I created the Aging Epi research group because I am a) an epidemiologist who is getting older (aging!) by the day and b) interested in research on aging. I am particularly interested in novel and advanced methods for studying health and disease in older adults. The substantive focus of my research program is obesity, age-related change in body composition, and chronic disease risk. I seek to better understand heterogeneity in obesity-related outcomes, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and mortality, by age, sex, race, and ethnicity. I am deeply committed to women’s health research and am an active co-investigator with the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study. I am also very interested in epidemiologic methods, particularly related to causal inference and quantitative bias analysis.

I was recently appointed the inaugural Novo Nordisk Professor in Health Equity and Chronic Illness Prevention as part of the University of Toronto’s Novo Nordisk Network for Healthy Populations. In this role, I will lead cross-disciplinary and collaborative research studies on health equity and diabetes risk in older adults.

When I am not working, I’m usually spending time with my husband, Matt, and our three boys (Dylan, Henry, and Davie). I spend most of my non-academic hours refereeing the kids’ wrestling matches and driving them to various sport practices or activities. I really like watching reality tv and popcorn. I love coffee, audiobooks, and my Peloton.

I believe strongly in the value of mentorship and am an advocate for kindness in academia. If you have questions about my work or want to ask me questions about your work, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I view science as a team sport; I am a much better researcher because of the terrific mentorship I have received in my career and the outstanding colleague/friends that I get to collaborate with on a daily basis.