Rate My Professor Cyndi Thomas

Cynthia A. Thomson, widely known as Cyndi Thomson, is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Health Promotion Sciences at The University of Arizona's Zuckerman College of Public Health, holding joint appointments in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Medicine. She earned a BS in Family and Consumer Resources from West Virginia University in 1980, an MS in Nutritional Sciences from The University of Arizona in 1987, and a PhD in Nutritional Sciences from The University of Arizona in 1998. A registered dietitian, Thomson completed National Cancer Institute-sponsored postdoctoral training at the Arizona Cancer Center, concentrating on diet and cancer prevention. Her career trajectory includes serving as associate professor in nutritional sciences with joint appointments in medicine and public health, director of the Canyon Ranch Center for Prevention and Health Promotion, and co-lead of the University of Arizona Cancer Center's Cancer Prevention and Control program. She has mentored over 20 pre- and post-doctoral fellows and contributed extensively to the Women's Health Initiative for more than two decades.

Thomson's research specializes in cancer prevention science, lifestyle interventions for cancer survivors, behavioral interventions promoting weight control, and metabolic regulation. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (FAND). Notable awards include the 2016 Monsen Award, the 2011 Huddleson Award for leading a peer-reviewed systematic review on behavioral interventions to increase vegetable and fruit intake, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Arizona Cancer Center. Key publications encompass 'Nutrition and physical activity cancer prevention guidelines, cancer risk, and mortality in the Women’s Health Initiative' (Cancer Prevention Research, 2014), 'Dietary intake and ovarian cancer: a systematic review' (Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, 2013), 'An exploratory study of respiratory quotient calibration and association with postmenopausal breast cancer' (Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, 2013), 'The Role of Dietary Protein Intake in the Prevention of sarcopenia of aging' (Nutrition in Clinical Practice, 2013), and 'Multivitamin and mineral use and breast cancer mortality in older women with invasive breast cancer' (Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, 2013). Her scholarship has profoundly shaped nutritional strategies for cancer risk reduction and survivorship care.