Stephanie Atkinson, Ph.D.
Professor and Associate Chair (Research), Pediatrics, McMaster University
Email:
satkins@mcmaster.ca Alternate Link:
http://fhs.mcmaster.ca/pediatrics_research/atkinson_stephanie.html
Dr. Atkinson is Professor and Associate Chair (Research) in the Department of
Pediatrics and Associate Member of the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical
Sciences at McMaster University. Recently, she was appointed adjunct research scientist
in Pediatrics/Neonatology at the Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute in
California, U.S. Dr. Atkinson’s lifetime research has centered on skeletal development in
infancy and childhood and the negative effects of disease and/or drug therapy on growth
and bone accretion in relation to pediatric obesity, cancers such as leukemia, cystic
fibrosis, rheumatoid diseases and epilepsy. At present, she is co-leading a prospective,
longitudinal birth cohort study aimed to examine the environmental, genetic and
biochemical factors as determinants of childhood obesity, type 2 diabetes, and risk of
cardiovascular and osteoporotic diseases.
Dr. Atkinson has broad experience serving as a health professional consultant to
governmental and professional agencies. Currently she is an Executive member of the
Scientific Advisory Council for Osteoporosis Canada and was recently appointed by
CIHR to the Institute Advisory Board of the Institute for Nutrition, Metabolism and
Diabetes and also elected as a Fellow in the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.. She
also serves on the Board of Trustees of the International Life Sciences Institute for North
America, the Grants Advisory Committee of the SickKids Foundation, the executive of
the CIHR Canadian Child Health Clinician Scientists’ Strategic Training Program and the
Paediatric Expert Advisory Committee of Health Products and Food Branch of Health
Canada.