Ulla Uusitalo, Ph.D., M.S., M.M.
Dr. Uusitalo is a native of Helsinki, Finland. After completing her master's degree in nutrition at the University of Helsinki, she worked for 6 years as a researcher at the National Public Health Institute in Helsinki on studies related to the North Karelia Project which aimed at reducing high cardiovascular disease incidence rates in Finland. Subbsequently, she was the nutrition officer for the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare's Uganda-Finland Health Project - a primary health care project for pregnant women and children in Kiyeyi, Tororo District of Uganda. Following her time in Africa, Dr. Uusitalo returned to the National Public Health Institute in Helsinki where she worked as a researcher on the Mauritius Diet and Health Project, and on a World Health Organization collaborative project in the preparation of a manual for conducting chronic disease risk factory surveys in the Mediterranean region.
Dr. Uusitalo earned her PhD and MS degrees in nutritional sciences at Cornell University, and returned to Europe in 2003 where she completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the National Public Health Institute in Helsinki. She served as a technical officer for a Nutrition Friendly Schools Initiative for the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, before moving to Tampa to join the USF Pediatrics Epidemiology Center in 2008.
Education & Training
| M.M.M. | University of Helsinki, Finland; Human Nutrition, 1983 |
| M.S. | Cornell University, Ithaca NY; International Nutrition, 1998 |
| Ph.D. | Cornell University, Ithaca NY; Internationa/Community Nutrition, 2003 |
Scholarly Interests
Dr. Uusilao's primary research interests include:
- Diet and type 1 diabetes
- Dietary patterns in pregnancy
- Nutrition and dietary transitions
Selected Publications
Uusitalo U, Arkkola T, Ovaskainen ML, Kronberg-Kippilä C, Kenward MG, Veijola R, Simell OG, Knip M, Virtanen SM. Unhealthy dietary patterns are associated with maternal weight gain rate among Finnish women. Public Health Nutr, in press 2009.
Arkkola T, Uusitalo U, Kronberg-Kippila C, Mannisto S, Virtanen M, Kenward MG, Veijola R, Knip M, Ovaskainen ML, Virtanen SM. Seven distinct dietary patterns identified among pregnant Finnish women--associations with nutrient intake and sociodemographic factors. Public Health Nutr 11(2):176-82, 2008
Uusitalo L, Uusitalo U, Ovaskainen M-L, Niinistö S, Kronberg-Kippilä C, Marjamäki L, Ahonen S, Kenward MG, Knip M, Veijola R, Virtanen SM. Sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics are associated with antioxidant intake and the consumption of their dietary sources during pregnancy. Public Health Nutr 11(12):1379-88, 2008.
Arkkola T, Uusitalo U, Räsänen M, Metsälä J, Kronberg-Kippilä C, Erkkola M, Veijola R, Knip M, Virtanen SM, Ovaskainen ML. Dietary intake and use of dietary supplements in relation to demographic variables among pregnant Finnish women. Br J Nutr 96:1-9, 2006.
Uusitalo U, Sobal J, Moothoosamy L, Chitson P, Shaw J, Zimmet P, Tuomilehto J Dietary Westernization; conceptualization and measurement in Mauritius. Public Health Nutr 8(6):608-19, 2005.
Uusitalo U, Pietinen, P., Puska, P. Dietary transition In developing countries: Challenges for noncommunicable disease prevention. In: Globalization, Diets and Noncommunicable Diseases. WHO Publication. World Health Organization. Geneva: WHO/NMH/NPH 2002.
Uusitalo U, Feskens EJM, Tuomilehto J, Dowse G, Haw U, Fareed F, Hemraj F., Gareeboo H., Alberti KGMM, Zimmet P. Fall in total cholesterol concentration over five years in association with changes in fatty acid composition of cooking oil in Mauritius: cross sectional survey. Brit Med J 313:1044-6, 1996.
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