Dr. Anthea Christoforou

Assistant Professor

  • The overarching goal of my research is to examine how nutrition and other chronic disease prevention policies impact on our diets and health. My research program draws on a variety of data sources such as food availability data, population level health surveys, and consumer awareness studies to assess the intended and unintended consequences of public health efforts while also making important considerations of existing health and nutrition inequalities in our population. Although the research in my lab primarily leverages current and emergent methodologies in nutritional epidemiology, it also integrates research approaches from health economics, chronic disease physiology and social and behavior sciences and includes close collaborations with Health Canada, the WHO, and other policy actors.

Angelina Baric

PhD Student and Research Coordinator

  • My research explores the complex relationships between ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption and health across the lifespan. I am particularly interested in understanding the mechanisms linking UPF intake to cardiometabolic health outcomes and how nutritional quality and dietary patterns mediate these effects. Much of my work focuses on children, examining how UPF consumption influences growth, development, and chronic disease risk in early life. I also investigate factors associated with UPF consumption in youth, with the goal of advancing evidence to guide nutrition interventions and policies that promote optimal health.

    Email: barica1@mcmaster.ca
    LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/angelina-baric

Owen Bruce

MSc Student

  • My research focuses on supplemented foods—products with discretionary nutrient and ingredient additions—and their implications for consumer behavior and public health nutrition.
    Building on national surveillance data (e.g., Canadian Health Measures Survey) and real-world retail and labeling studies, I examine patterns of supplemented beverage consumption among children and adolescents and the potential role of front-of-package warning labels in shaping healthier choices. I am interested in how marketing, availability, and labeling of supplemented foods influence exposure and equity in Canada.

Bhavana Soma

MSc Student

  • I’m curious about how everyday choices like what we eat and how we move affect health. Using large datasets (NHANES and CLSA), my thesis links dietary patterns to healthy aging in women, examining factors such as age at natural menopause, muscle and bone outcomes, mental health, sleep, and quality of life, with the goal of informing nutritional guidelines and policy.

Lauryn Flannagan

MSc Student

  • I am a graduate student investigating the mechanisms underlying associations between ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption and adverse health outcomes. My work incudes observational epidemiological analyses to examine dietary patterns, UPF intake, and their relationships with various non-communicable diseases. I am also interested in dietary assessment methods for UPF intake, with a focus on food classification systems and approaches to estimate exposure in large-scale datasets. 

Zaid Chaudhary

Undergraduate Thesis Student

  • My research interest lies mainly in family and childhood health. My current thesis project is classifying Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs) in the HOPP Study to analyze preschoolers' dietary eating patterns and understand the link between UPF consumption and body composition.


Jessica Vaughan

Undergraduate Thesis Student

  • My project uses dietary data collected for preschool-aged children in the HOPP study. I examine nutrition patterns and dietary trends in early childhood to see possible health outcomes and influence future health policy.

Rei Chiew

Undergraduate Thesis Student

  • I have a keen interest in how people understand and use nutritional information in their everyday lives. My undergraduate thesis focuses on supplemented foods and consumer engagement with their labelling. The project examines how regulations, marketing, and consumer behaviour intersect to influence public understanding and decision-making around supplemented food products.

Olivia Wilson

Undergraduate Thesis Student

  • My project explores the endocrine-disrupting effects of ultra-processed food using nationally representative data. This work aims to clarify how food processing influences long-term health and inform nutrition guidance and food policy.

Ela Jamal

Undergraduate Thesis Student

  • I am interested in how social and economic inequalities shape access to nutritious foods and how public policy can promote greater equity in nutrition and overall well-being. My project focuses on Canadian household spending on ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and how these patterns vary across socioeconomic groups, such as income, immigrant status, and household composition, and how these patterns have changed overtime.

Adriana Gillis

Undergraduate Project Student

  • I am a third year Honours Life Sciences student, currently contributing to the HOPP study. My research interests include the health impacts of ultra-processed foods, particularly how they affect the body beyond their nutrient composition.