Dr. Towolawi is a double board certified physician with over 15 years of clinical experience. She is a family medicine physician and lifestyle medicine physician with a passion to help people live healthier and longer lives by equipping them with knowledge to take charge of their health. She is a published author and speaker, leading workshops and webinars for children, teens, and adults. She is the founder and medical director of Nurture Well Center Direct Primary Care and SkinStatMD, where she has her own physician formulated and curated skincare + supplement line. Dr. Towolawi works with individuals, groups and organizations and has a passion for working with marginalized communities to empower them to advocate for their health using the six pillars of lifestyle medicine: plant-based nutrition, physical activity, stress management, restorative sleep, positive social connections, and reducing risky substances.

Longevity | Healthspan | Lifestyle Medicine | Corporate Wellness | #WFPB | Whole Food, Plant-Based | Eat your fruits and veggies

Lifestyle medicine focus for adult patients.

My name is Dr. Joseph Thomas and I am a trained family medicine and lifestyle medicine physician. I grew up health conscious as a vegetarian but after starting residency I learned of the healing power a plant-based diet possessed. I was able to lead a reversing diabetes course during residency and saw several people go from limited mobility to walking around the room. I was able to see peoples weight go down, happiness increase and true healing occur. This set me on a path to find other ways to heal people. After residency I started working in the hospital where I tried to help those in need obtain better help; realizing that the majority of chronic diseases started with the diet. I have since left the hospital and started up my own company (Simpliwell LLC) with my wife (nutrition counsellor in training) so that we could work with people earlier in the disease process to keep them out of the hospital and in a better state of health. It has been a pleasure joining up with the Plantrician Project to help the world achieve better health. 

Dr. Shayla Toombs-Withers grew up in Atlanta, GA.  She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Tennessee State University in Nashville, TN in 2003 where she earned a B.S. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. Dr. Toombs-Withers earned a Doctorate Degree in Osteopathic Medicine from the Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine located on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA in 2007.  After completing her formal medical education, Dr. Toombs-Withers continued her medical training at the University of Cincinnati, The Christ Hospital.  She is double board certified in Family Medicine and Obesity Medicine. Over the years, Dr. Toombs-Withers has served as Adjunct Associate Professor of Family and Community Medicine with the University of Cincinnati Family Medicine Residency Program and she worked as a Family Physician for a federally qualified health center caring for underserved populations in the Cincinnati area. In 2013 Dr. Toombs-Withers was named as the Medical Director for the All Care Health Center in Council  Bluffs, IA where she continued to practice family medicine and supervised a staff of physicians and nurse practitioners. Dr. Toombs-Withers moved to Chattanooga, TN in 2015 and became a Family Medicine Physician in the UT/Erlanger Primary Care Medical Group at the Pineville Road office.  She earned a certification in Plant Based Nutrition in 2016 and the was board certified in Obesity Medicine in 2018. Dr. Toombs- Withers has practiced a plant based diet for over 15 years and over the past 5 years she has moved to a vegan diet.  She has trained as an endurance athlete and she has completed the New York City Marathon, Chicago Marathon, Ironman Chattanooga 70.3, Ironman Augusta 70.3, Ironman Texas and a host of other endurance races. Dr. Toombs-Withers founded the Essence of Health Wellness Clinic in Chattanooga, TN in 2019 so that  she could combine her deep knowledge of medicine, plant based nutrition, and athletic training to provide comprehensive primary care to her patients using a Concierge Primary Care Model. Outside of work, Dr. Toombs-Withers is a mom for her three sons, wife, and dog wrangler.  She loves Chattanooga and all of the outdoor experiences it has to offer.  She enjoys cycling, hiking, camping, swimming, triathlons and trail running.