Distinguished Professor of Nutrition
College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan
About Dr. Whiting
Dr. Susan Whiting has been a faculty member at the University of Saskatchewan since 1988 and currently serves as a Distinguished Professor of Nutrition in the College of Pharmacy and Nutrition. Her professional affiliations include the Dietitians of Canada, the Canadian Society for Nutritional Sciences, the American Society for Nutrition, and the American Public Health Association.
For over three decades, Dr. Whiting has dedicated her career to advancing understanding of how nutrition influences bone health. Since the early 2000s, vitamin D has been a key component of her research, with a focus on dietary intake, supplementation, and public health outcomes.
Key Contributions and Research
- Led numerous studies examining how dietary factors and vitamin D status affect bone health, particularly in older adults.
- Currently leading a long-term study on hip fracture incidence in Saskatchewan nursing homes, assessing whether vitamin D supplementation helps reduce fracture risk.
- Conducting a comparative analysis of vitamin D intakes among Canadians from the 2004 and 2015 national nutrition surveys to assess trends in supplement use and dietary changes.
- Her findings have significantly influenced Canadian dietary guidelines and vitamin D public health strategies.
Awards and Recognition
- Distinguished Researcher Award, University of Saskatchewan (2010)
- Fellow of the American Society for Nutrition (2015)
- Lifetime Achievement Award in Nutrition Science, Canadian Nutrition Society (2020)
Top Publications
- Whiting SJ, Langlois KA, Vatanparast H, Greene-Finestone LS. The Vitamin D Status of Canadians relative to the 2011 Dietary Reference Intakes: are supplements necessary to achieve 25-hydroxyvitamin D? American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2011). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21593503/
- Vatanparast H, Calvo MS, Green TJ, Whiting SJ. Despite mandatory fortification of staple foods, vitamin D intakes of Canadian children and adults are inadequate. Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (2010). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20399268/
- Hanley DA, Cranney A, Jones G, Whiting SJ, et al.; Guidelines Committee of the Scientific Advisory Council of Osteoporosis Canada. Vitamin D in adult health and disease: a review and guideline statement from Osteoporosis Canada. CMAJ (2010). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20624868/
- Thorpe LU, Whiting SJ, Li W, Dust W, Hadjistavropoulos T, Teare G. The incidence of hip fractures in long-term care homes in Saskatchewan (2008–2012): analysis of provincial administrative databases. Canadian Geriatrics Journal (2017). https://doi.org/10.5770/cgj.20.273
