Renate Winkels

Renate Winkels is an Associate Professor of Nutrition & Disease at Wageningen University's Division of Human Nutrition and Health in the Netherlands. She holds a PhD in Nutrition from Wageningen University (2008) and previously served as an Assistant Professor at Penn State College of Medicine (2016–2019). Her research focuses on the interplay between nutrition, physical activity, and disease outcomes, particularly in colorectal cancer survivors. She leads the COLON study, a large observational trial examining lifestyle factors influencing tumor recurrence and quality of life, and co-developed the SoFIT trial evaluating personalized lifestyle interventions for cancer-related fatigue.

Education roles include coordinating courses on randomized controlled trials and nutrition intervention study design at Wageningen University. She also lectures on epidemiology and public health study design. Her ancillary roles include serving as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Health Sciences at Penn State and a board member of the SMBWO foundation.

Key research projects include the Eat Wise initiative to improve healthcare system dietary policies and the Voed Je Beter trial assessing healthy diets in cardiometabolic patients. Dr. Winkels has published over 80 peer-reviewed articles and mentors 4 PhD students. Her work emphasizes translational research, aiming to bridge nutritional science with clinical practice and public health policy.