
Zach Conrad
Assistant Professor
Office::
109
Phone::
757-221-2037
Email::
[[zsconrad]]
Area of Specialization:
Nutritional epidemiology and food systems
Background:
Dr. Conrad’s research utilizes large datasets and modeling techniques to examine the complex interactions between food choice, diet quality, and environmental sustainability. Specifically, his research focuses on how population-level dietary changes affect health outcomes, natural resource use, and sustainable food production, with an emphasis on low-income and other nutritionally vulnerable populations.
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; Johnson, LuAnn K; Belury, Martha A; Conrad, Zach. (2023). Fat intake modifies the association between restricted carbohydrate diets and prevalent cardiometabolic diseases among adults in the United States: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999-2018. Current Developments in Nutrition, 7 :100019.
- Rowe, Sarah*; Tukun, Avonti Basak; Johnson, LuAnn K.; Love, David C; Belury, Martha A; Conrad, Zach. (2022). Consumption of key food groups by individuals consuming popular diet patterns: mixed effects of replacing foods high in added sugar, sodium, saturated fat, and refined grains. Nutrients, 14: 5226.
- Love, David C.; Asche, Frank; Gephart, Jessica A; Zhu, Jiafeng; Garlock, Taryn; Stoll, Joshua S.; Anderson, James; Conrad, Zach; Nussbaumer, Elizabeth M; Thorne-Lyman, Andrew L; Bloem, Martin W. (2022). Identifying opportunities for aligning production and consumption in United States fisheries by considering seasonality. Reviews in Fisheries Science and Aquaculture (online ahead of print).
- Conrad, Zach; Kowalski, Corina*; Dustin, Dakota; Johnson, LuAnn K; McDowell, Acree*; Salesses, Meredith*; Nance, Julie; Belury, Martha A. (2022). Quality of popular diet patterns in the United States: evaluating the effect of substitutions for foods high in added sugar, sodium, saturated fat, and refined grains. Current Developments in Nutrition, 6: nzac119
- Conrad, Zach; Cyril, Ashley*; Kowalski, Corina*; Jackson, Erin; Hendrickx, Brittany*; Lan, Jessie Jie; McDowell, Acree*; Salesses, Meredith*; Love, David C; Wiipongwii, Troy; Zhang, Fang Fang; Blackstone, Nicole Tichenor. (2022). Diet sustainability analyses can be improved with updates to the Food Commodity Intake Database. Frontiers in Nutrition, 9:868485.
- Love, David C; Thorne-Lyman, Andrew L; Conrad, Zach; Gephart, Jessica A; Asche, Frank; Godo-Solo, Dakoury; McDowell, Acree*; Nussbaumer, Elizabeth M; Bloem, Martin W. (2022). Affordability influences nutritional quality of seafood consumption among income and race/ethnicity groups in the United States. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 4: 415-425.
- Belury, Martha; Raatz, Susan; Conrad, Zach. (2022). Modeled substitution of traditional oils with high oleic acid oils decreases essential fatty acid intake in children. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 115: 1180-1188.
- Love, David C; Ashe, Frank; Young, Ruth; Nussbaumer, Elizabeth M.; Anderson, James L.; Botta, Robert; Conrad, Zach; Froehlich, Halley E.; Garlock, Taryn M.; Gephart, Jessica A.; Ropicki, Andrew; Stoll, Joshua S.; Thorne-Lyman, Andrew L. (2022). An overview of retail sales of seafood in the United States, 2017-2019. Reviews in Fisheries Science and Aquaculture, 30: 259-270.