Dr. Taniya S. Nagpal

Taniya is the Director of the LEA(p)P(p)S research program. She is an Assistant Professor at The University of Alberta with the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation. Taniya completed her PhD from Western University Canada with the Exercise and Pregnancy Lab and Exercise and Health Psychology Lab. Following this she completed a Mitacs Elevate funded post-doctoral fellowship with The University of Ottawa and The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, and a one year faculty appointment in Kinesiology at Brock University. She joined The U of A in 2022. 

"I was born in India, and immigrated with my family to Canada in 1996. I grew up in Mississauga, Ontario. As a first generation Canadian to pursue academia in my family, I am so grateful for the opportunities that I have had; in addition to my research interests, I am also passionate about being engaged in activities that aim to promote and improve accessibility to early research opportunities for students. I am actively involved with various health promotion organizations such as Obesity Canada (Education Team Member), American College of Sports Medicine (Pregnancy and Postpartum Special Interest Group Executive), International Society of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity (Co-Chair Children and Families Special Interest Group) and Exercise is Medicine Canada (Co-Director, On Campus Program). If not on campus, I can be found spending time with my family, out for walks with the dog, or watching Harry Potter and Disney movies." Click here to learn more

Jordyn Cox, PhD Student 2029

Research Objective: Understanding weight stigma in pregnancy and postpartum amongst migrant populations in Canada  

Funding: Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship (2025/2026), SSHRC CGSD (2026-2029), Women and Children's Health Research Institute Graduate Award (2026-2028), AbSPORU Graduate Award (2026-2028)

MSc Thesis: How Does Stigma Associated with Postpartum Urinary Incontinence Affect Health-seeking Behaviours?

Amy Alex, MSc Candidate 2027

Research Objective: To conceptualize experiences of weight stigma in pregnancy and postpartum amongst Indian women considering residency and migration factors

Funding: SSHRC CGSM (2026-2027)

Prabhnoor Sapra, MSc Candidate 2027

Research Question: Is there a relationship between stigma associated with menstruation and menstrual irregularities, and physical activity participation?

Funding: CIHR CGSM (2026)

Rewa Dhillon, Undergraduate Thesis Student 2027

Research Objective: Exploring a multi-generational understanding of weight stigma with mothers and daughters.

August 2026: We are very excited for what the 2026/2027 academic year has in store for us, but first lets celebrate our graduate students! On the right we have Amy Alex who successfully defended her MSc propsal this summer and is heading into data collection. Right middle is Jordyn Cox, headed into her second year of her PhD and gearing up for candidacy. Left middle is Prabhnoor Sapra who will be defending her MSc proposal early into the fall term. Can't thank these three increadible women enough for all that they do - hardworking, very intelligent, kind, and just awesome students to work with and learn from everyday! 

April 2026: Same spot, but so many new adventures and achievements by these amazing students! Going from left to right, Rawan Mahfud, is leading an undergraduate project examining menopause stigma amongst Middle Eastern Arab women and the impact on physical activity. Lina El Sayed is leading an undergraduate project summarizing weight stigma content taught in undergraduate health programs. Next we have Taniya! Over to Jordyn Cox who has wrapped up her first year as a very busy PhD student. Brooke Hebert successfully defended her MSc and is off into the job hunt world in public health. Amy Alex finished up her first year as a MSc student and is prepping for her proposal defense. Prabhnoor Sapra completed her first term as an MSc student! Not pictured are our superstar Research Assistants, Palana Shah and Kaylyn MacDonald, both finishing up their RA terms and into writing manuscripts - stay tuned!

December 2025: What a busy term! Dr. Nagpal was back from maternity leave and we were in full swing with research, classes, writing and more! Big congrats to our research assistant Kaylyn MacDonald (right) for her new full time position with MS Canada, we will miss her! Brooke Hebert (right, centre)  completed data collection for her MSc thesis this term.  Jordyn Cox (centre) finished her first term as a PhD student and is well on her way with proposal writing, research and more!  Amy Alex (left)  finished her first term  as a MSc student and alongside TA and classes, she also led and completed a scoping review on weight stigma in pregnancy/postpartum amongst South Asian women with a new international collaboration in Navi Mumbai (which will also be a site for data collection for her thesis work)! Palana Shah (not pictured) finished data collection for her research assistantship and is diving into analysis next term. Alexia Sansano (not pictured) volunteered with our team and we are thankful for her positive contribution!

August 2025: Kicking off the academic year back at the Sugarbowl with so much to celebrate and be excited for! Welcome to Amy Alex (front left) our new MSc student, and Palana Shah (back left) our Research Assistant. Both Amy and Palana graduated this year from the KSR program and we are so happy to have them join our group. Congrats to Jordyn Cox (back right) on completing her MSc, and now officially starting her PhD. Brooke Hebert (middle right) successfully defended her MSc proposal this summer and is onto data collection. Kaylyn MacDonald (front right) graduated from KSR, completed her summer research assistantship with us and we are so lucky to have her continue with our team as a volunteer. We also welcome Alexia Sansano (not pictured) as our new undergraduate volunteer. Welcome everyone! 

April 2025: Here we are back at the Sugarbowl celebrating another term end and there was SO much to celebrate. Our superstar volunteer, Hanna Randhawa (middle) is headed off to her Master's in OT/PT studies with multiple options for schools (let's see what she chooses!), Jordyn Cox (right) is our very first Master's graduate and she will be back next fall for her PhD, Brooke Hebert (not pictured) will be starting her second year of her MSc in the fall, and Kaylyn MacDonald (not pictured) wraps up her Research Assistantship this summer with very cool findings coming your way soon!

December 2024: Celebrating the end of terms is becoming a bit of a tradition for us at The Sugarbowl! Kaylyn MacDonald (back left) was our RA this term and an exciting photovoice project starts in 2025 thanks to her organization, and she's off to do her practicum. Jordyn Cox (back right) is in her last year of her MSc and is on her way to prep for data analysis and thesis writing. Brooke Hebert (front right) wraps up her first term of her MSc and is prepped for proposal writing. Hanna Randhawa (not pictured) volunteered on several studies and graduated from her BSc this term, we are excited to have her back next term.