Dr. Van Calcar’s research focuses on the nutritional management of inborn errors of metabolism, with an emphasis on conditions such as classical galactosemia, phenylketonuria (PKU), fatty acid oxidation disorders and pregnancy in individuals with these diagnoses. She is particularly interested in improving clinical outcomes through specialized dietary treatments and advancing our understanding of long-term nutritional care in metabolic disorders.
Before joining OHSU, Dr Van Calcar worked as a metabolic dietitian in the Biochemical Genetics Program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she provided both patient care and clinical research for individuals with inborn errors of metabolism. She completed her Ph.D. in nutritional sciences at UW–Madison in 2009. Her dissertation focused on the use of glycomacropeptide as a new protein source for treating PKU.
In the Graduate Programs in Human Nutrition, Dr. Van Calcar teaches courses including Energy Metabolism, Protein, Antioxidant and Bone Metabolism, Maternal and Child Nutrition and Nutrition for the Older Adult. She also directs the Maternal and Child Health Nutrition Training Program, where students gain applied experience in public health nutrition. At the OHSU Metabolic Genetics Clinic, she is part of an interdisciplinary team that provides lifelong care for individuals with metabolic conditions, many of which are identified through newborn screening.
Dr. Van Calcar is a founding member and past president of Genetic Metabolic Dietitians International. You can find a full list of her publications on Google Scholar.
