Dr. Atkinson's past research focused on optimizing health of infants and children including investigations of the factors influencing growth and skeletal development in premature infants and in children with bone disorders secondary to pediatric diseases or drug therapy such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia and cystic fibrosis. Currently, her research program encompasses randomized clinical trials and epidemiological investigations of the environmental (nutrition), genetic and biochemical factors during fetal, neonatal and early childhood life that play a role in defining the offspring phenotype and as risk determinants for non-communicable diseases including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, neurocognitive functioning and osteoporosis. In knowledge translation activities she has served as member or chair of expert advisory panels for Health Canada, the World Health Organization/Food & Agricultural Organization, and since 1995 with the National Academies in relation to various aspects of setting the Dietary Reference Intakes and subsequent projects such as the process for the DGAs; feeding of infants and children from birth to 24 months; and currently the Standing Committee for Review of the Dietary Intakes Framework.