Spencer Proctor

Dr. Spencer Proctor is a Full Professor and Chair of the Department of Agricultural, Food & Nutritional Science at the University of Alberta, within the Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences. He holds a PhD in Medicine from the University of Western Australia. His research focuses on the intersection of nutrition, metabolism, and cardiovascular disease, particularly the role of dietary lipids in atherosclerosis, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome. Dr. Proctor leads the Metabolic and Cardiovascular Diseases (MCVD) Laboratory, which explores mechanisms linking dietary lipids to chronic diseases.

Key research interests include postprandial lipemia, chylomicron metabolism, and the bioactivity of dietary fatty acids, such as trans-11 vaccenic acid. His work has pioneered techniques like fluorescent imaging to study lipoprotein interactions in arteries. Dr. Proctor has contributed to clinical trials, such as the ERASE protocol and the Cardiovacc Project, investigating interventions to reduce cardiovascular risk. He has secured grants from organizations like the Heart and Stroke Foundation and Dairy Farmers of Canada.

Dr. Proctor supervises graduate and postdoctoral researchers, teaches courses in nutrition and metabolism, and collaborates with clinicians and industry partners. His lab’s discoveries include the role of intestinal-derived lipoproteins in atherosclerosis and the cardioprotective effects of natural trans-fats. Current projects explore dairy’s impact on cardiometabolic health and novel therapies targeting remnant cholesterol.