Dr. Dan Benardot is a tenured associate professor in the Division of Nutrition1 

and in the Department of Kinesiology and Health2 at Georgia State University (GSU), where 

he co-directs the Laboratory for Elite Athlete Performance. He received his doctorate in 

human nutrition and health planning from Cornell University; is a Fellow of the American 

College of Sports Medicine; and is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian. Dr. Benardot 

served as Chair of the Department of Nutrition, Director of Research for the Center for 

Sports Medicine, and Associate Dean for Research for the College of Health and Human 

Sciences at GSU. He was GSU’s founding Chair of the Intellectual Property Committee, and 
developed a successful plan for the creation of the new Institute for Public Health at GSU, 

which has been in operation for over 4 years. 

	His research focus on energy balance and related issues in competitive athletes 

has been funded by the United States Olympic Committee, the Gatorade Sports Science 

Institute, the Georgia Research Foundation, the American Cancer Society, and the California 
Horse Racing Commission. He was editor-in-chief of “Sports Nutrition: A Guide for the 

Professional Working with Active People, 2nd edition” (American Dietetic Association © 1993, 

335 pgs), authored “Nutrition for Serious Athletes” (Human Kinetics © 2000, 336 pgs; also 

published in Spanish) and “Advanced Sports Nutrition” (Human Kinetics © 2006, 340 pgs), 

and co-authored “The ACSM Fitness Book – 3rd Edition” (Human Kinetics Publisher © 2003, 

175 pgs). His most recent book “The Coaches’ Guide to Sports Nutrition” (Coaches Choice 

© 2007, 241 pgs) was co-authored with Dr. WR Thompson. Dr. Benardot also co-authored 

the American and Canadian Dietetic Association position paper on “Physical Fitness and 

Athletic Performance for Adults” (1993), and is on the editorial board for ACSM’s Health and 

Fitness Journal, and is a manuscript reviewer for The Journal of the American Dietetic 

Association, The International Journal of Sport Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism, Health 

Education Research Journal, Obesity Research, and Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 

	He was the first American appointed to the Medical Commission of the international 

governing body for gymnastics (Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique), works with USA 

Figure Skating and USA Track and Field (marathon), and was a founding member of the Athlete 

Wellness Committee for USA Gymnastics. In 1993 he received the ADA Sports and 

Cardiovascular Nutrition (SCAN) achievement award, in 1995 he was initiated into the Alumni 

Honor Roll for the State University System of New York, in 1996 USA Gymnastics presented 

him with the Outstanding Educator Award; in 2002 he received a Doctor of Humane Letters, 

honoris causa, from Marywood University for his work in the area of sports nutrition; and in 2007 

received an International Excellence Award from Georgia State University. Dr. Benardot was in 

charge of the nutritional health and hydration strategy of the goldmedal winning United States 

Gymnastics Team at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, and the medal-winning USA 

marathoners at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. He currently serves as chair of the Nutrition 

Committee for the Performance Enhancement Team, and is a member of the Sports Medicine 

and Sports Sciences Committee, for USA Figure Skating. He also serves on the Advisory Board 

of the National Center for Human Performance in Houston, Texas. As part of an intellectual 
property endeavor through GSU (inventor on 2 patent submissions), Dr. Benardot serves as 

Head Scientific Advisor to Calorie & Pulse Technologies, LLC.

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1School of Health Professions, College of Health and Human Sciences, Georgia State University
2College of Education, Georgia State University