Jessica McNeil

Bio & Education

Dr. McNeil’s research primarily focuses on the study of modifiable risk factors (e.g. exercise, diet, sleep) that impact eating behaviors and components of the energy balance. Her studies have included healthy individuals, as well as clinical populations living with chronic diseases such as obesity and cancer. Her work has used randomized controlled and crossover trials to assess the impact of dietary, exercise or sleep manipulations on components of the energy balance. Her studies have also included objective measurements of sleep quality (polysomnography), energy intake (ad libitum meal intake), energy expenditure (accelerometry and indirect calorimetry), food reward (responses to visual food cues) and olfactory sensitivity. Recently, she has used commercially-available activity trackers to monitor and promote physical activity behavior change in breast cancer survivors. Dr. McNeil is a Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist by the American College of Sports Medicine, and a current member of The American College of Sports Medicine, The Obesity Society and Obesity Canada.

Courses Taught

• KIN 220 (Lifetime Wellness)

Select Publications

• McNeil J, Brenner DR, Stone CR, O’Reilly R, Ruan Y, Vallance JK, Courneya KS, Thorpe KE, Klein DJ, Friedenreich CM. Activity tracker to prescribe various exercise intensities in breast cancer survivors. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2019, 51(5): 930-940.
• McNeil J, Lamothe G, Cameron JD, Riou M-È, Cadieux S, Lafrenière J, Goldfield G, Willbond S, Prud’homme D, Doucet É. Investigating predictors of eating: Is resting metabolic rate really the strongest proxy of energy intake? American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2017, 106(5): 1206-1212.
• McNeil J, Brenner DR, Courneya KS, Friedenreich CM. Dose-response effects of aerobic exercise on energy compensation in postmenopausal women: combined results from two randomized controlled trials. International Journal of Obesity, 2017, 41(8): 1196-1202.
• McNeil J, Doucet É, Brunet J-F, Jaeger Hintze L, Chaumont I, Langlois É, Mailtland R, Riopel A, Forest G. The effects of sleep restriction and altered sleep timing on energy intake and activity energy expenditure. Physiology & Behavior, 2016, 164: 157-163.
• McNeil J, Schwartz A, Rabasa-Lhoret R, Lavoie J-M, Brochu M, Doucet É. Changes in leptin and peptide YY do not explain the greater than predicted decreases in resting energy expenditure after weight loss. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2015, 100(3): E443-452.