Dr. Madden obtained her PhD in Kinesiology at the University of Calgary in the area of nutrition, metabolism, and genetics. She has a keen interest in researching nutrition and dietary supplement use among athletic and clinical populations and has worked extensively with para athlete and rare disease populations to understand how nutrition can enhance athletic performance and aid in disease management. Given her contributions to para research, she was the recipient of the 2019 Mount Royal University Alumni Achievement Horizon Award. As she continues to expand on her research, she hopes to bring awareness to underserved clinical populations while inspiring the next generation of researchers. Outside of academics, Dr. Madden enjoys traveling, finding new restaurants with her fiancé, and jogging with her Shetland Sheepdogs, Finlay and Avie.

Areas of Instruction:

• Nutrition and Health
• Adapted Physical Activity
• Research and Statistics in Health and Sport
• Sport and Recreation Management
• Sport Injury Rehabilitation

Areas of Scholarship:

• Dietary supplements in para athletes and rare disease
• Nutrition knowledge among athletes
• Alternate and complimentary medicine in clinical settings
• Effects of caffeine on sports performance
• Wearable technology for sport and health

Selected Publications:

Madden, R.F., Lalonde-Bester, S., Parnell, J.A., Trudeau, M.S., Martin, J.M., Khan, A., Shearer, J. Assessment of Dietary Patterns and Supplement Use in Mitochondrial Disease. Clinical Nutrition ESPEN, 2022. doi: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2022.06.016

Erdman, K.A., Wagner-Jones, K., Madden, R.F., Gammack, N., Parnell, J.A. (2021) Dietary Patterns in Runners with Gastrointestinal Disorders. Nutrients, 13(2), 448. doi: 10.3390/nu13020448

Madden, R.F., Shearer, J., Legg, D., Parnell, J.A. (2018) Evaluation of Dietary Supplement Use in Wheelchair Rugby Athletes. Nutrients, 10, 1958.

Madden, R.F., Shearer, J., Parnell, J.A. (2017) Evaluation of Dietary Intakes and Supplement Use in Paralympic Athletes. Nutrients, 9, 1266.

Madden, R.F., Erdman, K.A., Shearer, J., Spriet, L.L., Ferber, R., Kolstad, A.T., Bigg, J.L., Gamble, A.S.D., Benson, L.C. (2019) Effects of Low Dose Caffeine Supplementation on Measures of Exertion, Skill Performance and Physicality in Ice Hockey. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance.

Selected Presentations:

• Madden, R.F. Nutrition Barriers: Dietary Intakes and Supplement Use Among Para Athletes. Symposia Presentation, Alberta Adapted Physical Activity (AAPA) Conference (2023), Calgary, AB, Canada.
• Madden, R.F., Lalonde-Bester, S., Parnell, J.A., Trudeau, M.S., Martin, J.M., Khan, A., Shearer, J. Assessment of Dietary Patterns and Supplement Use in Mitochondrial Disease. Abstract for poster presentation, Owerko Conference (2022), Calgary, AB, Canada.
• Madden, R.F., Lalonde-Bester, S., Flueck, J.L., Hertig-Godeschalk, A., Manocha, R.H.K., Thatcher, C., Martin, J.M., Shearer, J., Parnell, J.A. Assessment of Sports Nutrition Among Coaches of Athletes with a Spinal Cord Injury. Abstract for poster presenta
• Madden, R.F., Shearer, J., Legg, D., Parnell, J.A. Evaluation of Dietary Supplement Use in Wheelchair Rugby Athletes. Abstract for poster presentation, VISTA (2019), Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
• Madden, R.F., Shearer, J., Parnell, J.A. Evaluation of Dietary Intakes and Supplement Use in Paralympic Athletes. Abstract for poster presentation, Experimental Biology (2018), San Diego, CA, USA.

Relevant Community Service

• Alumni Council Nominations Committee, Mount Royal University
• Lynda Schantz Memorial Award Committee, Mount Royal University
• Seminar Facilitator, Special Olympics Calgary
• 2022 MRU Convocation Alumni Guest Speaker