Zach Conrad

Google Scholar Profile

ZachSConrad.com

Area of Specialization:

Nutritional epidemiology and food systems

Background:

Dr. Conrad's research combines methods from data science, nutritional epidemiology, and food systems science to examine the complex interactions between diet quality, environmental sustainability, and affordability. Specifically, his research focuses on how population-level dietary changes affect cardiometabolic disease, greenhouse gas emissions, natural resource use, sustainable food production, and diet cost. He is the primary investigator for several research projects that address these issues at the local, regional, and national levels.

Education and Training:

• Postdoctoral Research Scientist, US Department of Agriculture, 2016-2019
• Postdoctoral Scholar, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, 2015-2016 
• PhD, Nutrition and Food Systems, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, 2015
• MS, Public Health and Food Systems, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, 2010
• MPH, Nutrition, School of Medicine, Tufts University, 2010
• BA, Biology and Anthropology, Human Health and Food Systems, Trent University, 2007

Courses Taught:

• Basic Science of Nutrition (KINE 350)
• Nutrition in Health and Disease (KINE 354)
• Nutrition Across the Lifecycle (KINE 357)
• Population Nutrition, Policy, and Programs (KINE 361)
• Sustainable Food Systems and Diets (KINE 362)

Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications:

*Student co-author

• Conrad, Zach; Thorne-Lyman, Andrew L.; Wu, Songze;* DiStaso, Chloe;* Korol, Madison;* Love, David C. (2024). Are healthier diets more sustainable? A cross-sectional assessment of 8 diet quality indexes and 7 sustainability metrics. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (accepted).
• Conrad, Zach; Korol, Madison;* DiStaso, Chloe;* Wu, Songze.* (2024). Greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet pattern in the United States is associated with sustainability trade-offs. Nutrition Journal (accepted).
• Ilayan, Alaa; Dustin, Dakota; Kowalski, Corina;* Belury, Martha A; Johnson, LuAnn K; Conrad, Zach. (2024). Micronutrient inadequacy differs by intake of fat amount and class among adults that consume a restricted carbohydrate diet: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007-2018. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (accepted).
• Blackstone, Nicole Tichenor; Battaglia, Kyra; Rodríguez-Huerta, Edgar; Bell, Brooke M; Decker Sparks, Jessica L; Cash, Sean B; Conrad, Zach; Nikkhah, Amin; Jackson, Bethany; Matteson, Julia; Gao, Shijun; Fuller, Kathy; Zhang, Fang Fang; Webb, Patrick. (2024). Diets cannot be sustainable without ensuring the well-being of communities, workers, and animals in food value chains. Nature Food (accepted).
• Drewnowski, Adam; Conrad, Zach. (2024). Pulse crops: nutrient density, affordability, and environmental impact. Frontiers in Nutrition, 11:1438369.
• Kowalski, Corina*; Dustin, Dakota; Ilayan, Alaa; Johnson, LuAnn K.; Belury, Martha; Conrad, Zach. (2024). Are people consuming the diets they say they are? Self-reported versus estimated adherence to low carbohydrate and low fat diets: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007-2018. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (online ahead of print).
• Conrad, Zach; Wu, Songze;* Johnson, LuAnn K; Kun, Julia F;* Roy, Eric D; Gephart, Jessica A; Bezares, Nayla; Wiipongwii, Troy; Blackstone, Nicole Tichenor; Love, David C. (2024). Foodprint 2.0: A computational simulation model that estimates the agricultural resource requirements of diet patterns. PLOS One, 19:e0306097.
• Conrad, Zach; DiStaso, Chloe;* Korol, Madison;* Rose, Donald (2024). Augmenting the national nutrition data system to promote diet sustainability analyses. Current Developments in Nutrition, 8:103793.
• Rowe, Sarah;* Brady, Catherine;* Sarang, Rhea;* Wiipongwii, Troy; Leu, Matthias; Jennings, Lydia; Peterson, Tomalita; Boston, Juan; Roach, Beth; Phillips, Jessica; Conrad, Zach. (2024). Improving Indigenous food sovereignty through sustainable food production: a narrative review. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 8:1341146.
• Scherer, Laura; Tichenor Blackstone, Nicole; Conrad, Zach; Fulgoni, Victor; Mathers, John; van der Pols, Jolieke; Willett, Walter; Fantke, Peter; Milà i Canals, Llorenç; Pfister, Stephan; Stylianou, Katerina; Weidema, Bo; Jolliet, Olivier. (2024). Accounting for nutrition-related health impacts in food LCA: guidance from an expert workshop. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 29:953-966.
• Unger, Allison; Beal, Ty; Conrad, Zach; Pikosky, Matthew; Brown, Katie. (2024). Opportunities for consistent and holistic metrics to support food systems transformation: a summary of a symposium presented at Nutrition 2023. Current Developments in Nutrition, 5: 102129.
• Angelotti, Austin; Kowalski, Corina;* Johnson, LuAnn; Belury, Martha; Conrad, Zach. (2024). Restricted carbohydrate diets below 45% energy are not associated with risk of mortality in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999-2018. Frontiers in Nutrition, 11:1225674.