Director, Bureau of Nutritional Sciences
Health Products and Food Branch
Health Canada
Dr. Mary L'Abbé is Director of the Bureau of Nutritional Sciences at Health Canada and continues to maintain an active program of nutrition research. She holds adjunct appointments in the School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, McGill University and the Department of Human Nutritional Sciences, University of Manitoba. During 2003, she served as Acting Executive Director of Health Canada's Science Framework, charged with developing the first science plan for Health Canada.
An expert in trace element nutrition, Dr. L'Abbé studies the regulation of trace element requirements and metabolism at the molecular level and investigates biochemical markers of nutritional status. She holds a Ph.D. in Nutrition from McGill University and has authored numerous scientific papers and reviews in this area. She has also published extensively in the area of food fortification. Dr. L'Abbé is a recipient of the Centrum Foundation New Scientist Award from the Canadian Society for Nutritional Sciences and the Queens Golden Jubilee medal. Her nutritional expertise has been wildly sought and she has served as a consultant to the World Health Organisation, the Pan American Health Organization, the US Department of Agriculture, and has collaborated extensively with international food, nutrition and health regulatory agencies.
