![](../../../../as/kinesiology/images/faculty/conrad-200x300.jpg)
Zach Conrad
Faculty Affiliate
Office::
109
Phone::
757-221-2037
Email::
[[zsconrad]]
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
- 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 (accepted).
- 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 (accepted).
- Conrad, Zach; DiStaso, Chloe;* Korol, Madison;* Rose, Donald (2024). Augmenting the national nutrition data system to promote diet sustainability analyses. Current Developments in Nutrition (online ahead of print).
- 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 (online ahead of print).
- 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.