Dan Benardot
professor of Practice in the Center for the Study of Human Health at Emory University
Dan Benardot is Professor of Practice in the Center for the Study of Human Health at Emory University, following his retirement as tenured Full Professor of Nutrition, and Full Professor of Kinesiology and Health at Georgia State University (GSU), where he currently holds the rank of Professor Emeritus. He PhD in Human Nutrition and Human Service Studies from Cornell University, is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, and is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian/Nutritionist. He received an honorary doctorate (Doctoria Honoris Causa) from Marywood University in 2002 for his accomplishments in sports nutrition. For much of his time at GSU, Dr. Benardot was an administrator/academician, having served as Chair of the Department of Nutrition, Associate Dean for Research for the College of Health and Human Sciences, and Director of Research for the Center for Sports Medicine. From 2002 through 2017 he served as founder/director of the Laboratory for Elite Athlete Performance at GSU. He was GSU’s founding chair of the Intellectual Property Committee, chaired the university Promotion and Tenure Document committee, and chaired the university Radiation Protection Committee. He has written several books and book chapters on sports nutrition, and numerous scientific refereed publications that focus on within-day energy balance and related issues in competitive athletes. His research has been primarily funded by the United States Olympic Committee, Georgia Research Foundation, American Cancer Society,
Atlanta Falcons, Gatorade Sports Science Institute, and California Horse Racing Commission. His most recent book is the 3rd edition of “Advanced Sports Nutrition” © 2021, and another recent book is “American College of Sports Medicine’s Nutrition for Exercise Science” © 2019. Dr. Benardot co-authored the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canadian, and the American College of Sports Medicine joint position paper on “Nutrition and Athletic Performance” in 1993 and was a scientific reviewer for the 2009 and 2016 position papers. He has served on the editorial board for ACSM’s Health and Fitness Journal and is a manuscript reviewer for numerous journals that focus on nutrition and physical activity. In 1993 he received the American Dietetic Association’s Sports and Cardiovascular Nutrition achievement award; in 1995 he was initiated into the Alumni Honor Roll for the State University System of New York; in 1996 USA Gymnastics presented him with the Outstanding Educator Award following the team’s Olympic gold medal at the Atlanta Olympic Games; he also served as nutritionist for several other US Olympic teams, including USA Track and Field (marathon, 2004 Athens Olympics) and USA Figure Skating (multiple Olympic games). In 1997 he became the first American appointee to the
Medical Commission of the international governing body for gymnastics (Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique). He established a sports nutrition program for collegiate athletes at Georgia State University and, via a funded grant, served as nutritionist for the Atlanta Falcons professional football team for several years leading up to the 2017 NFC Championship. As part of an intellectual property endeavor that originated through GSU, Dr. Benardot is inventor of NutriTiming® software, which assesses real-time energy balance and nutrient intake. In his current role as Professor at Emory University, he teaches “Sports Nutrition”, created a class never before taught on “Nutrition for the Performing Arts”, and is working to establish a sports nutrition program for Emory Athletics.