Mélanie Henderson is a Pediatric Endocrinologist and researcher at CHU Sainte-Justine and Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the Université de Montréal. Her research focuses on pediatric cardiometabolic health and its epidemiology. She is particularly interested in the influence of lifestyle habits (physical activity, sedentary behavior, diet and sleep) on metabolic health in various population, including healthy children and those living with Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes, in order to identify the best preventive strategies. She is co-director of the “Centre CIRCUIT”, that proposes novel strategies for the treatment or prevention of cardiovascular disease risk in children. She is also adjunct director of the “Cardiovascular and Metabolic Health” research axis at the CHU Sainte-Justine. Dr Henderson has received several awards, including the the «Young Investigator Award» from the CSEM (Canadian Society for Endocrinology and Metabolism).
The QUALITY cohort is a unique infrastructure designed to investigate the natural history of obesity and its cardiometabolic complications, in particular type 2 diabetes, in youth. In this study, 630 children were evaluated at 8-10 years, 10-12 years and 15-17 years, with extensive cardiometabolic and lifestyle evaluations. This cohort provides an unprecedented opportunity to explore associations between diet and adiposity and cardiometabolic health from childhood into late adolescence. Importantly, dietary influences are considered in conjunction with other lifestyle habits. We also explore the associations between neighborhood and school environments on children’s dietary habits and cardiometabolic health.