Yvonne Lamers

Dr. Yvonne Lamers is an Associate Professor in the Department of Food, Nutrition, and Health at the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Land and Food Systems, where she holds the Canada Research Chair in Human Nutrition and Vitamin Metabolism. She serves as an Investigator at the BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Researcher at the Women's Health Research Institute, and Affiliated Investigator at both the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and Fraser Health Authority.

Her research program centers on micronutrient adequacy, with particular emphasis on B-vitamins (folate, vitamin B12, and vitamin B6) and their kinetics and functions in human metabolism. Dr. Lamers has established the UBC Nutritional Biomarker Laboratory, which employs externally validated analytical methods to identify sensitive nutritional biomarkers for early diagnosis of micronutrient inadequacies. Using stable isotope tracer protocols, her team investigates metabolic consequences of nutritional inadequacies and micronutrient interactions across various population groups.

Dr. Lamers' publication record demonstrates a consistent trajectory of high-impact research in nutritional biochemistry, with recent work focusing on vitamin metabolism, maternal and child nutrition, and epigenetic effects of B vitamins. Her studies frequently address health disparities, particularly among South Asian populations in Canada, where she has documented substantially lower vitamin B12 status in pregnant women compared to those of European ethnicity.

She has received significant recognition as a Canada Research Chair and her work is funded by multiple prestigious organizations including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canadian Foundation for Innovation, British Columbia Knowledge Development Fund, and Dairy Farmers of Canada. Dr. Lamers leads major collaborative initiatives such as DERiVE (DEvelopment of Riboflavin biomarkers) and EpiBrain (Epigenetic Effects of B Vitamins on Brain Health).

Her teaching portfolio includes FNH 350: Fundamentals of Nutrition, FNH 351: Vitamins, Minerals, and Health, and graduate seminars in Human Nutrition. She actively supervises graduate students and maintains strong affiliations with multiple research centers including the BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Women's Health Research Cluster, and The Social Exposome Cluster.