Our MHS 2024 Speakers

University of Southern California

Valter Longo, PhD, is the Edna Jones Professor in Gerontology and Professor in Biological Science. He is also the Director of the USC Longevity Institute. He is interested in understanding the fundamental mechanisms of aging in yeast, mice and humans by using genetics and biochemistry techniques. He is also interested in identifying the molecular pathways conserved from simple organisms to humans that can be modulated to protect against multiple stresses and treat or prevent cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease and other diseases of aging. The focus is on the signal transduction pathways that regulate resistance to oxidative damage in yeast and mice.

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital

Dr. Gottfried is a physician/scientist, bioengineer, educator, researcher, consultant, and keynote speaker. A thought leader in precision, functional, and personalized medicine, Dr. Gottfried has devoted her career to delivering superb, evidence-based multiomic care to patients with impeccable service, and to building bridges with allopathic physicians through disruptive education. Her mission is to reinvent healthcare toward the standard of personalized medicine.

Brigham Young University

Dr. Bikman earned his Ph.D. in Bioenergetics and was a postdoctoral fellow with the Duke-National University of Singapore in metabolic disorders. Currently, his professional focus as a scientist and professor is to better understand the role of elevated insulin and nutrient metabolism in regulating obesity, diabetes, and dementia. In addition to his academic pursuits, Dr. Bikman is the author of Why we get sick and a co-founder in HLTH Code.

LilyNicholsRDN.com

Nichols is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator, researcher, and author with a passion for evidence-based prenatal nutrition. Her work is known for being research-focused, thorough, and critical of outdated dietary guidelines. She is co-founder of the Women’s Health Nutrition Academy and the author of two books, Real Food for Pregnancy and Real Food for Gestational Diabetes. Lily’s bestselling books are used in university-level maternal nutrition courses, and have even influenced prenatal nutrition policy internationally.

University of Alabama Birmingham

Dr. Hernandez received her PhD from the University of Florida where she studied age and diet related changes in neurobiological and cognitive function. Her work has also included investigating the potential of ketogenic and time restricted feeding diets to prevent age-related cognitive decline, and more recently exploring the gut-brain-axis and the potential of restoring metabolic health for the prevention of age and AD related cognitive and neurobiological impairment.

Harvard Medical School

Dr. Palmer is a Harvard psychiatrist and researcher working at the interface of metabolism and mental health. He is the Director of the Department of Postgraduate and Continuing Education at McLean Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He has been pioneering the use of the medical ketogenic diet in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, and most recently, he has proposed a comprehensive theory of what causes mental illness titled Brain Energy.

The Ohio State University

For the last two decades, Dr. Volek has performed cutting edge research on how humans adapt to diets restricted in carbohydrates with a dual focus on clinical and performance applications of nutritional ketosis. His scholarly work includes more than 300 peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts and five books, including a New York Times Best Seller, and he has provided more than 200 lectures at scientific and industry conferences around the world. Dr. Volek is also the Co-Founder and former Chief Science Officer of Virta Health.

University of Minnesota

Dr. Crawford is a dedicated researcher and educator who is devoted to understanding the metabolic origins of both wellness and disease, particularly those rooted in overnutrition and maladaptive energy economy. As the Associate Dean for Research Operations, Division Director of the Division of Molecular Medicine, and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Medicine, Dr. Crawford has positioned himself at the forefront of medical research that explores the intersection of intermediary metabolism and disease processes like obesity and cardiovascular disease.

UW Health

Faltersack is a registered dietitian nutritionist at UW Health in Madison, Wisconsin. Kelly has over 10 years of experience as a registered dietitian nutritionist, five years of experience in neuro intensive care, and over six years of expertise managing ketogenic metabolic therapy for adults with epilepsy and other neurological conditions. Kelly was a co-author of "Transition of Care for Adolescent and Young Adult Patients on Dietary Therapy for Epilepsy" published in the Journal of Pediatric Epilepsy in 2020.

University of Edinburgh

Dr. lain Campbell is the Baszucki Research Fellow in Metabolic Psychiatry at the University of Edinburgh. He has a PhD in Global Health from the University of Edinburgh and is a principal investigator on a pilot trial of a ketogenic diet for bipolar disorder at The Division of Psychiatry within the Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences. He is also a co-investigator leading workstreams on 2 Wellcome Trust grants Helios-BD and Ambient-BD. Dr. Campbell has lived experience of Bipolar Disorder Type 2 and has experienced the benefits of ketogenic metabolic therapy for over 7 years. Dr. Campbell is also a composer interested in the intersection between bipolar disorder, creativity, and music.

University of Washington

Tommy Wood MD, PhD is a neuroscientist, elite-level professional nerd, and performance consultant to world class athletes in a dozen sports. He received an undergraduate degree in biochemistry from the University of Cambridge, a medical degree from the University of Oxford, and a PhD in physiology and neuroscience from the University of Oslo. Tommy is currently a Research Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Washington, where his research interests include determining how early brain injury impacts brain health across the lifespan, as well as developing easily-accessible and equitable methods with which to track health, performance, and longevity in both professional athletes and the general population.

Low Carb Dietitian LLC

Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE Low Carb Dietitian, LLC Franziska Spritzler is a Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Educator, clinician, and writer with 10 years of experience implementing ketogenic and low-carb diets. Her article “A Low-Carbohydrate, Whole-Foods Approach to Managing Diabetes and Prediabetes” was published in the American Diabetes Association’s Diabetes Spectrum before the ADA officially recognized therapeutic carbohydrate restriction as a valid option for diabetes management. She is passionate about helping people of all ages improve their metabolic health and quality of life.

Gillett Health

Dr. Gillett enjoys providing holistic individualized care to his patients. His practice includes preventative medicine, aesthetics, sports medicine, hormone optimization, obstetrics and infertility, integrative medicine, precision medicine, and genomics. He believes that each human is a unique creation that requires attention to their body, mind, and soul to achieve optimal health. He enjoys caring for others using shared decision-making and an evidence-based, patient-centered approach. He is active in Obesity Medicine organizations and firmly believes “food is medicine” and “exercise is medicine”. Dr. Gillett describes the “6 pillars of health”: exercise, diet, sleep, stress, sunlight, and spirit. These are more powerful than any medication or supplement. He enjoys spending time outdoors on the farm with his wife, two sons, and two wolfhounds.

Johns Hopkins

Dr. Jun is a pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine physician. He is an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep-disordered breathing, and in the care of critically ill patients in the Medical ICU. He is a member of the Sleep Fellowship Program Evaluation and Clinical Competency Committee and provides teaching to medical students and residents at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Jun’s current research interests include the metabolic consequences of obstructive sleep apnea, hypoxia, and obesity.

Boston College

Dr. Duraj is a medical doctor of Czech-Austrian origin, receiving his Medical Degree from the Rey Juan Carlos University and his PhD in Translational Medicine from the CEU San Pablo University. His scientific research has focused mainly on studying the potential of bioenergetic modulation and cancer metabolism, with special emphasis on glioblastoma, the most aggressive and lethal primary brain tumor. After developing cancer research at the team of Dr. Ayuso Sacido in Madrid, he joined Dr. Seyfried laboratory at Boston College. In his clinical practice, he specializes in health optimization through nutritional and lifestyle interventions for diseases with a metabolic root cause or therapeutic approach: cancer, insulin resistance and diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, epilepsy, and longevity.

University of Pittsburgh

Dr. Tan is a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She is also a practicing medical oncologist and the founding Integrative Oncology Director at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System. On Facebook, she is known as the KetoOncologist, where she runs a public online community called Keto for Cancer.

AdventHealth Translational Research Institute

Bret Goodpaster is the Scientific Director and a Senior Investigator at the AdventHealth Translational Research Institute. Dr. Goodpaster’s primary research is in the pathophysiology of human obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes, and to help decipher biological mechanisms underlying the health benefits of exercise. He has received a number of awards and honors for his work, including the Nathan Shock Award from the National Institute of Aging in 2008, for his work investigating the role of muscle fat infiltration in aging and muscle quality. He is particularly well known for “the Athlete’s Paradox” which has shifted the paradigm in Type 2 diabetes research.

BipolarCast

Matt Baszucki is a patient advocate. He lived with type 1 bipolar disorder for five years before coming across ketogenic therapy. Now, having effectively cured his illness with metabolic interventions, Matt works to educate the public about the roles of sleep, diet, and circadian rhythm management in mental illness. He currently works full-time in tech supporting third-party developers.

Sansum Diabetes Research Institute

Research Scientist at the Sansum Diabetes Research Institute and Visiting Scientist at Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition running clinical trials investigating the impact of divergent nutrition interventions on cardiometabolic health in Type-1 Diabetes, Pre-Diabetes, Type-2 Diabetes, and Obesity currently funded by the American Diabetes Association, National Institutes of Health, and Department of Defense Congressionally Directly Medical Research Program Strategies. Previously, Dr. Koutnik conducted human trials evaluating the biological impact of elevating ketone bodies under extreme stress in elite military and metabolically unhealthy clinical populations funded by the Department of Defense. Dr. Koutnik is a father, husband, Type-1 Diabetic, and Type-1 Diabetes patient advocate living in Santa Barbara, California.

Becoming Elite Founder & Cancer Patient

Chad was building a career path in Saas - as CMO of a payments company, starting his own payments company, and then onto training account executives, BDRs, and managers for companies like Dropbox, Calendly, and Dialpad while at Winning by Design. Then, in July of 2022, he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. Since diagnosis, he's been documenting the process of becoming metabolically, physically, and mentally elite to help him heal from cancer, continue to execute on his vision, and help top performers perform better. He's currently building the companies most authentic to him: Becoming Elite, Uncharted Spirits, and Teaquila Farm.

Weill Cornell Medicine

Ezequiel is a physician and scientist with a PhD in Immunology. He is studying the effects of dietary interventions on the immune system using mouse models and human samples. Cancer is another example where diet can influence immunity so Ezequiel is studying the crosstalk among tumor cells, the immune system, and the regulators of systemic metabolism that ultimately lead to the wasting syndrome called cachexia. This research has also sparked his interest in finding and validating early biomarkers for cachexia and lung cancer.

University of Colorado

Iñigo San Millán, PhD, is a leading expert in exercise physiology and human performance. As the director of the Exercise Physiology & Human Performance Laboratory at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, he is renowned for his commitment to using scientific testing to create personalized training plans for athletes of all levels. San Millán's work not only optimizes athletic performance but also explores the potential of exercise in preventing and treating metabolic diseases like Type 2 diabetes. His research-driven approach has revolutionized how individuals approach their fitness goals and overall health.

Institute for Muscle-Centric Medicine

Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, a respected functional medicine practitioner and founder of the Institute for Muscle-Centric Medicine®, is a prominent speaker and media contributor focused on brain and thyroid health, lean body mass support, and longevity. With board certification in Family Medicine and a background in Nutritional Sciences, she is an expert in protein's practical application to health, aging, and disease prevention. Dr. Lyon's clientele includes leaders, innovators, and executives from diverse fields, including Special Operations Military, and she provides private services to patients globally.

Metabolic Terrain Institute of Health

Dr. Nasha is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor (ND) and a Fellow of the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology (FABNO). She is a global healthcare authority in integrative cancer research. Dr. Nasha is a sought-after speaker and consults with physicians worldwide. Dr. Winters’s first experience with cancer was at the age of 19. She was diagnosed with stage IV ovarian cancer and given only a few months to live. Her metabolic approach to cancer stems from her nearly three decades of personal and professional experience in the field of integrative oncology.

Metabolic Health Initiative

Victoria is the co-founder of Metabolic Health Initiative (MHI), a science education organization that hosts the international scientific conference, Metabolic Health Summit. MHI has a mission to revolutionize science and medicine by refocusing attention on the importance of nutrition and metabolism in treating disease, extending life, and improving human performance.

University of South Florida

Dr. Poff is a Research Associate in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of South Florida, Co-Founder of Metabolic Health Initiative, and Co-Host of Metabolic Health Summit. Her research focuses on the development and testing of novel non-toxic, metabolic-targeted therapies for cancer and neurological diseases.

University of South Florida

Dr. D’Agostino is an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of South Florida, a Research Scientist at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC), and Co-Host of Metabolic Health Summit. His laboratory develops & tests metabolic-based strategies for targeting seizure disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer.