Dr. Amanda Raffoul

Dr. Amanda Raffoul is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto. Her multi- and mixed-methods research aims to investigate and promote the uptake of evidence-based policies to prevent eating disorders and promote healthy dietary patterns among populations. In collaboration with national and international organizations, she collaborates on knowledge dissemination and legislative advocacy efforts to regulate social media misinformation related to weight and nutrition, ban the sale of harmful weight-loss and muscle-building pills to minors, and prohibit weight discrimination. In collaboration with affected communities, her current research aims to explore the differential impacts of nutrition policy on disordered eating risk and examine avenues through which youth engagement in knowledge translation may impact decision-makers’ use of research evidence in nutrition policy.

Raffoul received her MSc and PhD from the School of Public Health and Health Systems at the University of Waterloo. Her PhD dissertation focused on the unintended consequences of weight and nutrition policies (such as calorie labelling) on disordered eating. She became interested in eating disorder prevention while completing her BA in Psychology and has since been actively engaged in national and community-based prevention programming related to positive body image, gender equity, and weight-related advocacy. During her postdoctoral fellowship, she led policy analyses using microsimulation modelling and a Delphi study of leaders in the fields of eating disorders, weight studies, nutrition, and mental health to identify gaps in eating disorders prevention across Canada.