Meredith Bessey

Meredith Bessey is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Human Nutrition at Mount Saint Vincent University (Halifax, Canada). She holds a PhD from the University of Guelph and dual bachelor's degrees in Applied Human Nutrition and Psychology from MSVU and Dalhousie University. Her research focuses on critical perspectives of food, bodies, and healthcare systems, employing qualitative and arts-based methodologies. She is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Critical Dietetics and Co-Editor of Excessive Bodies: A Journal of Artistic and Critical Fat Praxis and Worldmaking.

Education:

• PhD, Applied Human Nutrition (2025), University of Guelph
• MSc, Applied Human Nutrition (2020), Mount Saint Vincent University
• BSc (Honours), Applied Human Nutrition (2017), Mount Saint Vincent University
• BSc (Honours), Psychology (2012), Dalhousie University

Research Interests:
Her work critiques weight stigma in healthcare and dietetics practice, explores eugenic legacies in fitness systems, and advocates for inclusive body-positive frameworks. Methodologically, she integrates feminist neomaterialism, disability studies, and queer theory to challenge normative health paradigms. Recent projects include studies on bariatric surgery discourse, holiday health advertising, and undergraduate food insecurity.

Teaching Areas:

• NUTR 2211: Intermediate Human Nutrition
• NUTR 3325: Advanced Human Nutrition and Metabolism
• NUTR 4408/4409: Medical Nutrition Therapy

Selected Publications:
She has contributed to peer-reviewed journals like Qualitative Health Research, Body Image, and Social Sciences, focusing on themes of health equity, critical dietetics, and embodied research practices.