Monique Potvin Kent, PhD

Director and Lead Researcher

Dr. Monique Potvin Kent is an Associate Professor and Director of the Master of Public Health program in the School of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Ottawa.  She has a Ph.D. in Population Health, a Master’s degree in Psychology, and Bachelor’s degrees in both Psychology and Political Science. She was an NSERC Visiting Fellow at the Public Health Agency of Canada in the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Control where she completed post-doctoral research in obesity prevention. She currently conducts research on food and nutrition policies that influence rates of obesity and other chronic diseases in the population.

Her primary area of interest is food and beverage marketing and its health impact on children and adolescents. She is also interested in what food and beverage companies are doing to influence child and adolescent food environments and their resulting levels of obesity and chronic disease. She has significant expertise in food and beverage marketing to children and has participated in the Expert Task Group on Reducing Marketing and Advertising of Foods and Beverages High in Fat, Sugar or Sodium to Children of the Healthy Living Project Steering Committee of the Public Health Network Council. She was also a member of the Advisory Committee of the CDPAC Consensus Policy Conference on Obesity and the Impact of Marketing to Children. Currently, she is a member of the Quebec Consultative Committee on Sugary Drinks and Energy Drinks.

Methodologically, Dr. Potvin Kent’s expertise is in mixed methods research. Her research is interdisciplinary and draws heavily on the fields of nutritional sciences, psychology and marketing.  

She has received funding from CIHR, NSERC, the WHO, and Heart and Stroke, and frequently collaborates with governments and non-governmental health organizations.  Dr. Potvin Kent also has a clinical background in eating disorders and cognitive behavioural therapy.