Megan Beggs, PhD, RD
University of Toronto

Dr. Megan Beggs, PhD, RD, University of Toronto, is an esteemed neonatal dietitian and researcher and is a Banting Postdoctoral Awardee. Specializing in personalized infant nutrition, Dr. Beggs' contributions bridge basic science and clinical practice in the field of micronutrient absorption and renal excretion where she conducts translational research that directly impacts neonatal and infant feeding guidelines. Two of Dr. Begg's most significant contributions have been to challenge the status-quo of nutrition prescription during neonatal and pediatric critical care and addressing critical gaps in knowledge of mineral and trace element homeostasis in women, infants, and children.

Regarding nutrition prescription during neonatal and pediatric critical care, Dr. Beggs is leading the unblinded side of a CIHR funded, 18-site clinical trial investigating new methods of individualizing nutrition care for infants born less than 1250 g.  Dr. Beggs also plays in integral role in an NIH-funded study by investigating trace elements, micronutrients, biomarkers of inflammation, growth and nutrition status and genome analysis of infants born less than 1250 g with the overall goal of creating personalized nutrition approaches for this population. A published review of standard feeding practices for preterm infants during her postdoc highlights the paucity of evidence on which our practice is based and the opportunity to improve long-term infant outcomes through individualized care.

Dr. Beggs' work in addressing critical gaps in knowledge of mineral and trace element homeostasis in women, infants, and children involved setting up a protocol to analyze trace elements in human milk while leveraging international collaborations. Consequently, Dr. Beggs has been the first to describe actual intake of the nutrients from enteral nutrition in infants born less than 1250 g. Ongoing work in the area will inform nutrient requirements optimizing care to improve long term developmental outcomes for these infants. This work has identified novel pathways mediating calcium absorption during postnatal development when requirements for this mineral are greatest and discovered a potential therapeutic modality for infants and adults at risk of poor bone mineralization.

Dr. Beggs' passion for science communication is evident through her numerous awards, including the Outstanding Thesis of the Year and a third-place finish at the ASN Infographic Competition. She has published 25 peer-reviewed papers, 2 book chapters, and has contributed to the development of nutrition practice guidelines for preterm infants.