal and postpartum period on overweight and obese women, and women diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

Deborah L O'Connor
Toronto, Ontario

Dr. Deborah O'Connor is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto. She also serves as Director of Clinical Dietetics and as Senior Associate Scientist in the Research Institute of The Hospital for Sick Children. In 1989, Deborah obtained a PhD in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Illinois. She is a former associate professor ath the University of Guelph and The Ohio State University. She also served as a Senior Group Leader of the Premature Infant Nutrition Research Group at Abbott Laboratories in Columbus, Ohio. She has published extensively in her research areas of maternal and infant nutrition, folate metabolism, and multi-nutrient fortification of mother's milk for low birth weight infants. Deborah is a frequent conference presenter and is involved in many professional and scholarly societies. She has served on numerous advisory boards, such as Health Canada's expert advisory group on folic acid and the prevention of neural tube defects. Her research is funded in part by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). She is also the recipient of a grant to investigate folate metabolism during pregnancy and lactation by Mead Johnson/Heinz/Weston.

Kay Yee
Regina, Saskatchewan

Kay Yee has been employed with the Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region as a Nutritionist for the Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program (CPNP) since 1999. She obtained a BSc in Foods and Nutrition in 1965 at the University of Wisconsin and completed a dietetic internship a year later at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston. Kay has divided her work life between public health, clinical dietetics and the private sector. She has extensive experience working with marginalized populations, both in Canada and abroad. A recurring theme has been the health and well-being of women and children. She has been a member and chair of a number of committees and boards, and has been an active volunteer in her community for over thirty years, most recently as a member of the CPNP/CAPC National Advisory Committee on Food Security. Kay's deep interest in food of all kinds and how it is grown, marketed, prepared, consumed and commoditised continues to be her enduring passion.