Sukhinder Cheema

Dr. Sukhinder Cheema is a Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry in the Department of Biochemistry at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN). She holds the title of University Research P rofessor, a designation above the rank of full professor. She has held the CIHR New Investigator Award (2001‐2006) and has received several other awards for her research. Dr. Cheema has served as the President of the Canadian Nutrition Society (CNS) and is currently the past-president. She has served on the Advisory Board for the CIHR Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes, and is serving on the Aging Research Center Board, MUN. Her research focuses on how maternal diet influence pregnancy outcomes, fetal growth and development, and the regulation of metabolic pathways of the offspring including brain function and health. Her research incorporates both basic science and clinical research; she collaborates with clinicians on the importance of maternal nutrition, breast milk composition, and future health of the newborn. Dr. Cheema has received $19M (CAD) in funding as a PI/Co-PI from national granting agencies, hospital foundations and industry for her research. She has served on CIHR, NSERC, NFRF, and HSFC grant review panels, and is on the editorial board of international peer-reviewed journals. She has played a key role to establish collaborations between MUN and several universities in India, where she is promoting nutrition research and community outreach programs on healthy eating to improve outcomes of impoverished and vulnerable communities. She is dedicated to highlighting the barriers faced by historically excluded or marginalized groups working both within the field, and most impacted by nutrition‐based discrimination. She is also involved in several community outreach programs in St. John's to promote healthy eating, and access to restorative justice.