Speaker Schedule – San Diego 2022

Please Note: Times On This page Are In Pacific Daylight Time

Please understand, this schedule is subject to change should unavoidable circumstances arise.

* indicates that the session is eligible for CME credits.

Wednesday, August 24

5:00 pm - 7:00 pm: Early Registration / Meet & Greet

Day 1 - Thursday, August 25

8:00  am

Registration / Expo

Great to visit the Expo when it is fresh and not too crowded

9:00 am

Doug Reynolds, MHP

Doug Reynolds is the Founder and CEO of LowCarbUSA®.  The original organization was founded in the beginning of 2016 with the initial  intention of providing  a platform, through an annual conference, for internationally renowned scientists and medical practitioners to present the ever-increasing body of evidence on the benefits of reducing carbohydrates in the diet (and adding in healthy fats).  He felt that education about the power of the low carb/ketogenic diet for the individual who may not get the information from their medical team or from mainstream nutrition advice, and for practitioners who may then be able to prescribe it in their practice was critical.

However, his mission quickly evolved when he realized how important this was to the medical professional community.  Valuable tools are needed, not only to provide hope to their patients to reverse and prevent disease, but restore hope to that very practitioner. This is why they went to medical school and got professional training, to help people heal and not just put Band-Aids on and never address the root cause of the problem.  Too many practitioners are being taught that the many chronic diseases our communities are facing are just chronic and processive.  With effective tools and supportive information, complications can be stopped in their tracks and further complications reduced and the disease process may even be reversed.

The tools and resources Low Carb USA has been providing,  not only includes the live conferences, but also  includes a huge library of educational videos, a growing database of practitioners, and nutritionists and sports trainers who are open to  the carb restriction conversation as well as a searchable database for papers and articles covering the research into the evidence supporting this lifestyle.

Most importantly, though, he has coordinated the establishment of a panel of advisors to oversee the creation and maintenance of a set of 'Clinical Guidelines for Therapeutic Carbohydrate Restriction' which was first published in May, 2019.

He has worked tirelessly over this period during the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown to now establish a nonprofit, the Society of Metabolic Health Practitioners for which he now serves as the President.  This organization will house most of the above body of work as education and training of Metabolic Health Practitioners and the entire community interested in making a difference in worldwide metabolic health.  The aim is to stall and reverse the increasing prevalence of noncommunicable, lifestyle related diseases, influenced by metabolic dysfunction and insulin resistance.  Accreditation pathways have even been established for practitioners within this society to introduce credibility to the practice of therapeutic carbohydrate restriction and to help establish alternative Standard of Care for those whose metabolisms are different because they don’t eat excessive carbohydrates.

Doug Reynolds, MHP

Welcome Message

9:30 am

Andreas Eenfeldt, MD

Dr. Eenfeldt is a medical doctor specializing in family medicine and the founder and CEO of Diet Doctor, the largest low-carb website in the world that aims to provide unbiased and evidence-based information, as well as free and inspiring tools to help improve health

 

Andreas Eenfeldt, MD

Low Carb, Protein or Satiety for Metabolic Health?*

11:00 am

Brian Lenzkes, MD

I am a USC trained, board certified Internal Medicine doctor and have been in practice for 16 years but did not understand the implications of metabolic syndrome until only 2 years ago. I have had a personal struggle with obesity since childhood and became officially pre-diabetic in February of 2017 despite my medical knowledge.

Although I was voted one of the “Top Doctors” in San Diego for 11 of those years, I still felt a void as many of my patients with chronic conditions continued to decline and require more medication. After attending LowCarbUSA® in San Diego, my practice of medicine changed and I have taken control of my health. 

I have been honored to be a guest on multiple podcasts and I have been a speaker on the Nutrition Network educational series for medical professionals.  I am currently co-hosting the Low Carb MD podcast with Dr. Jason Fung, Dr. Tro Kalayjian, and Megan Ramos.  I am also on the panel of advisers for the LowCarbUSA® Clinical Guidelines for Medical Professionals and just finished recording an interview for the upcoming documentary "Big Fat Lie" with Wide Eye Productions.  I am the Medical Director for TriSystem Nutrition.   Together we can do our part to reverse the healthcare crisis that is facing the world one life at a time. I am excited about the journey ahead.

 

Brian Lenzkes, MD

Houston, We Have a Problem:   How Do We Help The Challenging Patient?*

12:15 pm

Lunch / Expo 

1:45 pm

Amy Berger, MS, CNS
 
Amy Berger, MS, CNS, is a U.S. Air Force veteran and Certified Nutrition Specialist who specializes in using low-carbohydrate and ketogenic nutrition to help people reclaim their vitality through eating delicious foods, and showing them that getting and staying well don't require starvation, deprivation, or living at the gym. Her motto is, “Real people need real food!” She blogs at www.tuitnutrition.com, where she writes about a wide range of health and nutrition-related topics, such as insulin, metabolism, weight loss, thyroid function, and more. She has presented internationally on these issues and is the author of The Alzheimer's Antidote: Using a Low-Carb, High-Fat Diet to Fight Alzheimer’s Disease, Memory Loss, and Cognitive Decline.   
 
Amy Berger, MS, CNS

Ketogenic Therapies for Neurological & Neurodegenerative Disorders.*

3:15 pm

Tekla Back, PhD

Tekla is a nutrition nerd hungry for positive change.

She is building KEHO a real food savory snack business, that is plant powered and keto, to make positive change easy! Shhh, KEHO is on a secret mission to (ob)literate obesity.

Tekla was a senior executive at PepsiCo; America's largest Food & Beverage company and the second largest globally. Her work focused on transforming the portfolio to healthier products. She started a new Consumer Strategy group in North American Beverages, then headed up Marketing of the $1bn Americas Waters category and finally headed up Corporate Strategy globally. She represented PepsiCo strategy at the World Economic Forum and the Clinton Global Initiative.

Previously, Tekla spent a decade with McKinsey & Co, where she focused in grocery retail. She has a doctorate in Physics from Oxford and an associate degree in Fashion Design from FIT. She is originally from Finland, grew up in the UK and has made New York her home.

 

Tekla Back, PhD

Keto minus the meat*

4:45 pm

Vincent (Ben) Bocchicchio, PhD

Dr. Ben has been at the forefront of health and wellness for nearly 50 years.  As a clinician in the fields of fitness and health he has initiated and promoted behavioral interventions that have proven to be effective in the treatment and management of the degenerative diseases that plague our public health.

Dr. Ben’s philosophy states that on the continuum of illness to wellness, our collective health plans should attempt to drive the needle towards wellness and away from illness through scientifically sound and safe applications of behavioural endeavors.

Dr. Ben has applied his extensive, recognized background and experience in diet and exercise as the basis of his intervention protocol.  Initially (1974), he introduced slow resistance training to the exercise world in a successful attempt to provide safe, high intensity exercise to all populations. 

He was the first practitioner to include resistance training to phase II cardiac rehabilitation in 1982.  It is now accepted, standard protocol.  He pioneered high intensity exercise for high endurance athletes in the mid 1980’s.  Lastly, he introduced high intensity exercise for weight loss and management programs including the Opti Fast protocol used by the first popular bariatric physicians (Opti Fit).

Furthermore, Dr. Ben has exposed the paucity of legitimate science supporting conventional medical and governmental practices in treating and managing the aforementioned health dilemmas.  He contends that a singularly pharmaceutical oriented solution as currently applied has failed individually and on an international basis.

Dr. Ben provides a simple history of the escalation of degenerative diseases (diabetes, obesity, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, cancer etc.) that correlates, at an inordinate level, with behavioral changes in physical activity and dietary preferences.  

Lastly, Dr. Ben offers a simple, sound and scientifically based plan that incorporates a universally applicable system that directly addresses the alarming, current state of public health.  Topics included are:  Diet, exercise, disease treatment and management options and cost analyses of these.

Dr. Ben Bocchicchio has published more than 200 articles and study reports in the fields of Fitness, Health and Exercise.  His work includes his acclaimed book “15 Minutes to Fitness” and the sale of more than 300,000 SMaRT DVD’s in 31 countries.  He is continuing work as an investigator and consultant to Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, ASU and a number of academic and corporate health institutions.   

Ben Bocchicchio, PhD, MHP (Dr. Ben)

Mitochondria: Metabolic "Mobsters" And Muscles*

6:00 pm

Low Carb Wine Tasting / Expo

7:30 pm

Low Carb Dinner

Day 2 - Friday, August 26

7:30 am

Expo

8:00 am

Joan Ifland, PhD, MBA

Dr. Ifland has been creating breakthroughs in recovery from food addiction from 1999 with the publication of her first popular book to 2018 with the publication of her textbook, Processed Food Addiction: Foundations, Assessment, and Recovery (CRC Press).  The textbook is the first academic publication describing how to diagnose and treat processed food addiction, as well as establishing the scientific basis for the disease.

Her current project is a breakthrough in recovery: the online Addiction Reset Community (ARC) founded in 2018 (patent pending). It is based on findings that processed food addiction can be severe.  This finding shifted the field to more comprehensive abstinence and support protocols that also resolve isolation and mobility issues.

Dr. Ifland has created numerous innovative online resources for food addicts including The Facebook Groups, ‘Food Addiction Education and Food Addiction Education – The Food (2014). The website, Food Addiction Resources, www.foodaddictionresources.com, provides free evidence-based handouts (2104).  The website, Food Addiction Books, www.foodaddictionbooks.com guides food addicts away from misguided deceptive literature to books with solid scientific foundations (2015). She founded the first online training in food addiction to make recovery easier in small, online groups, Food Addiction Reset, www.foodaddictionreset.com( 2016). The Home Addiction Reset Program (HARP) is the first home-based online live video program to support people through the acute phase of withdrawal from processed foods (2018). She wrote the popular book, Dr. Ifland’s Meal Prep Manual, which is a breakthrough system to easily manage meals for recovery from food addiction (2018).

Dr. Ifland is the lead author of the first scholarly description of processed food addiction according to classic addiction diagnostic criteria and the first scholarly definition of addictive versus non-addictive foods, Refined Food Addiction: A Classic Substance Use Disorder (2007) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19223127.

Dr. Ifland earned her PhD in addictive nutrition at Union Institute and University (2010). Her MBA was awarded by Stanford Business School(1978) and her BA in Economics and Political Science by Oberlin College (1974). Her early career was spent understanding corporate and government behaviors with two years as fiscal staff for the Joint Finance Committee of the Wisconsin Legislature (1974-76) and five years as corporate finance staff for a Fortune 200 holding company, the Continental Group (1978-1983)

She currently resides in the Seattle area where she enjoys hiking, swimming, women’s business groups, and the arts.

Joan Ifland, PhD, MBA, CEO

Food Addiction Reset, LLC

713 446 3663

[email protected]

www.drjoanifland.com

Joan Ifland, PhD, MBA

Preventing the Progression of Food Addiction on a Ketogenic Diet*

9:30 am

Dave Feldman

Dave is a senior software engineer and entrepreneur.   He began working with programming and system engineering at a very young age and has always enjoyed learning new mechanistic patterns and concepts.

After starting a low carb diet, Dave found his cholesterol numbers increased considerably.  He then began reverse engineering the lipid system through self-experimentation and testing, finding it was very dynamic and fluid.  He has now demonstrated this phenomenon multiple times by moving his cholesterol up and down substantially in a matter of days.

Dave Feldman

Special Announcement!!*

11:00 am

Michelle Hurn RD LD, Ultra Runner, Author of The Dietitian’s Dilemma

Michelle Hurn is a registered and licensed dietitian with eleven years of experience as a clinical, acute care dietitian, lead dietitian in psychiatric care, and outpatient dietitian. While practicing inpatient and outpatient care in the hospital setting, Michelle discovered a disheartening connecting between the high carbohydrate, low fat, “sugar in moderation,” nutrition guidelines she was required to teach, and the rapidly declining health of her patients.

Michelle is an endurance athlete, and she has competed in 12 marathons. In 2019, Michelle decided to follow a LCHF, high animal protein diet to see if it would alleviate severe muscle pain she was experiencing. Not only was her muscle pain gone in a matter of weeks, her decades of anxiety began to fade. Michelle is the author of the book, “The Dietitian’s Dilemma,” detailing how the current nutrition guidelines came into existence and advocating a low carbohydrate, animal-based way of eating as an option for individuals struggling with diabetes, mental disorders, eating disorders, sarcopenia, and heart disease. Michelle won her first Ultra Marathon covering 44.63 miles in a 6-hour time frame.

You can buy Michelle’s book, listen to her latest podcast, and follow Michelle on social media by clicking the following link:

https://linktr.ee/Runeatmeatrepeat

Michelle Hurn RD LD

Common Sense and Courage: How our dietary guidelines came to be and where we go from here?*

12:15 pm

Lunch / Expo / Breakout: Maximizing Technology to Sustain & Increase Patient Engagement Outside the Doctor's Office

1:45 pm

Andrea Salcedo, DO

Dr. Salcedo is a board certified OBGYN in Southern California and practices at Loma Linda University Health. She treats and addresses all benign gynaecologic issues and has a special emphasis in using lifestyle to address women's health concerns. Particularly, she uses low carbohydrate high fat nutrition as one of her tools to treat abnormal uterine bleeding, endometriosis, and infertility.

Andrea Salcedo, DO

It’s not just PCOS! Inflammation and insulin resistance across a woman’s lifespan*

3:15 pm

Jodi Nishida, PharmD

Dr. Jodi has been living a well-formulated ketogenic lifestyle for over 4 years. By eliminating carbs and sugar, the autoimmune condition that she suffered with for 13 years went into remission.  She no longer had to inject herself in the abdomen weekly.  After both researching and personally realizing the numerous benefits of low carb, she opened a private practice in Honolulu, HI based in ketogenic nutrition. She has helped hundreds of patients with their medical conditions from head to toe and works tirelessly to make keto a sustainable lifestyle in Hawaii. Partnered with a Cardiologist, The Keto Prescription Clinic accepts 90% of insurance plans to be able to help all socioeconomic groups. Dr. Jodi also holds unique menu collaborations with food companies such as Zippy's Restaurants, 7-Eleven Hawaii, Big City Diner, Via Gelato, Feast, and others.  She has been featured on the radio, numerous podcasts, and TV shows in Hawaii where she advocates for a low carb lifestyle through education and showing the fun, delicious side of being healthy. You can find her on Facebook @Jodi.Nishida or Instagram @theketoprescription. 

Jodi Nishida, PharmD

The 4 Pillars of a Successful Low Carb Practice: Providing Comprehensive Care and Meeting Patients’ Needs*

4:45 pm

Gary Taubes 

Gary Taubes (born April 30, 1956) is an American science writer. He is the author of Nobel Dreams (1987), Bad Science: The Short Life and Weird Times of Cold Fusion (1993), and Good Calories, Bad Calories (2007), which is titled The Diet Delusion in the UK. He has won the Science in Society Award of the National Association of Science Writers three times and was awarded an MIT Knight Science Journalism Fellowship for 1996-97.

Born in Rochester, New York, Taubes studied applied physics at Harvard and aerospace engineering at Stanford (MS, 1978). After receiving a master’s degree in journalism at Columbia University in 1981, Taubes joined Discover magazine as a staff reporter in 1982. Since then he has written numerous articles for Discover, Science and other magazines. Originally focusing on physics issues, his interests have more recently turned to medicine and nutrition.

Taubes’ books have all dealt with scientific controversies. Nobel Dreams takes a critical look at the politics and experimental techniques behind the Nobel Prize-winning work of physicist Carlo Rubbia. Bad Science is a chronicle of the short-lived media frenzy surrounding the Pons-Fleischmann cold fusion experiments of 1989.

Gary Taubes 

Chasing Blood Sugar: Diet, Diabetes and the Limits of Medical Science.*

6:00 pm

Low Carb Wine Tasting / Expo / Poster Presentations - Hosted by Keto-Mojo

7:30 pm

Low Carb Dinner

Day 3 - Saturday, August 27

7:30 am

Expo

8:00 am

Antonio C. Martinez II

Antonio C. Martinez II is a native New Yorker, and the son of immigrants from the Dominican Republic. He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University and a Juris Doctorate Degree from Brooklyn Law School.  He attended the United States Capitol Page School and is a graduate of New York Military Academy.

Antonio C. Martinez II

The Wild West of the Keto-LowCarb Marketplace: How Can Law, Order, and Science Prevail in Labeling and Advertising?*

9:00 am

Nina Teicholz

Nina Teicholz is an investigative journalist and author of the International (and New York Times) bestseller, The Big Fat Surprise (Simon & Schuster). The Economist named it #1 science book of 2014, and it was also named a 2014 *Best Book* by the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Mother Jones, and Library Journal. The Big Fat Surprise has upended the conventional wisdom on dietary fat and challenged the very core of our nutrition policy. A review of the book in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition said, “This book should be read by every nutritional science professional.” 

A former editor of the British Medical Journal said, “Teicholz has done a remarkable job in analysing [the] weak science, strong personalities, vested interests, and political expediency” of nutrition science. Before taking a deep dive into researching nutrition science for nearly a decade, Teicholz was a reporter for National Public Radio and also contributed to many publications, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, The New Yorker, and The Economist. She attended Yale and Stanford where she studied biology and majored in American Studies. She has a master’s degree from Oxford University and served as associate director of the Center for Globalization and Sustainable Development at Columbia University.  She lives in New York city..

Nina Teicholz

Where does the science stand on saturated fat, cholesterol, and red meat?*

10:00 am

Robert Cywes, MD, PhD

Dr. Cywes is Dual Board Certified in General Surgery and in Pediatric Surgery. He specializes in Pediatric and Adult obesity, diabetes and metabolic management including bariatric surgery.  His focus is on helping people understand and treat the true cause of obesity and diabetes.  He has been doing bariatric surgery for 19 years and has performed around 7000 surgeries.  Despite this, Dr Cywes firmly believes that obesity and diabetes are not treated by surgery, however, surgery may be a invaluable tool along the journey of becoming carbohydrate-free.

His medical training began in Cape Town, South Africa where he received his medical degree from The University of Cape Town training with Prof Tim Noakes amongst others. In 1989, Dr. Cywes moved to North America and completed a year-long residency in pediatric surgery at Ohio State University's Columbus Children's Hospital before moving to Canada where he completed his general surgery residency and specialized in minimally invasive surgery at the University of Toronto.  Dr. Cywes also earned a PhD in liver transplant immunology and the effect of glucose metabolism on vascular endothelium injury, working with Dr David Jenkins, the father of the Glycemic Index.

After completing his paediatric surgery fellowship at the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, Dr. Cywes was appointed as an Assistant Professor of Paediatric and Fetal Surgery at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee where he did hepatic stem cell research.  During this time, Dr. Cywes became increasingly interested in adolescent obesity and the impact of carbohydrates on the liver and metabolic syndrome in young patients. Dr. Cywes’ research led to a comprehensive understanding of the toxicity of chronic excessive carbohydrate consumption as the primary cause of obesity and so-called obesity-related co-morbidities. In the late 1990s Dr Cywes understood that the prevailing treatment of obesity using a Calories in, Calories out (CICO) model was erroneous, and he developed the Carbohydrate Insulin Model of Obesity and Diabetes (CIMOD). Using this model in combination with his understanding of the psychology of addiction, he developed a clinical program to treat obese adolescents using this approach. Dr. Cywes relocated to Jacksonville, Florida where he joined the Department of Pediatric Surgery at the Nemours Children's Clinic and Wolfson Children's Hospital. This led to a national meeting in Jacksonville where guidelines for adolescent obesity surgery were established.

In 2004, Dr. Cywes established Jacksonville Surgical Associates to continue his work in both adolescent and adult obesity treatment and surgery, and in 2013 opened a practice in West Palm Beach, Florida.  He now works with a highly experienced team of professionals from a variety of medical sub-specialties to better care for obese patients.  He has developed the practice into a nationally recognized Center of Excellence for obesity surgery. The practice uses a cognitive behavioral therapy approach that addresses carbohydrate addiction, along with bariatric surgery, to help patients manage the cause of their obesity long term. Based on his extensive clinical research and observations, Dr. Cywes lectures internationally regarding the physiological impact of carbohydrate consumption as the primary cause of the current Chronic Non-Communicable Disease (CNCDs) epidemic.  He also lectures on the behavioral aspects of carbohydrate addiction as the cause of obesity and obesity-related co-morbidities and the use of substance abuse methodology, rather than a diet and exercise approach, to the effective long term treatment of obesity.

Dr. Cywes is a member of ASMBS (American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery) and is a member of the ASMBS Childhood Obesity Committee. He is also a member of APSA (American Pediatric Surgery Association). He has earned a Centers of Excellence designation by the Surgical Review Corporation. Dr. Cywes trains other surgeons to perform bariatric surgery as well as developing an aftercare model to help patients maintain weight loss.

Dr. Cywes and his team are active in obesity research, including an ongoing Adolescent Bariatric Surgery trial. He has become one of the foremost authorities in the treatment and management of obesity in adolescents. He recently co-authored a book, Diabetes Unpacked outlining an effective approach to understanding and treating diabetes into remission. Dr. Cywes' vast experience in pediatric and general surgery serves him well in using bariatric surgery to treat obesity in both adults and children.

Dr Cywes maintains an active clinical practice in Palm Beach Gardens and in Jacksonville as well as being active on conveying the CIMOD message on social media and through his websites – Obesityunderstood.com and diabetesunderstood.com.

Robert Cywes, MD, PhD

“Why Can They Eat Anything and Not Gain Weight and I get Fat Drinking Water?”: Understanding Your Metabolism*

11:00 am

Nina Teicholz

Nina Teicholz is an investigative journalist and author of the International (and New York Times) bestseller, The Big Fat Surprise (Simon & Schuster). The Economist named it #1 science book of 2014, and it was also named a 2014 *Best Book* by the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Mother Jones, and Library Journal. The Big Fat Surprise has upended the conventional wisdom on dietary fat and challenged the very core of our nutrition policy. A review of the book in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition said, “This book should be read by every nutritional science professional.” 

A former editor of the British Medical Journal said, “Teicholz has done a remarkable job in analysing [the] weak science, strong personalities, vested interests, and political expediency” of nutrition science. Before taking a deep dive into researching nutrition science for nearly a decade, Teicholz was a reporter for National Public Radio and also contributed to many publications, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, The New Yorker, and The Economist. She attended Yale and Stanford where she studied biology and majored in American Studies. She has a master’s degree from Oxford University and served as associate director of the Center for Globalization and Sustainable Development at Columbia University.  She lives in New York city..

Nina Teicholz

Robert Cywes, MD, PhD

Dr. Cywes is Dual Board Certified in General Surgery and in Pediatric Surgery. He specializes in Pediatric and Adult obesity, diabetes and metabolic management including bariatric surgery.  His focus is on helping people understand and treat the true cause of obesity and diabetes.  He has been doing bariatric surgery for 19 years and has performed around 7000 surgeries.  Despite this, Dr Cywes firmly believes that obesity and diabetes are not treated by surgery, however, surgery may be a invaluable tool along the journey of becoming carbohydrate-free.

His medical training began in Cape Town, South Africa where he received his medical degree from The University of Cape Town training with Prof Tim Noakes amongst others. In 1989, Dr. Cywes moved to North America and completed a year-long residency in pediatric surgery at Ohio State University's Columbus Children's Hospital before moving to Canada where he completed his general surgery residency and specialized in minimally invasive surgery at the University of Toronto.  Dr. Cywes also earned a PhD in liver transplant immunology and the effect of glucose metabolism on vascular endothelium injury, working with Dr David Jenkins, the father of the Glycemic Index.

After completing his paediatric surgery fellowship at the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, Dr. Cywes was appointed as an Assistant Professor of Paediatric and Fetal Surgery at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee where he did hepatic stem cell research.  During this time, Dr. Cywes became increasingly interested in adolescent obesity and the impact of carbohydrates on the liver and metabolic syndrome in young patients. Dr. Cywes’ research led to a comprehensive understanding of the toxicity of chronic excessive carbohydrate consumption as the primary cause of obesity and so-called obesity-related co-morbidities. In the late 1990s Dr Cywes understood that the prevailing treatment of obesity using a Calories in, Calories out (CICO) model was erroneous, and he developed the Carbohydrate Insulin Model of Obesity and Diabetes (CIMOD). Using this model in combination with his understanding of the psychology of addiction, he developed a clinical program to treat obese adolescents using this approach. Dr. Cywes relocated to Jacksonville, Florida where he joined the Department of Pediatric Surgery at the Nemours Children's Clinic and Wolfson Children's Hospital. This led to a national meeting in Jacksonville where guidelines for adolescent obesity surgery were established.

In 2004, Dr. Cywes established Jacksonville Surgical Associates to continue his work in both adolescent and adult obesity treatment and surgery, and in 2013 opened a practice in West Palm Beach, Florida.  He now works with a highly experienced team of professionals from a variety of medical sub-specialties to better care for obese patients.  He has developed the practice into a nationally recognized Center of Excellence for obesity surgery. The practice uses a cognitive behavioral therapy approach that addresses carbohydrate addiction, along with bariatric surgery, to help patients manage the cause of their obesity long term. Based on his extensive clinical research and observations, Dr. Cywes lectures internationally regarding the physiological impact of carbohydrate consumption as the primary cause of the current Chronic Non-Communicable Disease (CNCDs) epidemic.  He also lectures on the behavioral aspects of carbohydrate addiction as the cause of obesity and obesity-related co-morbidities and the use of substance abuse methodology, rather than a diet and exercise approach, to the effective long term treatment of obesity.

Dr. Cywes is a member of ASMBS (American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery) and is a member of the ASMBS Childhood Obesity Committee. He is also a member of APSA (American Pediatric Surgery Association). He has earned a Centers of Excellence designation by the Surgical Review Corporation. Dr. Cywes trains other surgeons to perform bariatric surgery as well as developing an aftercare model to help patients maintain weight loss.

Dr. Cywes and his team are active in obesity research, including an ongoing Adolescent Bariatric Surgery trial. He has become one of the foremost authorities in the treatment and management of obesity in adolescents. He recently co-authored a book, Diabetes Unpacked outlining an effective approach to understanding and treating diabetes into remission. Dr. Cywes' vast experience in pediatric and general surgery serves him well in using bariatric surgery to treat obesity in both adults and children.

Dr Cywes maintains an active clinical practice in Palm Beach Gardens and in Jacksonville as well as being active on conveying the CIMOD message on social media and through his websites – Obesityunderstood.com and diabetesunderstood.com.

Robert Cywes, MD, PhD

Antonio C. Martinez II

Antonio C. Martinez II is a native New Yorker, and the son of immigrants from the Dominican Republic. He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University and a Juris Doctorate Degree from Brooklyn Law School.  He attended the United States Capitol Page School and is a graduate of New York Military Academy.

Antonio C. Martinez II

Mark Cucuzzella, MD, FAAFP 


Mark Cucuzzella, is a Professor at West Virginia University School of Medicine. He is also a LtCol in the US Air Force designing programs to promote health and better fitness in the military with the USAF Efficient Running Project. (available on iphone format here) In military and civilian community he has been a tireless promoter of healthy movement, nutritional interventions in patients with any spectrum of the metabolic syndrome, and injury free training for running.

He was a lead writer of one of the first grants supporting education of Medical Students in nutrition and physical activity in Medical School.  Mark is also the lead on a large USDA grant to double SNAP benefits at Farmers Markets- the goal is reducing food insecurity as a barrier to healthier eating.

He’s also been a competitive runner for over 30 years — with more than 100 marathon and ultramarathon finishes — and continues to compete as a national-level Masters runner. He has won the Air Force Marathon twice. He is the race director of Freedom’s Run race series in West Virginia and director of the Natural Running Center, an education portal designed to teach healthier running . Mark is also the owner of Two Rivers Treads — A Center for Natural Running and Walking in his hometown of Shepherdstown, W.Va.  Mark’s vision of a future of health is housed in his site www.drmarksdesk.com

Mark’s innovative work and story has been featured in the New York Times, NPR, Outside Magazine, Running Times, Runners World, Air Force Times, the Washington Post, JAMA, Blue Ridge Outdoors, and other medical and media outlets.  

Mark Cucuzzella MD FAAFP
Professor West Virginia University School of Medicine

DrMarksDesk.com 

store/race HQ 304-876-1100
mobile 304-268-8813
[email protected]

 

Mark Cucuzzella, MD, FAAFP 

Michelle Hurn RD LD, Ultra Runner, Author of The Dietitian’s Dilemma

Michelle Hurn is a registered and licensed dietitian with eleven years of experience as a clinical, acute care dietitian, lead dietitian in psychiatric care, and outpatient dietitian. While practicing inpatient and outpatient care in the hospital setting, Michelle discovered a disheartening connecting between the high carbohydrate, low fat, “sugar in moderation,” nutrition guidelines she was required to teach, and the rapidly declining health of her patients.

Michelle is an endurance athlete, and she has competed in 12 marathons. In 2019, Michelle decided to follow a LCHF, high animal protein diet to see if it would alleviate severe muscle pain she was experiencing. Not only was her muscle pain gone in a matter of weeks, her decades of anxiety began to fade. Michelle is the author of the book, “The Dietitian’s Dilemma,” detailing how the current nutrition guidelines came into existence and advocating a low carbohydrate, animal-based way of eating as an option for individuals struggling with diabetes, mental disorders, eating disorders, sarcopenia, and heart disease. Michelle won her first Ultra Marathon covering 44.63 miles in a 6-hour time frame.

You can buy Michelle’s book, listen to her latest podcast, and follow Michelle on social media by clicking the following link:

https://linktr.ee/Runeatmeatrepeat

Michelle Hurn RD LD

Panel: Strategies for Advocacy in the Low Carb / Keto Space Going Forward*

12:15 pm

Lunch / Expo / Breakout:  Chuck Nix - A Totally New Approach to Finally Reverse Obesity & T2 Diabetes

1:45 pm

Ede Fox

Seven years ago, Ede Fox turned her life around with a ketogenic/carnivore diet.  Decades of compulsive consumption of refined carbs and junk food led to obesity, joint pain, rising blood pressure & blood sugar, plus out of control asthma, allergies and eczema. Now at 50, she has reversed all those conditions, has tons of energy, lost 80 pounds and most importantly has a healthy way of eating that is sustainable for a lifetime!  Now Ede is on a mission to help others lose weight, end chronic pain and inflammation, reverse disease and get off medications.  She runs a carnivore coaching program, a growing facebook community, hosts a Podcast and a weekly livestream on Youtube.  

 
Ede Fox

Carnivore Diet and the African American Community*

2:45 pm

Tony Hampton, MD
 
Dr. Hampton is especially passionate about removing barriers to health and equipping patients and his colleagues with the education and resources they need to take charge of their health. He previously served as the medical director of the Advocate Operating System, where he collaborated with clinicians and staff on programs to address social determinants of health among at-risk patient populations. For example, for the Healthy Living program, he develops education around nutrition and weight loss that help patients set realistic and attainable goals. He's also an ambassador for the program, encouraging his physician colleagues to refer their patients. The same goes for the AdvocateCare Center (a place where patients receive multidisciplinary care in one visit), inspiring his colleagues to utilize the Center as a partner to help them manage their patients with multiple chronic diseases and improve their quality of life. He has also been instrumental in the launch of the Food Farmacy (that's FARM-acy with an "F") at Advocate Trinity Hospital to increase access to fresh, healthy food for patients and community members in need in partnership with the Chicago Food Depository. He is a board-certified obesity specialist, working with patients individually in the clinic and with small groups enrolled in the diabetes prevention program (D.P.P.). As one of only just over 3,000 Board Certified Obesity Medicine Specialists in the United States, he's been able to use his knowledge to help develop and support programs that reduce the obesity burden. He has participated in novel research, serving as the lead researcher for the Merck/Premiere-sponsored trial, where he worked in collaboration with other thought leaders to develop a point-of-care tool to be used by front-line physicians to improve diabetes care using patient data. In addition, he uses his experience as a clinician leader within one of the largest health systems and highest performing accountable care organizations in the U.S., Advocate Health Care, to provide input to all research phases and to guide data collection and management for the project. He is a tireless leader and cheerleader for performance excellence, serving on A.M.G.'s Governing Council, Health Outcomes Committee, and Advocate's Executive Diversity Council. His current role is Regional Medical Director for the South Region in Chicago. He authored the book: Fix Your Diet, Fix Your Diabetes, and is an active blogger on social media. His newest projects include creating more educational videos/interviews on YouTube and starting his Podcast in June 2020 entitled: Protecting Your N.E.S.T. with Dr. Tony Hampton.  His new website will be active June 2020 which provides access to all the work he is doing: www.doctortonyhampton.com 
Tony Hampton, MD

The complexities of why we struggle to achieve metabolic health*

3:45 pm

Gurpreet Singh Padda, MD, MBA

Dr. Padda is a Medical Physician, Board Certified in Anesthesiology, Addiction and Interventional Pain.  For over 20 years he has practiced in the Urban Core, helping his patients regain their metabolic health.

Pain is the final pathway, the body screaming that something has gone terribly wrong.  Dr. Padda treats clinically patients at the intersection of the pain epidemic, opioid epidemic, and the diabetes epidemic.  They are all inter-related pathologies, the clinical manifestations of systemic metainflammation. 

I spend most of my clinical hours dealing with chronic degenerative diseases that are primarily driven by Metabolic Syndrome leading to Metainflammation.  Metabolic Syndrome is a form of malnutrition, a malnutrition of excessive energy consumption and toxicity from:
     Acellular Carbohydrates
     Synthetic Vegetable Oil consumption

This malnutrition of excess is aggravated by leaky gut from plant based chemical defenses. 

The Standard American Diet has become calorically dense, but diluted of protein, minerals, and micronutrients.  

Unfortunately, Governmental policy combined with the profit motives of Big-Food and Big-Pharma encourages the consumption of manufactured foods, which may be non-nutritive and promote chronic systemic diseases.  This disparity of synthesized food (which contains low nutritional value but high caloric load) leads to caloric over consumption, energy toxicity and eventual diabesity.

Addiction behavior is manipulated by dopaminergic modulation by food manufacturers and gamification of passive activities, in the context of individual loneliness.  Social media “connectedness” has created a false paradigm of human interaction, leaving individuals in silos of anonymous and self-destructive behavior.

Humans are complex adaptive systems, and systematic failure is rarely a single cause phenomenon.  Our historical disease models of single cause pathology are inadequate for this new synthesized Universe.

Gurpreet Padda, MD, MBA

The health of nations*

4:45 pm

Ede Fox

Seven years ago, Ede Fox turned her life around with a ketogenic/carnivore diet.  Decades of compulsive consumption of refined carbs and junk food led to obesity, joint pain, rising blood pressure & blood sugar, plus out of control asthma, allergies and eczema. Now at 50, she has reversed all those conditions, has tons of energy, lost 80 pounds and most importantly has a healthy way of eating that is sustainable for a lifetime!  Now Ede is on a mission to help others lose weight, end chronic pain and inflammation, reverse disease and get off medications.  She runs a carnivore coaching program, a growing facebook community, hosts a Podcast and a weekly livestream on Youtube.  

 
Ede Fox
Tony Hampton, MD
 
Dr. Hampton is especially passionate about removing barriers to health and equipping patients and his colleagues with the education and resources they need to take charge of their health. He previously served as the medical director of the Advocate Operating System, where he collaborated with clinicians and staff on programs to address social determinants of health among at-risk patient populations. For example, for the Healthy Living program, he develops education around nutrition and weight loss that help patients set realistic and attainable goals. He's also an ambassador for the program, encouraging his physician colleagues to refer their patients. The same goes for the AdvocateCare Center (a place where patients receive multidisciplinary care in one visit), inspiring his colleagues to utilize the Center as a partner to help them manage their patients with multiple chronic diseases and improve their quality of life. He has also been instrumental in the launch of the Food Farmacy (that's FARM-acy with an "F") at Advocate Trinity Hospital to increase access to fresh, healthy food for patients and community members in need in partnership with the Chicago Food Depository. He is a board-certified obesity specialist, working with patients individually in the clinic and with small groups enrolled in the diabetes prevention program (D.P.P.). As one of only just over 3,000 Board Certified Obesity Medicine Specialists in the United States, he's been able to use his knowledge to help develop and support programs that reduce the obesity burden. He has participated in novel research, serving as the lead researcher for the Merck/Premiere-sponsored trial, where he worked in collaboration with other thought leaders to develop a point-of-care tool to be used by front-line physicians to improve diabetes care using patient data. In addition, he uses his experience as a clinician leader within one of the largest health systems and highest performing accountable care organizations in the U.S., Advocate Health Care, to provide input to all research phases and to guide data collection and management for the project. He is a tireless leader and cheerleader for performance excellence, serving on A.M.G.'s Governing Council, Health Outcomes Committee, and Advocate's Executive Diversity Council. His current role is Regional Medical Director for the South Region in Chicago. He authored the book: Fix Your Diet, Fix Your Diabetes, and is an active blogger on social media. His newest projects include creating more educational videos/interviews on YouTube and starting his Podcast in June 2020 entitled: Protecting Your N.E.S.T. with Dr. Tony Hampton.  His new website will be active June 2020 which provides access to all the work he is doing: www.doctortonyhampton.com 
Tony Hampton, MD

Gurpreet Singh Padda, MD, MBA

Dr. Padda is a Medical Physician, Board Certified in Anesthesiology, Addiction and Interventional Pain.  For over 20 years he has practiced in the Urban Core, helping his patients regain their metabolic health.

Pain is the final pathway, the body screaming that something has gone terribly wrong.  Dr. Padda treats clinically patients at the intersection of the pain epidemic, opioid epidemic, and the diabetes epidemic.  They are all inter-related pathologies, the clinical manifestations of systemic metainflammation. 

I spend most of my clinical hours dealing with chronic degenerative diseases that are primarily driven by Metabolic Syndrome leading to Metainflammation.  Metabolic Syndrome is a form of malnutrition, a malnutrition of excessive energy consumption and toxicity from:
     Acellular Carbohydrates
     Synthetic Vegetable Oil consumption

This malnutrition of excess is aggravated by leaky gut from plant based chemical defenses. 

The Standard American Diet has become calorically dense, but diluted of protein, minerals, and micronutrients.  

Unfortunately, Governmental policy combined with the profit motives of Big-Food and Big-Pharma encourages the consumption of manufactured foods, which may be non-nutritive and promote chronic systemic diseases.  This disparity of synthesized food (which contains low nutritional value but high caloric load) leads to caloric over consumption, energy toxicity and eventual diabesity.

Addiction behavior is manipulated by dopaminergic modulation by food manufacturers and gamification of passive activities, in the context of individual loneliness.  Social media “connectedness” has created a false paradigm of human interaction, leaving individuals in silos of anonymous and self-destructive behavior.

Humans are complex adaptive systems, and systematic failure is rarely a single cause phenomenon.  Our historical disease models of single cause pathology are inadequate for this new synthesized Universe.

Gurpreet Padda, MD, MBA

Michelle Hurn RD LD, Ultra Runner, Author of The Dietitian’s Dilemma

Michelle Hurn is a registered and licensed dietitian with eleven years of experience as a clinical, acute care dietitian, lead dietitian in psychiatric care, and outpatient dietitian. While practicing inpatient and outpatient care in the hospital setting, Michelle discovered a disheartening connecting between the high carbohydrate, low fat, “sugar in moderation,” nutrition guidelines she was required to teach, and the rapidly declining health of her patients.

Michelle is an endurance athlete, and she has competed in 12 marathons. In 2019, Michelle decided to follow a LCHF, high animal protein diet to see if it would alleviate severe muscle pain she was experiencing. Not only was her muscle pain gone in a matter of weeks, her decades of anxiety began to fade. Michelle is the author of the book, “The Dietitian’s Dilemma,” detailing how the current nutrition guidelines came into existence and advocating a low carbohydrate, animal-based way of eating as an option for individuals struggling with diabetes, mental disorders, eating disorders, sarcopenia, and heart disease. Michelle won her first Ultra Marathon covering 44.63 miles in a 6-hour time frame.

You can buy Michelle’s book, listen to her latest podcast, and follow Michelle on social media by clicking the following link:

https://linktr.ee/Runeatmeatrepeat

Michelle Hurn RD LD

Panel: Outreach Strategies - Reaching more people in Minority Communities Going Forward*

6:00 pm

Low Carb Wine Tasting / Expo / Breakout: Nutrition Network - Helping you to Implement TCR in Practice

7:30 pm

Low Carb Dinner

Day 4 - Sunday, August 28

7:30 am

Expo

8:00 am

Eric Westman, MD, MHS

Dr. Eric C. Westman is an associate professor of medicine at Duke University Health System and director of the Duke Lifestyle Medicine Clinic. He combines clinical research and clinical care to deliver lifestyle treatments for obesity, diabetes, and tobacco dependence. He is an internationally known researcher specializing in low-carbohydrate nutrition.

Dr. Westman is currently the vice president of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians and a fellow of the Obesity Society and the Society of General Internal Medicine and

Past President of the Obesity Medicine Association and a Fellow. In 2010, He was named the Obesity Medicine Association’s “Bariatrician of the Year'' for his work in advancing the field of obesity medicine as well as the Society. 

He is also a recipient of the Society’s Steelman-Seim Educator Award for advancing the cause of health care through education and teaching. He graduated from Stanford University (A.B.), University of Wisconsin (M.D.), University of Kentucky and Duke University (M.H.S.) is board certified in Internal Medicine and Obesity Medicine and has a Master’s Degree in clinical research, with over 90 peer-reviewed publications to his name. Including this study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, entitled "A Low-Carbohydrate, Ketogenic Diet versus a Low-Fat Diet To Treat Obesity and Hyperlipidemia."

He has dedicated his life to helping people with various medical conditions such as Type 1 & Type 2 Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, Obesity, Hypertension, and many others through diet and lifestyle choices. He believes that using standard medical protocols often treat the symptom and not the cause. He has spent the past 20+ years doing clinical research and providing care to his patients, with an extremely high success rate, through theoretical and practical experience. 

Over 170 million Americans suffer from obesity, pre-diabetes, and type 2 diabetes. Yet, the clinical research he has conducted at Duke University shows that this American Medical Association-recognized disease can be put into remission – without medications – through a low carbohydrate ketogenic diet alone. 

Dr Westman’s experience is vast, and the results have been astounding… 26,000 pounds lost, 98% of patients affected by Type 2 Diabetes off insulin, 4,000 patients, 28,000 clinical visits

Dr. Westman has co-authored the books Cholesterol Clarity, Keto Clarity and The New Atkins For A New You.

Dr. Westman has told the story a few times at our previous events, about how he ended up writing a letter to Robert Atkins, which led to a meeting at Atkins' clinic. The meeting in turn led Dr Westman to convey that he was a little confused about the low carb diet, and he challenged Dr Atkins a bit, saying he was not convinced.  That in turn led Dr Atkins to challenge him back to find the flaws and prove that it did not work.  But as Dr Westman admits, he could not, and he only proved to himself the profound benefits of therapeutic carbohydrate reduction! He later co-authored a study, which led to another, larger study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, entitled "A Low-Carbohydrate, Ketogenic Diet versus a Low-Fat Diet To Treat Obesity and Hyperlipidemia."

Eric Westman, MD, MHS

Reversal of Heart Failure with a Keto Diet.*

9:00 am

Peter Ballerstedt, PhD

Peter Ballerstedt (aka The Sodfather) received his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture in 1981 and Master of Science in 1983, both from the University of Georgia. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky in 1986, specializing in forage management and utilization, minoring in ruminant nutrition. He was the forage extension specialist at Oregon State University from 1986 to 1992.

He currently works for Barenbrug USA, a grass seed company. His study of human nutrition is fueled by his personal experience. He is an advocate for ruminant animal agriculture and its products, speaking to audiences in several countries about the role of ruminants in humanity’s past, present and future. He strives to build bridges between his agricultural tribe and his low-carb/keto/carnivore tribes. Peter blogs and posts to facebook at “Grass Based Health” and on Twitter and Instagram at @GrassBased. Peter and Nancy live in western Oregon with their two dogs Conor and Noni.

Peter Ballerstedt, PhD

Metabolic Health & Sustainability*

10:00 am

Mark Cucuzzella, MD, FAAFP 


Mark Cucuzzella, is a Professor at West Virginia University School of Medicine. He is also a LtCol in the US Air Force designing programs to promote health and better fitness in the military with the USAF Efficient Running Project. (available on iphone format here) In military and civilian community he has been a tireless promoter of healthy movement, nutritional interventions in patients with any spectrum of the metabolic syndrome, and injury free training for running.

He was a lead writer of one of the first grants supporting education of Medical Students in nutrition and physical activity in Medical School.  Mark is also the lead on a large USDA grant to double SNAP benefits at Farmers Markets- the goal is reducing food insecurity as a barrier to healthier eating.

He’s also been a competitive runner for over 30 years — with more than 100 marathon and ultramarathon finishes — and continues to compete as a national-level Masters runner. He has won the Air Force Marathon twice. He is the race director of Freedom’s Run race series in West Virginia and director of the Natural Running Center, an education portal designed to teach healthier running . Mark is also the owner of Two Rivers Treads — A Center for Natural Running and Walking in his hometown of Shepherdstown, W.Va.  Mark’s vision of a future of health is housed in his site www.drmarksdesk.com

Mark’s innovative work and story has been featured in the New York Times, NPR, Outside Magazine, Running Times, Runners World, Air Force Times, the Washington Post, JAMA, Blue Ridge Outdoors, and other medical and media outlets.  

Mark Cucuzzella MD FAAFP
Professor West Virginia University School of Medicine

DrMarksDesk.com 

store/race HQ 304-876-1100
mobile 304-268-8813
[email protected]

 

Mark Cucuzzella, MD, FAAFP 

Metabolic Flexibility for Athletic Performance - Become a Better Butter Burner*

11:00 am

Stephen D. Phinney, MD, PhD

Dr. Stephen Phinney is a Professor of Medicine Emeritus at UC-Davis. He is on the editorial board of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  He has twenty-five years of clinical experience as a director of multi-disciplinary weight management programs and has contributed to books and peer reviewed articles and is an expert in low carb nutrition and metabolism, fatty acids, inflammation, and the metabolic syndrome.

Steve Phinney, MD, PhD

Inflammation: Its Role in Chronic Disease and Reversal by Nutritional Ketosis*

12:15 pm

Lunch / Expo / Breakout:  CrossFit Panel:  Bridging the Gap between Fitness and Healthcare

1:45 pm

Neville Wellington, MBChB

Neville Wellington is a GP in Cape Town, South Africa and is Medical Director of the Nutrition Network. He has been working in medicine for over 23 years, with pediatrics and diabetes among his main passions. He completed a two-year Postgraduate Diploma in Diabetes in 2012 and now runs a Centre for Diabetes and Endocrinology (CDE), overseeing a team of medical practitioners. Neville is a staunch advocate of a low-carb lifestyle.

Neville Wellington, MBChB

Evidence for self-monitoring blood glucose in type 2 diabetes*

3:15 pm

Dominic D’Agostino, PhD

Dr. Dominic D’Agostino is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of South Florida (USF) Morsani College of Medicine and also a Senior Research Scientist at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC). The primary focus of his laboratory is directed towards understanding the physiological effects of hyperbaric oxygen and developing and testing metabolic-based therapies, including ketogenic diets, ketone supplements and drugs that target specific metabolic pathways.

His research explores the use of these therapies for a broad range of disorders linked pathophysiologically to metabolic dysregulation, including seizures, neurodegenerative diseases, genetic diseases and cancer. D’Agostino’s laboratory uses in vivo and in vitro techniques to understand the physiological, cellular and molecular mechanism of metabolic therapies. His research is supported by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Department of Defense (DoD), private organizations and foundations.

Dominic D’Agostino, PhD

Eric Westman, MD, MHS

Dr. Eric C. Westman is an associate professor of medicine at Duke University Health System and director of the Duke Lifestyle Medicine Clinic. He combines clinical research and clinical care to deliver lifestyle treatments for obesity, diabetes, and tobacco dependence. He is an internationally known researcher specializing in low-carbohydrate nutrition.

Dr. Westman is currently the vice president of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians and a fellow of the Obesity Society and the Society of General Internal Medicine and

Past President of the Obesity Medicine Association and a Fellow. In 2010, He was named the Obesity Medicine Association’s “Bariatrician of the Year'' for his work in advancing the field of obesity medicine as well as the Society. 

He is also a recipient of the Society’s Steelman-Seim Educator Award for advancing the cause of health care through education and teaching. He graduated from Stanford University (A.B.), University of Wisconsin (M.D.), University of Kentucky and Duke University (M.H.S.) is board certified in Internal Medicine and Obesity Medicine and has a Master’s Degree in clinical research, with over 90 peer-reviewed publications to his name. Including this study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, entitled "A Low-Carbohydrate, Ketogenic Diet versus a Low-Fat Diet To Treat Obesity and Hyperlipidemia."

He has dedicated his life to helping people with various medical conditions such as Type 1 & Type 2 Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, Obesity, Hypertension, and many others through diet and lifestyle choices. He believes that using standard medical protocols often treat the symptom and not the cause. He has spent the past 20+ years doing clinical research and providing care to his patients, with an extremely high success rate, through theoretical and practical experience. 

Over 170 million Americans suffer from obesity, pre-diabetes, and type 2 diabetes. Yet, the clinical research he has conducted at Duke University shows that this American Medical Association-recognized disease can be put into remission – without medications – through a low carbohydrate ketogenic diet alone. 

Dr Westman’s experience is vast, and the results have been astounding… 26,000 pounds lost, 98% of patients affected by Type 2 Diabetes off insulin, 4,000 patients, 28,000 clinical visits

Dr. Westman has co-authored the books Cholesterol Clarity, Keto Clarity and The New Atkins For A New You.

Dr. Westman has told the story a few times at our previous events, about how he ended up writing a letter to Robert Atkins, which led to a meeting at Atkins' clinic. The meeting in turn led Dr Westman to convey that he was a little confused about the low carb diet, and he challenged Dr Atkins a bit, saying he was not convinced.  That in turn led Dr Atkins to challenge him back to find the flaws and prove that it did not work.  But as Dr Westman admits, he could not, and he only proved to himself the profound benefits of therapeutic carbohydrate reduction! He later co-authored a study, which led to another, larger study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, entitled "A Low-Carbohydrate, Ketogenic Diet versus a Low-Fat Diet To Treat Obesity and Hyperlipidemia."

Eric Westman, MD, MHS

Neville Wellington, MBChB

Neville Wellington is a GP in Cape Town, South Africa and is Medical Director of the Nutrition Network. He has been working in medicine for over 23 years, with pediatrics and diabetes among his main passions. He completed a two-year Postgraduate Diploma in Diabetes in 2012 and now runs a Centre for Diabetes and Endocrinology (CDE), overseeing a team of medical practitioners. Neville is a staunch advocate of a low-carb lifestyle.

Neville Wellington, MBChB

Peter Ballerstedt, PhD

Peter Ballerstedt (aka The Sodfather) received his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture in 1981 and Master of Science in 1983, both from the University of Georgia. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky in 1986, specializing in forage management and utilization, minoring in ruminant nutrition. He was the forage extension specialist at Oregon State University from 1986 to 1992.

He currently works for Barenbrug USA, a grass seed company. His study of human nutrition is fueled by his personal experience. He is an advocate for ruminant animal agriculture and its products, speaking to audiences in several countries about the role of ruminants in humanity’s past, present and future. He strives to build bridges between his agricultural tribe and his low-carb/keto/carnivore tribes. Peter blogs and posts to facebook at “Grass Based Health” and on Twitter and Instagram at @GrassBased. Peter and Nancy live in western Oregon with their two dogs Conor and Noni.

Peter Ballerstedt, PhD

Dave Feldman

Dave is a senior software engineer and entrepreneur.   He began working with programming and system engineering at a very young age and has always enjoyed learning new mechanistic patterns and concepts.

After starting a low carb diet, Dave found his cholesterol numbers increased considerably.  He then began reverse engineering the lipid system through self-experimentation and testing, finding it was very dynamic and fluid.  He has now demonstrated this phenomenon multiple times by moving his cholesterol up and down substantially in a matter of days.

Dave Feldman

Mark Cucuzzella, MD, FAAFP 


Mark Cucuzzella, is a Professor at West Virginia University School of Medicine. He is also a LtCol in the US Air Force designing programs to promote health and better fitness in the military with the USAF Efficient Running Project. (available on iphone format here) In military and civilian community he has been a tireless promoter of healthy movement, nutritional interventions in patients with any spectrum of the metabolic syndrome, and injury free training for running.

He was a lead writer of one of the first grants supporting education of Medical Students in nutrition and physical activity in Medical School.  Mark is also the lead on a large USDA grant to double SNAP benefits at Farmers Markets- the goal is reducing food insecurity as a barrier to healthier eating.

He’s also been a competitive runner for over 30 years — with more than 100 marathon and ultramarathon finishes — and continues to compete as a national-level Masters runner. He has won the Air Force Marathon twice. He is the race director of Freedom’s Run race series in West Virginia and director of the Natural Running Center, an education portal designed to teach healthier running . Mark is also the owner of Two Rivers Treads — A Center for Natural Running and Walking in his hometown of Shepherdstown, W.Va.  Mark’s vision of a future of health is housed in his site www.drmarksdesk.com

Mark’s innovative work and story has been featured in the New York Times, NPR, Outside Magazine, Running Times, Runners World, Air Force Times, the Washington Post, JAMA, Blue Ridge Outdoors, and other medical and media outlets.  

Mark Cucuzzella MD FAAFP
Professor West Virginia University School of Medicine

DrMarksDesk.com 

store/race HQ 304-876-1100
mobile 304-268-8813
[email protected]

 

Mark Cucuzzella, MD, FAAFP 

Panel:  Open Ended Final Discussion*

5:30 pm

RAFFLE DRAW (Includes 2 sets of 2 Tickets to a future LowCarbUSA event!)

5:45 pm

Doug Reynolds, MHP

Doug Reynolds is the Founder and CEO of LowCarbUSA®.  The original organization was founded in the beginning of 2016 with the initial  intention of providing  a platform, through an annual conference, for internationally renowned scientists and medical practitioners to present the ever-increasing body of evidence on the benefits of reducing carbohydrates in the diet (and adding in healthy fats).  He felt that education about the power of the low carb/ketogenic diet for the individual who may not get the information from their medical team or from mainstream nutrition advice, and for practitioners who may then be able to prescribe it in their practice was critical.

However, his mission quickly evolved when he realized how important this was to the medical professional community.  Valuable tools are needed, not only to provide hope to their patients to reverse and prevent disease, but restore hope to that very practitioner. This is why they went to medical school and got professional training, to help people heal and not just put Band-Aids on and never address the root cause of the problem.  Too many practitioners are being taught that the many chronic diseases our communities are facing are just chronic and processive.  With effective tools and supportive information, complications can be stopped in their tracks and further complications reduced and the disease process may even be reversed.

The tools and resources Low Carb USA has been providing,  not only includes the live conferences, but also  includes a huge library of educational videos, a growing database of practitioners, and nutritionists and sports trainers who are open to  the carb restriction conversation as well as a searchable database for papers and articles covering the research into the evidence supporting this lifestyle.

Most importantly, though, he has coordinated the establishment of a panel of advisors to oversee the creation and maintenance of a set of 'Clinical Guidelines for Therapeutic Carbohydrate Restriction' which was first published in May, 2019.

He has worked tirelessly over this period during the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown to now establish a nonprofit, the Society of Metabolic Health Practitioners for which he now serves as the President.  This organization will house most of the above body of work as education and training of Metabolic Health Practitioners and the entire community interested in making a difference in worldwide metabolic health.  The aim is to stall and reverse the increasing prevalence of noncommunicable, lifestyle related diseases, influenced by metabolic dysfunction and insulin resistance.  Accreditation pathways have even been established for practitioners within this society to introduce credibility to the practice of therapeutic carbohydrate restriction and to help establish alternative Standard of Care for those whose metabolisms are different because they don’t eat excessive carbohydrates.

Doug Reynolds, MHP

Closing

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