Dr. Sarah Purcell
Assistant Professor
University of British Columbia
Applied (Clinical and Engineering Applications)
The ultimate goal of my research is to identify evidence-based nutrition strategies to mitigate the burden of obesity and chronic disease. My research builds upon key concepts of nutrition, energy balance regulation, and body composition to:
1) Characterize energy intake requirements and the determinants of such
2) Assess how perturbations in energy balance (e.g., energy intake restriction, exercise) impact other physiological and behavioral outcomes
Nutritional status and energy balance are regulated by a complex system of physiological, behavioral, and psychological parameters. As such, I utilize several techniques to characterize energy balance parameters including doubly labeled water, body composition assessment, hormonal regulators of appetite, “weigh and measure” methods of objective dietary intake, dietary records and recalls, ecological momentary assessment, and questionnaires of appetite and eating behavior. My aim as a professional is to work collaboratively with faculty and graduate students from both UBC campuses and support knowledge translation through partnerships with health professionals and communities across the BC Interior.
