In 2013, I was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune condition called relapsing polychondritis.  On the basis of extensive research, I rejected my doctor’s orders and eschewed the perils of corticosteroid treatment, instead choosing a path of changing my diet and lifestyle.  
 
I switched to a low-fat, whole-food, plant-based diet that not only reversed my autoimmune condition, but also improved my health in countless other ways.   Based on the statistics, I was supposed to be either bedridden or dead by now, but instead I am alive and well — and medication-free!  
 
These positive changes inspired me to study nutrition-based health further, to the point where it has become an obsession of mine.  
 
For a complete list of certificates and courses and to see if I am qualified to work with you, go to  www.nutritionandhealtheducator.com.

Sandra has been a physician for over 25 years, now specializing in Food as Medicine, dedicated to preserving health and reversing lifestyle-related chronic disease through whole, plant-based nutrition. Sandy co-founded and runs the nonprofit Plant Docs as an avenue for adults to learn about the power of plant-based nutrition to improve health. Sandy studied Nutritional Sciences in college then earned her MD degree from the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Sandy worked in a primary care practice, taught residents at the medical school at Brown University, and started an Obesity Clinic. Though she has witnessed the healing power of conventional medicine, she has also seen its limitations, especially with regard to disease prevention through healthy nutrition. She obtained the following additional training: a Culinary Coaching certificate from Harvard’s CHEF Coaching program, a certificate in Plant Based Nutrition from eCornell, and a Health Coaching certificate from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Sandy is board certified in Pediatrics, Obesity Medicine, and is in the process of becoming board certified in Lifestyle Medicine.  

I am a board certified family nurse practitioner in family and lifestyle medicine in Georgetown, TX. Over the course of my 23-year career in medicine I have worked in both adult cardiac and pulmonary focused intensive care units, home health, hospice and inpatient rehab, as well as assisted living and memory care.  My career has allowed me to practice the full spectrum of adult medicine.  While I believe pharmaceuticals have their place in medicine, my passion is to show my patients how to live a life without them In 2016, my career took an unexpected turn following a health crisis and an eventual autoimmune disease diagnosis.  While researching and reading everything I could get my hands on about autoimmune diseases, I discovered the connection between diet and disease.  Three years after my diagnosis I had reversed my autoimmune illness, was off all my medication, and had almost undetectable antibodies.  I had a new vision for the way I wanted to practice medicine.  I returned to The University of Texas at Austin and completed my Doctorate in Nursing Practice focusing on Lifestyle medicine.

Dr. Rob McNab is a practicing Internist in Joplin, MO. He is double-boarded in Internal Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine. He has a passion for medical education and Lifestyle Medicine interventions. Dr. McNab is a 2002 graduate of the Kansas City University of Medicine and Bioscience. He holds fellowships from both the ACOI and the ACP. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine.
 
Dr. McNab created McNab Wellness – a Foundational Care clinic in 2022.  With a firmly held belief that healthy lifestyles are the foundations of good health, this practice collaborates with clients to optimize their health habits to attain their maximal health span and lifespan!

Dedicated in my service to Mankind, my entire 31-year nursing career has been specialized in Pediatrics, and I have worked in the PICU since 2000 with much float experience in the NICU. After having done extensive personal research since 1994 to find the best wholistic approaches to patient care and education of both my patients and their families, it wasn’t until late 2020 after diving head first into – and experiencing for myself – the whole-food plant-based lifestyle that I felt confident that I had found a truly viable and evidence-based approach: Back to the Basics.

Dr. Winnie Suen is a graduate of John A. Burns School of Medicine. She is board certified in Internal Medicine, Geriatrics, Palliative Medicine, and Lifestyle Medicine. She has experience working at multiple health systems in Massachusetts, Virginia, and Hawaii caring for older adults in the home, clinic, assisted living, hospital, and nursing home settings.  She is passionate about helping seniors and caregivers discover and achieve their goals to live their best quality of life using available evidence-based medicine and technology with moderation and balance in mind.   

I am a family physician and educator at the University of Utah who values the importance of healthy lifestyle behaviors in managing health. I aim to provide compassionate and personalized health care to promote health and well-being through lifestyle and whole-person care.
I am a board-certified family medicine physician and lifestyle medicine physician who welcomes patients of all ages to my practice. My research interests are patient and provider wellness, mental health, innovation in clinical practice advancement and leadership development in medical education.

I personally practice wellness through plant-based eating, regular exercise, community connection, and mindful awareness. I enjoy working with patients to encourage the adoption of new behaviors, to prevent and treat chronic disease and cultivate a sense of wellbeing. 

Dr. Keary O’Connor is a board-certified family medicine physician who is also a diplomate of both the American Board of Obesity Medicine and the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine. She has practiced in primary care for over 14 years and currently resides in Ohio. Dr. O’Connor is a graduate of Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine and served on active duty in the U.S. Army where she began to develop her passion for whole food plant-based eating and using lifestyle interventions as treatment options for her patients.

Training Institutions: Dr. O’Connor attended the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, Missouri and completed her residency at Metro Health Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She was a Leadership and Integrative Healthcare Fellow at Duke University and received a Certificate in Medical Nutrition from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York and her Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies.

Lifestyle Telemedicine

I have been a Physician Associate since 2005, and currently work in Family Medicine. I found Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine on my own when I found that my own health was going downhill. While I was improving my own health, I started using Lifestyle Medicine to improve the health of my patients and family. I have also been teaching free Nutrition/Lifestyle Medicine classes in my community since 2018. I enjoy walking, riding bicycles, traveling, watching sports, and spending time with my wife and family. 

I am devoted to addressing the ever increasing prevalence of chronic conditions in our population. I grew frustrated over the years with how chronic conditions are approached in our current healthcare paradigm. I sought further training in areas such as lifestyle medicine, obesity medicine, plant-based nutrition, health coaching, and adopted a new approach by combining this knowledge. After transforming my own health, I decided it was time to offer this approach to my patients as well. I am grateful to have found similarly minded peers in healthcare, who continue to inspire and teach me through sharing experiences and knowledge. Finding opportunities to learn and grow is one of my favorite things to do, and when I feel the most alive. I am excited to announce that very soon I will be opening the doors to my passion project: The Healthy Conditions clinic.

Direct Primary Care allows me the opportunity to be the educator and teammate in care.
Throughout my almost 15 years of practice in our traditional healthcare delivery system, the idea of providing an excellent provider to patient relationship has been sold to patients by insurance companies and healthcare systems over and over again. In reality, that level of communication, trust and understanding is rarely attainable when the expectation is to see even 25 patients in one day, let alone the 30 or 40 patients that are being evaluated by one practitioner in some settings.

As the time we have for patients has decreased, the time required to be reimbursed by the insurer has increased. Insurance has dictated what good medical care is by deconstructing the patient-provider relationship and turning it into checkboxes. Clicking boxes is robotic, teaches us not to think for ourselves and generally does not in any way contribute to a functional relationship between patients and providers.

Direct Primary Care is the ladder I’m climbing to get out of those boxes so that I can truly help people. In this model I will be free to practice medicine in its most effective form. Instead of having 5 minutes to talk to my patient about what is really important to them, I will have 45-60 minutes to listen, gather information, educate and participate in shared decision making. In comparison to the almost 2000 patients I had as an employed outpatient primary care provider, my goal is a maximum of 500. My patients will have access to me without having to wait for 3 weeks and without having to explain their needs to several people before ever seeing me.

By making home visits and utilizing technologies such as secured messaging and virtual interaction, I can truly be the trusted resource, teammate, cheerleader, consoler and advocate that I’ve always wanted to be.

Dr. Rakesh Jotwani, aka Dr. Rak (“rock”), became passionate about helping others make lifestyle changes after his own health dramatically improved with lifestyle changes. Dr. Rak completed his undergraduate degree in neuroscience at Duke University, his medical degree from the University of Chicago, and his internal medicine residency training at the University of California in San Francisco.He is dual board certified in Internal Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine. He has worked in direct patient care for over a decade, first as a hospital physician, then as a primary care physician. He previously served as the Director of Lifestyle Medicine for a large community hospital in San Francisco.  
Dr. Rak has an avid interest in how we can effectively change our habits, and regularly speaks about this subject to other healthcare providers across the United States.Dr. Rak is also an active member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine’s subgroup HEAL (Health Equity Achieved Through Lifestyle). Dr. Rak is married and has three kids.  Outside of work, he enjoys spending time cooking and enjoying plant-based meals, hiking, and strength training.

Kim Scheuer, MD, began her career as a traditional Family Practice physician. Despite eating healthier than most Americans and believing she was fit, she struggled with weight issues until age 47. While searching for a way to decrease her family history of cancer risk, Kim read The China Study. What she learned started a long and “fruitful” journey of discovering how to use a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet and Lifestyle Medicine to prevent, treat, and reverse chronic disease’s root causes. For the first time in her career, she could genuinely help herself and her patients heal rather than merely treat the symptoms of illnesses. One of her favorite parts of her new way of practicing medicine is to de-prescribe medications and help her patients become “younger every year” by adopting healthier lifestyle choices.
Dr. Kim Scheuer is board certified in both Family Practice and Lifestyle Medicine. She is conversant in Spanish and American Sign Language. She is licensed to see patients in over 20 states. Kim now lives and benefits from the lifestyle she recommends for her patients. She loves to share what she has learned with all who want to be healthier and happier.

Dr. Kristi Moffat is board-certified in family medicine. She has a special interest in women’s health, sports injuries and well-child visits.

Philosophy of Care
I believe in empowering you to make informed decisions regarding your health.

Experience
Year began practicing: 2001

Medical School
The Chicago Medical School, FUHS | Chicago, IL

Residency
Central Washington Family Medicine | Yakima, WA