Dan Benardot

Dan Benardot, PhD, RD, LD, FACSM, is full professor at Georgia State University (GSU). He received his doctorate in human nutrition and health planning from Cornell University in 1980 and is a registered and licensed dietitian. Benardot’s primary area of expertise is sports nutrition, with a research emphasis in energy balance and nutrition issues related to young athletes. He cofounded and directs the Laboratory for Elite Athlete Performance at GSU. As the national team nutritionist and a founding member of the Athlete Wellness Program for USA Gymnastics, Benardot worked with the gold-medal-winning women’s gymnastics team at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and the medal-winning U.S. marathoners at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. He also worked with the marathoners selected to represent the United States at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. He has served as an officer of the USA Figure Skating Sports Medicine Society and continues to work regularly with national team figure skaters. His research has been funded by several organizations, including the United States Olympic Committee, the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, and the American Cancer Society. Benardot has received doctor of humane letters, honoris causa, from Marywood University and is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Born in Salonika, Greece, Benardot gained his love for sports while growing up in the Lake Placid region of northern New York. He now lives in Atlanta, Georgia, where he enjoys cello, tennis, and photography.