Brenda Leung

Dr. Brenda Leung is an Associate Professor at the University of Lethbridge's Faculty of Health Sciences, and the Emmy Droog Chair in Complementary and Alternative Healthcare. Dr. Leung is trained in epidemiology and naturopathic medicine, and she is committed to support student learning through teaching and mentorship, welcoming student involvement in her research projects, and/or through directed studies.

Education:

• PhD - Epidemiology, University of Calgary '12
• MSc - Health Research, University of Calgary '06
• ND - Naturopathic Medicine, Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine '98
• BSc - Biopsychology, University of British Columbia '91

Teaching Experience:

Dr. Brenda Leung has taught in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Lethbridge since 2015. She has taught the following courses:

• PUBH 5003: Advance Epidemiology
• PUBH 5000: Applied Health Research Methods
• HLSC 2310: Human Nutrition
• HLSC 3850: Evidence-based Integrative Therapies
• HLSC 2850: Introduction to Complementary Alternative Health Care

Dr. Brenda Leung's area of research focus extends from fetal development to young adulthood, with an emphasis on mental disorders such as ADHD, anxiety, depression. I also study non-pharmaceutical interventions in chronic disease care.

Current and Recent Grants:

Principal Investigator: Building an Integrative Research and Assessment Hub for Language and Communication Development (May 2024 – present)

• Alberta Technology and Innovation: Research Capacity Program's 2023-24 Small Equipment
• Funding: $124,939
•  Co-Principal Investigators: (Health Sciences lead)

Experiential and Epigenetic Pathways to Depression and Resilience in Youth (February 2024 - 2028)

• CIHR Project Grant
• Funding: $1,147,500
• Role: co-applicant

Patient Oriented Innovative Nutrition Trial (POINT): precision use of multinutrients for ADHD in youth (January 2024 – 2026)

• CIHR SPOR Innovative Clinical Trials Catalyst Grant
• Funding: $193,300
• Role: PA

Alberta Sex, Gender and Women's Health Hub (July 2023 – June 2027)

• CIHR National Women’s Health Research Initiative: Pan-Canadian Women’s Health Coalition - Hubs
• Funding: $840,000
• Role: co-applicant; (PA: Erin Brennand, University of Calgary)

Designing a Better Beginnings collaborative pipeline: Partnership between the APrON Cohort and One Child, Every Child (May 2024 – 2025)

• CIHR Planning and Dissemination Grants - Institute Community Support Competition
• Funding: $25,000
• Role: co-I; (PI: Ross K)

Recent Publications:

• Leung, B.M., MacDonald, K.M., Keddie, S.L. et al. Transdisciplinary Approach to Address Food Waste Reduction at the Retail Sector to Shift Towards a Circular Economy. Circ.Econ.Sust. 6, 122 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43615-026-00891-6 
• Lisa M. Robinette, Irene E. Hatsu, Chieh-Ming Wu2 Olorunfemi Adetona, Jeanette M. Johnstone, Alisha A. Bruton, Hayleigh Ast, James B. Odei, Ouliana Ziouzenkova, Brenda M.Y. Leung. Association between trace mineral concentrations and oxidative stress in 1 
  children with ADHD supplemented with multinutrients. Biological Trace Element Biological Research, 2026: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-026-05017-5 
• Bruton AM, Ast HK, Norby-Adams L, Srikanth P, Robinette LM, Hatsu IE, Leung BMY, Arnold LE, Zava D, and Johnstone JM. Kynurenine metabolites unchanged after multinutrient supplementation in children with ADHD: A secondary data analysis from the MADDY study. J Neur Trans, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-025-03086-9. 
• Loftis, J. M., Ast, H. K., Bruton, A. M., Srikanth, P., Ramesh, R., Erikson, D. W., Robinette, L. M., Hatsu, I. E., Leung, B. M. Y., Machingo, T. A., Arnold, L. E., & Johnstone, J. M. (2026). Multinutrient Supplementation in Children with ADHD Reduced Pro- and Anti-Inflammatory Immune Factors in the MADDY Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Attention Disorders, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547251397701 
• Brenda MY Leung, Cindy Feng, Anupam Roy, Yang Liu, Jeanette M Johnston, Irene E Hatsu, L. Eugene Arnold. Patient Characteristics’ Moderation of Multinutrients Treatment Response in School Age Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-025-02851-1. 
• Robinette, L. M., Hatsu, I. E., Adetona, O., Wu, C.-M., Johnstone, J. M., Bruton, A. M., Ast, H. K., Odei, J. B., Ziouzenkova, O., Leung, B. M. Y., & Arnold, L. E. (2025). Multinutrients Decrease Oxidative Stress in Children With ADHD: Mediation/Moderation Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trial Data. Journal of Attention Disorders, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547251355998