Hotel & Travel
Schedule at a Glance
16:30
Registration Desk Open
Registration Desk Open
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
08:00
Networking Breakfast
Networking Breakfast
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
08:00
Registration Desk Open
Registration Desk Open
08:00
Exhibit Hall Open
Exhibit Hall Open
12:30
Advancing Food is Medicine in Rural Communities
Advancing Food is Medicine in Rural Communities
This session will explore the unique challenges–and recent opportunities–for improving access to FIM interventions in rural communities. Panelists will highlight implementation strategies and policy solutions from three states as they strive to use FIM to improve rural health.
Melanie Bush, MPAff
Deputy Secretary of Medicaid, North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services
Melanie Bush, MPAff
Deputy Secretary of Medicaid, North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services
Melanie Bush is Interim Deputy Secretary of Medicaid for the North Carolina Division of Health Benefits (DHB), Department of Health and Human Services – also known as NC Medicaid. In this role, she provides leadership, strategic direction, operational oversight, and managed care supervision for the North Carolina Medicaid program, which serves more than 3 million North Carolinians who cannot afford health care. As Assistant Secretary and Chief Operating Officer, Melanie and her teams led the implementation of managed care transformation, the unwinding of continuous coverage for the COVID-19 public health emergency, and an expansion of Medicaid that extended access to care to more than 700,000 additional North Carolinians. Melanie also serves as a Governor’s appointee to the Board of Trustees for the North Carolina State Health Plan, which provides health care coverage for state and county employees. She is committed to ensuring high-quality health care at the lowest cost possible for the State of North Carolina. Prior to joining NC Medicaid, Melanie was the Medicaid Fiscal Analyst for the Fiscal Research Division of the North Carolina General Assembly (NCGA), where she led the Health and Human Services budget team. Her previous roles also include Senior Policy Analyst for Medicaid at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and Policy Analyst for the Center for Community Change in Washington, DC. Melanie holds a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Austin.
Elizabeth Kromm, PhD
Assistant Secretary, Population Health & Strategic Initiatives, Maryland Department of Health
Elizabeth Kromm, PhD
Assistant Secretary, Population Health & Strategic Initiatives, Maryland Department of Health
Elizabeth Edsall Kromm, Ph.D., M.Sc., is the Assistant Secretary for Population Health and Strategic Initiatives for the Maryland Department of Health. In this role, she serves as the primary advisor to the Secretary on population health improvement strategies and programs. This position incubates and drives high priority initiatives for the Department and works to bridge the gaps that exist in the health continuum between upstream interventions and the clinical delivery system. Previously, she led the Department’s Prevention and Health Promotion Administration, the largest component of public health services with over $600 million in funding, covering impact areas such as chronic disease, maternal and child health, infectious disease prevention and outbreak response and environmental health. Prior to joining the state, she was with the Johns Hopkins Health System as Vice President, Population Health and Advancement for Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center. In that role she led population health, community engagement and strategic planning efforts for the hospital and served as Vice President of Development and Chief Operating Officer for the Howard Hospital Foundation. Dr. Edsall Kromm’s additional work experiences include leadership positions in local government as well as with national non-profits. She served as the policy director for Howard County Government, a senior officer with The Pew Charitable Trusts, a senior adviser and bureau director with the Howard County Health Department and a program manager with the American Cancer Society. Dr. Edsall Kromm earned a doctorate in health policy and management from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she is an adjunct faculty member in the department of Health, Behavior and Society. She holds a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Emily Kain, MPH
Moderator
Senior Program Manager, Food is Medicine, MaineHealth
Emily Kain, MPH
Senior Program Manager, Food is Medicine, MaineHealth
Emily Kain, MPH, is a leader in Food is Medicine strategy and implementation, bringing nearly two decades of experience advancing equitable access to nutritious food through policy, systems, and community-based solutions. She holds a Master of Public Health in Social & Behavioral Sciences from Boston University, grounding her work in evidence-based approaches that strengthen both patient outcomes and population health.
As Senior Program Manager for Food is Medicine at MaineHealth, Emily partners with clinical teams to implement FIM interventions for patients managing uncontrolled diabetes and heart failure. She has led high-impact initiatives, including launching Maine’s first hospital-based food pantries that now serve more than 5,000 people each month and achieving consistent food insecurity screening across primary care practices.
Emily also leads Maine’s statewide Food is Medicine Coalition and is known for uniting diverse clinical, community, and policy partners to advance solutions that integrate nutritious food into care, improve health outcomes, and strengthen communities across Maine.
14:00
Closed Door: Food is Medicine State Implementer's Workshop (CHLPI) Part 1
Closed Door: Food is Medicine State Implementer's Workshop (CHLPI) Part 1
This closed-door workshop provides an opportunity for participants to collectively explore shared learnings, challenges, and best practices in implementing policies to expand access to FIM services at the state level.
15:45
Closed Door: Food is Medicine State Policy Implementer's Workshop (CHLPI) Part 2
Closed Door: Food is Medicine State Policy Implementer's Workshop (CHLPI) Part 2
This closed-door workshop provides an opportunity for participants to collectively explore shared learnings, challenges, and best practices in implementing policies to expand access to FIM services at the state level.
08:00
Exhibit Hall Open
Exhibit Hall Open
08:00
Registration Desk Open
Registration Desk Open
12:15
Closed Door: Farm to FIM Working Lunch
Closed Door: Farm to FIM Working Lunch
This closed-door, interactive lunch is the opening session of the convening workshops on values-aligned purchasing for Food is Medicine, setting the stage for action-oriented discussions by fostering connections across sectors, exploring shared goals, and framing key challenges and opportunities shaping this work.
12:15
Keynote Luncheon
Keynote Luncheon
14:00
Closing Remarks
Closing Remarks
Michel Nischan
Chef, Author, & Food Equity Advocate, Co-Founder & Chairman, Wholesome Wave
Michel Nischan
Chef, Author, & Food Equity Advocate, Co-Founder & Chairman, Wholesome Wave
Chef Michel Nischan is a four-time James Beard Award-winning chef with over 40 years of advocating for a sustainable, healthful food system. A lifelong Ashoka Fellow, he co-founded Wholesome Wave, a nonprofit focused on ending food and nutrition insecurity, and founded Wholesome Crave, a food company that supports the groundbreaking work of Wholesome Wave. Chef Michel has authored three cookbooks, owned Dressing Room Restaurant with the late actor Paul Newman, and is the co-founder of the James Beard Chefs Boot Camps for Policy and Change. Most recently, he received the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition’s 2024 Lifetime Impact Award in recognition of his extraordinary career and relentless commitment to improving food equity and nutrition across the U.S. Most recently, Michel launched the OneKitchen program, leveraging his deep experience and knowledge to provide training and mentorship along with an ongoing network of support for chefs who wish to make positive food systems change in the communities they call home.
Karen Pearl
Former President & CEO, God's Love We Deliver
Karen Pearl
Former President & CEO, God's Love We Deliver
Karen Pearl has worked with God’s Love We Deliver for 20 years, first as President & CEO from 2006–2022, then as a Special Advisor (2023-2025) and now as a consultant. God’s Love addresses nutrition insecurity and illness by providing medically tailored meals and medical nutrition therapy to people living with severe illness, largely in the NYC metro area as well as in communities in New York State and New Jersey. Karen also served as the founding Chair of the Food Is Medicine Coalition, a national association of nonprofit, medically tailored food and nutrition services providers advocating for the integration of medically tailored meal services into healthcare for the critically and/or chronically ill.Under Karen’s leadership, God’s Love was the winner of a New York Times Nonprofit Excellence award in 2010, and a winner of the New York State Department of Health Social Determinants of Health Innovation Award in 2018. During COVID-19, God’s Love was recognized as an Essential Services Provider, never missing a delivery. Karen received a City/State Women’s Leadership Award and was named one of Crain’s Notable Women in Health Care.Karen served on the Public Policy Committee of AIDS United and as an advisor for the Women in Leadership Certificate Program at Mercy University. For 10 years, Karen served on the Board of Directors of the Nonprofit New York and is currently on the Board of ACT. She has published articles and guides, and is a regular presenter at national conferences and symposia.Karen was previously Interim President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and President & CEO of Planned Parenthood of Nassau County. Karen holds a B.A. in Psychology from Cornell University and an M.A. in Counseling from New York University.
14:15
Closed Door: Farm to FIM: Convening on Values-Aligned Purchasing for Food is Medicine Workshop (Part 1)
Closed Door: Farm to FIM: Convening on Values-Aligned Purchasing for Food is Medicine Workshop (Part 1)
Through facilitated discussions and collaborative activities, participants will identify and prioritize key barriers and opportunities to advance values-aligned purchasing in Food is Medicine, generating insights and practical solutions informed by diverse perspectives from stakeholders across food and health care systems.
14:15
Closed Door: Food Is Medicine Coalition Part 1
Closed Door: Food Is Medicine Coalition Part 1
A dedicated, closed-door session for Food Is Medicine Coalition member agency staff, fostering shared learning, collaboration and community around service, research, policy, and best practices shaping MTM and MTG programs.
14:15
Closed Door: National Produce Prescription Collaborative Part 1
Closed Door: National Produce Prescription Collaborative Part 1
This session is for National Produce Prescription Collaborative members. It is an opportunity for us to share and learn from one another as we navigate a changing policy and implementation landscape.
14:15
Integrating Food is Medicine into Clinical Care to Achieve Better Patient Outcomes
Integrating Food is Medicine into Clinical Care to Achieve Better Patient Outcomes
This session will explore how health care organizations are using Food is Medicine programs to improve patient outcomes and support whole-person care. Speakers will share key evidence and real-world lessons from implementation at both state and national levels, with a focus on how these programs align within value-driven care frameworks.
Amanda Flaum
Vice President of Community & Social Health Programs, Kaiser Permanente
Amanda Flaum
Vice President of Community & Social Health Programs, Kaiser Permanente
Amanda Flaum, VP CA & HI Medicaid markets, is a distinguished leader within Kaiser Permanente’s Medicaid line of business, where she oversees strategy, planning, regulatory relationships, and health plan performance across California and Hawaii. Known for her steady leadership and clear strategic vision, Amanda partners closely with regional and national teams to drive operational excellence and improve outcomes for Medicaid members. With more than 25 years of experience in the healthcare sector, Amanda has led large scale organizational transformations, revitalized underperforming operations, and delivered more than $1 billion in enterprise savings and efficiencies. She is widely recognized for her ability to strengthen organizational capabilities, align leaders around shared priorities, and execute with discipline and precision. Amanda has held leadership roles at CenCal Health, Aetna Better Health, Blue Shield of California, and Anthem. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from California State University, Northridge, and completed Harvard Business School’s Women’s Leadership Forum. Beyond her work at Kaiser Permanente, Amanda is deeply committed to advancing community health and equity. She brings her expertise to several nonprofit organizations through board and advisory roles, supporting efforts that improve social care, expand access, and strengthen local communities. Through her role with the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce, she actively engages in civic forums that highlight collaboration and resilience within the region’s business community. As a board member of the Partners in Care Foundation, she helps guide the organization that addresses social determinants of health for vulnerable populations, supporting programs that have reached over two million people with critical care coordination and community based services. She is actively engaged with the United Way Ventura County, specifically Women United that supports single mothers on their educational journey. A Southern California native, Amanda lives in the region with her husband, Julian. She is an avid sports fan and brings that same competitive spirit and teamwork mindset to her leadership every day.
Stephen Massey
Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Health Action Alliance
Stephen Massey
Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Health Action Alliance
Stephen Massey is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Meteorite, a social impact firm that helps health movements scale. Meteorite designs, launches, and manages large-scale coalitions that unite employers, health systems, philanthropies, and community organizations around shared health goals — turning fragmented efforts into coordinated national infrastructure. Stephen co-founded and leads the Health Action Alliance, an 11,000+ employer network representing more than 50 million U.S. workers, which translates public health priorities into workplace action. Through HAA, he also launched U.S. Business Action to End HIV, mobilizing the private sector to help end the epidemic by 2030. He partners with Fortune 1000 companies to build initiatives that reduce barriers to care and address the social drivers of health. Stephen's career spans two decades of coalition leadership at global scale: co-founding an HIV organization in Russia, leading the United Nations' Global Media AIDS Initiative, and serving as a White House Fellow on the National Security Council. He is currently writing Structurally Sound, a book on designing systems for durability and applying organizational design principles to how we build our own lives.
Anuraag Chigurupati
Chief Operating Officer of Devoted Medical, Devoted Health
Anuraag Chigurupati
Chief Operating Officer of Devoted Medical, Devoted Health
Anuraag Chigurupati is Chief Operating Officer at Devoted Medical, the medical group division of Devoted Health, a company focused on dramatically improving the health and well-being of older Americans. Before Devoted, Anuraag started his career at McKinsey & Company and then served in state government as the Policy Director for Cost Trends at the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (HPC).
Jenefer Jedele, PhD
Health Economist, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina
Jenefer Jedele, PhD
Health Economist, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina
Dr. Jenefer Jedele is a health economist and health services researcher specializing in implementation and evaluation science. As a Health Economist for the Drivers of Health Strategy Team at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Jenefer leads evaluations of pilot programs that test innovative approaches to supporting members experiencing social drivers of health needs. She has expertise in evaluation across a variety of sectors including academia, government, and non-profit; and across a variety of domains including behavioral health, social programs, and public health. Dr. Jedele earned a Master’s degree in Survey Methodology and a PhD in Health Services Research at the University of Michigan.
In her work, she is recognized as a “translator” of complex statistical output into actionable insights and strategies as well as a passionate advocate of data-driven decision-making.
Pamela Schwartz, MPH
Moderator
Executive Director, Community Health, Kaiser Permanente
Pamela Schwartz, MPH
Executive Director, Community Health, Kaiser Permanente
Pamela Schwartz, MPH, is executive director of community health for Kaiser Permanente. She leads a broad portfolio of work addressing social determinants of health in the areas of highest need among Kaiser Permanente members and its communities, including food, housing, mental health workforce development, and financial security. Pam oversees Kaiser Permanente’s $50 million commitment to improve access to healthy food, which includes the Kaiser Permanente Food Is Medicine Center of Excellence created in 2024 to more fully integrate food and nutrition into health care delivery both at Kaiser Permanente and at health systems across the country. A champion for patient- and community-led solutions to social factors shaping people’s health, Pam and her team have created innovative, high-impact initiatives to increase affordable housing and reduce homelessness in dozens of communities and to increase the number of medical respite programs available in communities to help patients experiencing homelessness heal in safe and stable environments.
An experienced leader in health care and community health, Pam has contributed pieces to several academic and health care publications and serves on many advisory committees and expert panels. She is currently on faculty at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine in the Department of Health System Science.
Bechara Choucair, MD
Executive Vice President & Chief Health Officer, Kaiser Permanente
Bechara Choucair, MD
Executive Vice President & Chief Health Officer, Kaiser Permanente
Dr. Bechara Choucair, a board-certified family physician, serves as executive vice president and chief health officer for Kaiser Permanente, the nation’s largest integrated health system with more than 12.5 million members.
In this role, he oversees over $4 billion in annual investments supporting the organization’s community health and social health portfolio, including the creation of the nation’s largest social health network and the organization’s philanthropic giving. This includes support to medical financial assistance and charitable health coverage programs, as well as grants to community health programs throughout the organization’s footprint. Dr. Choucair oversees the organization’s Medicaid line of business covering 1.5 million members, and advances initiatives to increase access to care and improve health outcomes for those enrolled in both Medicaid and Medicare. In addition, his accountability includes leading enterprise clinical business development opportunities focusing on care delivery models, technologies, and products. He also leads Kaiser Permanente’s environmental stewardship work, which resulted in the organization becoming carbon neutral in 2020, and he oversees the organization’s goal to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. From January through November 2021, Dr. Choucair served as the White House national COVID-19 vaccinations coordinator. During his tenure, nearly 500 million doses of the vaccine were administered nationwide.
Hollie Harris
President & CEO, Appalachian Regional Healthcare
Hollie Harris
President & CEO, Appalachian Regional Healthcare
Hollie Harris, MHA serves as President and CEO of Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH), the largest healthcare provider and leading employer in southeastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia. With more than 20 years of service at ARH, Harris has advanced a bold vision for rural health, strengthening the long-term sustainability of hospitals in medically underserved communities while improving outcomes through innovative, community-centered care. A dedicated champion for health equity, Harris focuses on addressing the social determinants of health that shape life in Central Appalachia, with a particular emphasis on food insecurity and nutrition-related chronic disease. She co-chairs Kentucky’s statewide Food Is Medicine initiative, helping integrate nutrition access into healthcare to prevent and manage conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. Under her leadership, ARH has expanded partnerships with food banks, farmers, and community organizations to implement food security screenings, produce prescription programs, and medically tailored food initiatives across its system. Harris’ commitment to “food as medicine” is also deeply personal. After experiencing persistent symptoms traced to a gluten allergy and later navigating an early-detected cancer diagnosis and full recovery, she became even more focused on prevention and whole-person health. That conviction has helped shape ARH’s growing Lifestyle Medicine strategy, including the launch of Kentucky’s first dedicated Lifestyle Medicine service line and the opening of ARH’s first Lifestyle Medicine Clinic in Hazard, Kentucky, with plans to expand across its service region. Harris is also known for building a culture of wellness within ARH, supporting employee wellness initiatives, a subsidized Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program with local farmers, healthy cooking demonstrations, and community-building events that connect people to the food system. She frequently speaks at Food Is Medicine–focused events nationwide, sharing practical lessons from Appalachia and contributing to national conversations on nutrition security and healthcare innovation. Harris is a graduate of the University of Richmond and the Medical College of Virginia. She serves on the boards of the Kentucky Hospital Association, Kentucky Health Collaborative, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee, God’s Pantry Food Bank, Sayre School, the Women’s Business Collaborative, and Kentucky’s Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board.
16:00
Closed Door: Farm to FIM: Convening on Values-Aligned Purchasing for Food is Medicine Workshop (Part 2)
Closed Door: Farm to FIM: Convening on Values-Aligned Purchasing for Food is Medicine Workshop (Part 2)
Building on earlier insights, participants will co-develop actionable strategies and concrete next steps for advancing values-aligned purchasing in Food is Medicine while strengthening local and regional food systems and supporting cross-sector partnerships.
16:00
Closed Door: Food Is Medicine Coalition Part 2
Closed Door: Food Is Medicine Coalition Part 2
A dedicated, closed-door session for Food Is Medicine Coalition member agency staff, fostering shared learning, collaboration and community around service, research, policy, and best practices shaping MTM and MTG programs.
16:00
Closed Door: National Produce Prescription Collaborative Part 2
Closed Door: National Produce Prescription Collaborative Part 2
This session is for National Produce Prescription Collaborative members. It is an opportunity for us to share and learn from one another as we navigate a changing policy and implementation landscape.
Speakers
Danielle Parker
Vice President & Chief Mover, Dion’s Chicago Dream
READ BIODanielle Parker
Dion’s Chicago Dream
Danielle is the operational force behind one of the nation’s most innovative Food Is Medicine organizations, helping scale a model that delivers fresh food directly to thousands of households while advancing health equity across Chicagoland.A visionary executive with expertise in logistics, management, and systems building, she has helped transform Dion’s Chicago Dream into a nationally recognized, multi-million-dollar social enterprise. Her work proves that solving food insecurity requires more than compassion—it requires strategy, infrastructure, and flawless execution.
Michel Nischan
Chef, Author, & Food Equity Advocate, Co-Founder & Chairman, Wholesome Wave
READ BIOMichel Nischan
Co-Founder & Chairman, Wholesome Wave
Chef Michel Nischan is a four-time James Beard Award-winning chef with over 40 years of advocating for a sustainable, healthful food system. A lifelong Ashoka Fellow, he co-founded Wholesome Wave, a nonprofit focused on ending food and nutrition insecurity, and founded Wholesome Crave, a food company that supports the groundbreaking work of Wholesome Wave. Chef Michel has authored three cookbooks, owned Dressing Room Restaurant with the late actor Paul Newman, and is the co-founder of the James Beard Chefs Boot Camps for Policy and Change. Most recently, he received the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition’s 2024 Lifetime Impact Award in recognition of his extraordinary career and relentless commitment to improving food equity and nutrition across the U.S. Most recently, Michel launched the OneKitchen program, leveraging his deep experience and knowledge to provide training and mentorship along with an ongoing network of support for chefs who wish to make positive food systems change in the communities they call home.
Karen Pearl
Former President & CEO, God's Love We Deliver
READ BIOKaren Pearl
God's Love We Deliver
Karen Pearl has worked with God’s Love We Deliver for 20 years, first as President & CEO from 2006–2022, then as a Special Advisor (2023-2025) and now as a consultant. God’s Love addresses nutrition insecurity and illness by providing medically tailored meals and medical nutrition therapy to people living with severe illness, largely in the NYC metro area as well as in communities in New York State and New Jersey. Karen also served as the founding Chair of the Food Is Medicine Coalition, a national association of nonprofit, medically tailored food and nutrition services providers advocating for the integration of medically tailored meal services into healthcare for the critically and/or chronically ill.Under Karen’s leadership, God’s Love was the winner of a New York Times Nonprofit Excellence award in 2010, and a winner of the New York State Department of Health Social Determinants of Health Innovation Award in 2018. During COVID-19, God’s Love was recognized as an Essential Services Provider, never missing a delivery. Karen received a City/State Women’s Leadership Award and was named one of Crain’s Notable Women in Health Care.Karen served on the Public Policy Committee of AIDS United and as an advisor for the Women in Leadership Certificate Program at Mercy University. For 10 years, Karen served on the Board of Directors of the Nonprofit New York and is currently on the Board of ACT. She has published articles and guides, and is a regular presenter at national conferences and symposia.Karen was previously Interim President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and President & CEO of Planned Parenthood of Nassau County. Karen holds a B.A. in Psychology from Cornell University and an M.A. in Counseling from New York University.
Tom Crohan
Vice President & Counsel, U.S. Law & Government Relations, John Hancock
READ BIOTom Crohan
John Hancock
Tom Crohan is Vice President & Counsel, U.S. Law & Government Relations at John Hancock. He advises senior leadership on legal, regulatory, and public policy strategy across federal, state, and local jurisdictions, leading key policy initiatives advancing priorities related to longevity, behavioral insurance, and health and wellness innovation. He also advises on emerging geopolitical risks and global policy developments and aligns legal, government relations, and sustainability priorities across the enterprise. Tom serves as Secretary of the Executive Sustainability Council and co-chairs a global Legal, Compliance, and Government Relations Sustainability Council. He previously led global Community Investment, overseeing more than $35 million annually across philanthropic initiatives. Before joining John Hancock in 2010, Tom served as an aide to U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy, where he developed federal policymaking and constituent engagement experience. Tom holds leadership roles with industry and regional organizations, including the American Council of Life Insurers, the Life Insurance Association of Massachusetts, the New England Council, and state Life & Health Guaranty Associations. He also serves on the Executive Committee of the Massachusetts Capital Resource Company and The Life Initiative, which provide long-term capital and have collectively invested hundreds of millions of dollars to support small businesses, affordable housing, and community development across Massachusetts. Beyond his professional responsibilities, Tom is committed to community service. He co-founded the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund and serves on the board of the Friends of Martin’s Park. He has also served on the Massachusetts General Hospital for Children advisory board. He played a pivotal role in the establishment of One Fund Boston, which raised and distributed nearly $80 million to those most affected by the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. He has been recognized as one of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce’s Ten Outstanding Young Leaders and was selected for Harvard Business School’s Young American Leaders Program. Tom earned his law degree from Suffolk University Law School and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science & communication from the University of New Hampshire.
Katelyn Mulkey
Helena Bottemiller Evich
Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Food Fix
READ BIOHelena Bottemiller Evich
Food Fix
Helena Bottemiller Evich is the founder and editor-in-chief of Food Fix.Most recently, she led coverage of food and agriculture issues at POLITICO for nearly a decade, winning numerous awards for her work, including a George Polk Award for a series on climate change and two James Beard Awards for features on nutrition and science. In 2022, she was a James Beard Award finalist for a deep dive on diet-related diseases and Covid-19.Before launching POLITICO’s food policy coverage in 2013, Helena was the Washington correspondent for Food Safety News where she covered deadly foodborne illness outbreaks and the run-up to Congress passing the most significant update to food safety law in a century.Helena is a sought-after speaker and commentator on food issues, appearing on CNN, MSNBC, CBS, BBC and NPR, among others. Her work is widely cited in the media and has also been published in the New York Times, the Columbia Journalism Review and NBC News.Born and raised in Washington state, Helena attended Claremont McKenna College, where she studied government. She now lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband, two kids and tabby cat.
Senbagam Virudachalam, MD
General Pediatrician; Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
READ BIOSenbagam Virudachalam, MD
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
Senbagam Virudachalam, MD, MSHP is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and a general pediatrician at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). She is a faculty member at PolicyLab and Clinical Futures in the CHOP Research Institute. Dr. Virudachalam is also the Director of Food Equity for the CHOP Care Network, a primary care network that serves over 250,000 pediatric patients. Dr. Virudachalam’s research focuses on food justice, advancing equity in diet quality, and health outcomes for all children. She studies cross-sector approaches to ensure that all children have stable access to healthy food environments at home and in their communities, enabling them to thrive and grow into healthy adults. She has extensive experience conducting community-engaged research, especially regarding the evaluation of produce prescriptions and Home Plate, a food literacy and cooking skills intervention for low-income parents that she developed in close partnership with Early Head Start. Dr. Virudachalam serves on the board of directors for The Food Trust and on the steering committee for the National Produce Prescription Collaborative. She earned her MD from the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine and completed her pediatric residency at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland. Dr. Virudachalam then earned a Master’s degree in Health Policy Research from the University of Pennsylvania while completing an academic general pediatrics fellowship at CHOP.
Mehmet Oz, MD
Administrator, Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services
READ BIOMehmet Oz, MD
Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services
Dr. Oz serves as the 17th Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services under HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy, Jr., and President Donald Trump. He is a Professor Emeritus at NY Presbyterian-Columbia Medical Center and has won nine Daytime Emmy® Awards. Dr. Oz received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and obtained a joint MD and MBA from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Wharton Business School. He is the author of eight New York Times Best Sellers and was a founder of a lifestyle magazine with a focus that extends well beyond health and wellness to relationships, beauty, food and home. In 2003, Dr. Oz founded a national non-profit which emulates the Peace Corps by putting energetic recent college graduates into high schools around the country to teach diet, fitness and mental resilience. He has raised $100 million to help 3 million teens with this nationwide program. In addition to belonging to every major professional society for heart surgeons, Dr. Oz has been named Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, Forbes’ most influential celebrity, Esquire magazine’s 75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century, Harvard’s 100 Most Influential Alumni, AARP 50 Influential People Over 50, and received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and a Hollywood Walk of Fame Star. Dr. Oz resides in Pennsylvania with his wife Lisa Oz and is a proud father of four and grandfather of five children.
Andrea Caracostis, MD, MPH
CEO, HOPE Clinic
READ BIOAndrea Caracostis, MD, MPH
HOPE Clinic
Dr. Andrea Caracostis, has dedicated her life working to provide equal access to care for all. She is a medical doctor with a Master in Public Health, Biostatistics and Epidemiology from Texas A&M and 25 years’ experience in Health care. Since 2007 she has led HOPE Clinic as the Chief Executive Director, a Federally Qualified Health Center providing care to the large multicultural community in Southwest Houston. Under her leadership HOPE Clinic has grown from having 5 employees and a $700,000 budget to a large corporation employing over 300 staff and a $40 million dollar budget. HOPE Clinic is nationally recognized as a quality and innovation leader by the Bureau of Primary care. Dr. Caracostis is board member a various local and national healthcare organizations, including Harris Health, Texas Association of Community Health Centers, and Community Health Choice. She has been voted as a top 20 CEO in Houston in 2019 and most admired CEO in 2021 and Women to Watch in 2025.
Alissa Wassung
Executive Director, Food is Medicine Coalition
READ BIOAlissa Wassung
Food is Medicine Coalition
Alissa brings more than 15 years of policy and strategy expertise to her role as Executive Director of the Food Is Medicine Coalition (FIMC), a national coalition of nonprofit organizations providing medically tailored meals (MTMs), medically tailored groceries (MTGs), medical nutrition therapy, and nutrition education to people living with severe and chronic illnesses. FIMC advances access to these interventions through policy change, research, evaluation, and best practices. Nearly 40 years ago, member agencies established the MTM intervention in response to the HIV epidemic and have upheld rigorous nutrition standards ever since. At FIMC, Alissa unites diverse stakeholders to strengthen the medically tailored nutrition field. Through education, policy briefings, national symposia, technical assistance, and federal and state advocacy, she has helped expand awareness, access, and funding for MTMs and MTGs. Recently, she convened partner agencies to formalize the first national standard for the MTM intervention, establishing an accreditation model for service providers based on decades of community expertise. FIMC is now developing an MTG standard for the field. Previously, Alissa served as Senior Director of Policy & Planning at God’s Love We Deliver in New York City, where she led the Food Is Medicine initiative and oversaw government funding, research, and cross-sector health policy innovation. She serves on multiple national advisory groups focused on access, research, care integration, and nutrition policy. A frequent national speaker, she has presented at leading public health and health care convenings across the country.
Megan Bowman, RDN
National Nutrition Food Security Program Coordinator, Office of Food Security, Veterans Heath Affairs
READ BIOMegan Bowman, RDN
Office of Food Security, Veterans Heath Affairs
Megan Marie Bowman, MS, RDN, is a national leader in nutrition and public health, serving as the National Nutrition Food Security Program Coordinator for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. With over 15 years of experience, she implements innovative programs to combat Veteran food insecurity and advances nutrition policy, education, and clinical care.
Gary Besaw
Director, Menominee Tribal Department of Agriculture & Food Systems
READ BIOGary Besaw
Menominee Tribal Department of Agriculture & Food Systems
Gary Besaw is an enrolled Menominee. Gary’s current responsibilities include development and
reestablishment of Menominee sustainable indigenous food systems and Menominee’s role in
intertribal food economies in the Great Lakes Region. He has served on the Menominee Tribal
Legislature for 15 years, twice holding positions as Tribal Chairman and also as Vice Chairman and
Secretary. Gary had served on multiple environmental and policy committees for Menominee, including
15 years as Menominee’s representative for the State-Tribal Relations Study Committee of the WI. Joint
Legislative Council. Gary has presented on environmental, food policy, legal, and social/cultural concerns
at local, state, intertribal, and national levels. Gary previously worked his professional career in Native
American education, at the College of Menominee Nation as Vice President of Student Services, and in
K-12 education as a Superintendent, Administrator, Curriculum Coordinator, and Art Instructor. He holds
an MS in Education Administration from UW-Madison and BS in Art Education from UW-Stout.
Robin McKinnon, PhD, MPA
Acting Director, Nutrition Center of Excellence, Human Foods Program, U.S. Food & Drug Administration, Department of Health & Human Services
READ BIORobin McKinnon, PhD, MPA
U.S. Food & Drug Administration, Department of Health & Human Services
Robin McKinnon, PhD MPA
Robin McKinnon is the Acting Director for Nutrition Center of Excellence in the Human Foods Program (HFP) at FDA. The Nutrition Center of Excellence elevates and empowers action on nutrition science, policy, and initiatives to help reduce the burden of diet-related chronic diseases and ensure the nutritional adequacy and safety of infant formula. Prior to joining FDA, Dr. McKinnon was at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health, where she led policy-relevant research activities on diet, obesity and physical activity. Dr. McKinnon has a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from the George Washington University and a Master in Public Administration from Harvard University.
Colleen Briggs
Vice President of Corporate Responsibility & President, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation
READ BIOColleen Briggs
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation
Colleen Briggs is Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility and President of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC). In this role, she is responsible for advancing the company’s purpose to improve the health and well-being of customers and communities. Prior to joining Blue Cross NC, she was Head of Inclusive Economies and Banking within the Office of Corporate Responsibility at JPMorgan Chase & Co. Colleen was responsible for helping establish and execute the firm’s strategies to promote inclusive products and practices, including advising the development and implementation of the firm’s $30 billion commitment to advance economic inclusion by harnessing the firm’s products, hiring, philanthropy and advocacy. She also led strategic initiatives for the JPMorgan Foundation, including developing and managing global strategies for community development, affordable housing, and small business. Previously, Colleen was the Economic Policy Advisor to Senator Debbie Stabenow. In this role, she managed the Senator’s economic portfolio, including policy related to financial services, tax, small business, job creation, community development, manufacturing, and housing. Colleen managed the Dodd-Frank market reforms for the Senate Agriculture Committee, and helped draft the Recovery Act, TARP, the Dodd-Frank Act, and health care reform. She earned an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Shakirah Aamir
Community Council Member, Food is Medicine Institute, Tufts University
READ BIOShakirah Aamir
Food is Medicine Institute, Tufts University
I am a 43 year old mother of four, wife of 11 years, licensed Community Association Manager, and HOA president based in Georgia. Originally from Oakland, California, I worked in several positions within the medical field, with my last role serving as a Patient Coordinator at UCSF Medical Center, before transitioning into community leadership and patient advocacy. After having my youngest child at 40 during a high risk pregnancy, my personal health journey deepened my passion for nutrition, wellness, and advocating for better health education and access for families. I am passionate about leadership, community engagement, and empowering others through both healthcare and neighborhood advocacy.
Steve Brazeel
Founder & CEO, Project FoodBox
READ BIOSteve Brazeel
Project FoodBox
Steve Brazeel is the founder of SunTerra Produce, Project FoodBox, and Elevated Foods, companies at the forefront of advancing food-as-medicine, fresh produce distribution, and regenerative agriculture across North America. Since founding SunTerra in 2000, he has grown the organization into an industry-leading platform, while SunTerra/Project FoodBox have delivered more than 9 million boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables to individuals in need - primarily through healthcare-driven nutrition programs in partnership with health plans, food banks, and community-based organizations. His work sits at the intersection of agriculture and healthcare, helping establish fresh produce as a scalable, preventive health intervention. Steve serves on the Boards of the Western Growers Association and IFPA Foundation for Fresh Produce, is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), and was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to the Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee. He is married with four grown children and resides on Balboa Island, California.
Dana Feldman
Executive Director of the Office of Consumer & Environmental Protection, Kentucky Department of Agriculture
READ BIODana Feldman
Kentucky Department of Agriculture
Dana Feldman is the Executive Director of the Office of Consumer and Environmental Protection at the Kentucky Department of Agriculture where she oversees regulatory programs, including pesticide applications, food distribution programs, and gas pump inspections. She has served as a lead on Kentucky Food is Medicine Initiative for two years. Dana was a director of a 300-employee city department in Albuquerque and worked in the Kentucky Governor's Office. Originally from Louisville, Dana earned her bachelor's from the University of Louisville and a master's from Ohio University.
Emily Callahan, MPH, RDN
Director of Policy Strategy, Food is Medicine Institute, Tufts University
READ BIOEmily Callahan, MPH, RDN
Food is Medicine Institute, Tufts University
Emily A. Callahan serves as the Director of Policy Strategy for the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University. In this role she helps plan and execute a strategic vision for informing and driving federal policy change to advance food is medicine, increase federal investment in nutrition research, and promote nutrition security. Emily has worked with a broad array of national health and science non-profits and academic institutions—including staff roles at the American Heart Association and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine—to translate scientific research into policy and systems changes that improve population health. She also has broad experience as a consultant science writer and editor, and recently worked with the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee to produce its Scientific Report. Emily earned an MPH from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a BS in Dietetics (summa cum laude) from Miami University in Ohio, and has been credentialed as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist since 2008. Emily resides in the Washington, DC metro area with her husband and their four children.
Emily Broad Leib, JD
Clinical Professor of Law & Director, Center for Health Law & Policy Innovation, Harvard Law School
READ BIOEmily Broad Leib, JD
Center for Health Law & Policy Innovation, Harvard Law School
Emily Broad Leib is a Clinical Professor of Law and Founder and Director of the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic, the nation’s first law school clinic devoted to providing legal and policy solutions to the health, economic, and environmental challenges facing our food system. She is also Faculty Director of Harvard Law School Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation. Working directly with clients and communities, Broad Leib champions community-led food system change, reduction in food waste, policies to increase food access and food is medicine interventions, and sustainability in food production. Her scholarly work has been published in California Law Review, Wisconsin Law Review, the Harvard Law & Policy Review, the Food & Drug Law Journal, and the Journal of Food Law & Policy, among others. She received her B.A. from Columbia University and her J.D. from Harvard Law School, cum laude.
Nira Goren, MD
Head of AI for Societal Health & Food is Medicine, Google
READ BIONira Goren, MD
Dr. Nira Goren is the Head of Food is Medicine at Google, facilitating the development of products and programs that improve nutrition information quality, further access to high quality food, and build culinary agency to enable people worldwide to nourish themselves and the planet. A pediatrician by background, Dr. Goren has dedicated her career to scaling health impact through innovative technology and strategic clinical leadership. Previously, she led Health Information Quality for products like YouTube, Search, and Gemini, drove clinician-facing product strategy at Google DeepMind, and consulted for top healthcare organizations with the Boston Consulting Group.
Jaclyn Albin, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, & Public Health, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
READ BIOJaclyn Albin, MD
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Jaclyn Lewis Albin, MD is an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Public Health at University of Texas Southwestern (UTSW). She is the Inaugural Director of UTSW’s Culinary Medicine Program, which teaches nutrition, culinary foundations, and care innovation through hands-on cooking to students, health care professionals, and the community in partnership with a culinary registered dietitian. She co-developed the first Culinary Medicine (CM) Clinical Service Line, integrating interprofessional CM consults and group medical visits into patient care. Dr. Albin also serves as Medical Director for Food as Medicine Innovation at the Center for Innovation and Value at Parkland Health and is a steering committee member for the Dallas/Dallas County Food Plan. She is an advisory board member for the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative and the incoming President of the American College of Culinary Medicine. In 2025, she was appointed by Governor Abbott to the Texas Nutrition Advisory Committee and serves as the Chair, informing statewide policy for nutrition education and dietary guidelines.
Henry Crews
Executive Director, Green Rural Redevelopment Organization
READ BIOHenry Crews
Green Rural Redevelopment Organization
Henry Crews, Executive Director Green Rural Redevelopment Organization (GRRO) Founder, GRRO Global Henry Crews is a dedicated social entrepreneur and community advocate with a lifelong commitment to economic empowerment and social change. As the Executive Director of the Green Rural Redevelopment Organization (GRRO) in Henderson, NC, Henry leads efforts to revitalize rural communities by tackling poverty, food insecurity, and chronic disease. A North Carolina native, Henry co-founded GRRO in 2012 with his wife, Ardis Crews, to address the pressing challenges facing Henderson, Vance County, and an expanding 15-county region in Eastern NC. Under his leadership, GRRO has forged strategic partnerships and fostered economic development, strengthened rural agriculture, and expanded access to fresh, healthy foods for vulnerable populations both domestically and internationally. Additionally, he works closely with healthcare providers to improve health outcomes through nutrition education and food access programs. Henry's passion for community development extends beyond North Carolina. He has worked extensively in Africa and through Opportunities Industrialization Centers (OICs) across the country, promoting workforce development and economic opportunities for underserved communities. With decades of experience in nonprofit leadership and grassroots advocacy, he remains committed to building resilient, thriving rural communities
Lt. Governor Kyle Evans Gay
Lieutenant Governor, State of Delaware
READ BIOLt. Governor Kyle Evans Gay
State of Delaware
Lt. Governor Kyle Evans Gay is a mom, an attorney, an advocate, a former State Senator, and
Delaware’s 27th Lieutenant Governor. She ran for office to help Delaware working families thrive.
She began her professional career as a deputy attorney general in the Delaware Department of
Justice before clerking in the Delaware Superior Court. She worked in private practice representing
clients in Delaware’s business courts and representing children in foster care pro bono. Lt.
Governor Gay is a long-standing advocate for equity and justice — helping pass the Equal Rights
Amendment in the First State, leading a Period Equity Initiative as President of the Junior League
of Wilmington, and working to expand access to legal services as the Chair of the Delaware Bar
Foundation.
Her commitment to public service continued when she was elected in 2020 to the Delaware General
Assembly, representing the Fifth Senate District. As a State Senator, she prioritized early
education, voting rights, reproductive healthcare, criminal justice reform, and protecting vulnerable
populations.
Lt. Governor Gay carries these experiences into her current role. In addition to carrying out her
constitutional duties, she chairs the Delaware Behavioral Health Consortium, the Delaware Food is
Medicine Committee, and the Interagency Resource Management Committee. She hosts monthly
forums, engaging with community leaders and advocates to help shape policies that reflect the
diverse experiences of Delawareans.
As Lt. Governor, she is focused on improving the early education system, growing Delaware’s
workforce, expanding reproductive healthcare access, and increasing resources for veterans and
first responders.
She enjoys hiking, baking, and cheering on the Philadelphia Union with her husband and two
daughters.
Brian Hillmer
Chief Culinary Officer, Community Servings
READ BIOBrian Hillmer
Community Servings
Brian is the Chief Culinary Officer at Community Servings, a Boston based FIM provider and home to the AMPL Institute There, he directs culinary strategy, R&D, and their large-scale production and fulfillment operations. He leads a team of professionals, volunteers and students who craft scratch-made, medically tailored meals using whole ingredients from regional producers. Driven by health equity, Brian aligns culinary innovation with nutritional advocacy to deliver targeted dietary interventions for critical populations. Previously, Brian spent over two decades as a Chef and Culinary Director, managing multi-unit operations, menu development, and supply chain logistics for prominent national and regional restaurant groups. Brian holds a Master’s degree in Sustainable Food Systems and occasionally lectures on environmental economics with a focus on commercial fisheries management and advanced aquaculture technologies.
Kurt Hager, PhD
Assistant Professor, UMass Chan Medical School
READ BIOKurt Hager, PhD
UMass Chan Medical School
Dr. Kurt Hager is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Epidemiology at UMass Chan Medical School, focusing on social determinants of health, food insecurity, nutrition and US health insurance. His recent research has focused on the effectiveness of Medicaid-funded nutrition and housing programs. Dr. Hager is motivated by translating scientific evidence to successful policy and is currently a member of the American Heart Association's Value Assessment Task Force for the Healthcare by Food Initiative.
Becky Sheppard
Chairperson, Health Equity Committee,, American Academy of Actuaries
READ BIOBecky Sheppard
American Academy of Actuaries
Becky Sheppard is a health actuary and dedicated volunteer with the American Academy of Actuaries, known for her work advancing collaboration, professional growth, and health equity within the actuarial profession. She has written and spoken about how Academy volunteer service creates mutual benefits for both actuaries and the broader public—strengthening public policy, expanding professional perspectives, and fostering meaningful professional connections. Becky currently serves in a leadership role with the Academy’s Health Equity Committee, where she helps examine actuarial practices and methodologies that may contribute to health disparities, emphasizing thoughtful, real-world impact alongside technical rigor.
Haleta Belai
Vice President, Enterprise Drivers of Health, Centene Corporation
READ BIOHaleta Belai
Centene Corporation
Haleta Belai is Vice President of Drivers of Health at Centene Corporation, a leading provider of government sponsored healthcare, including coverage for more than one million Medicare Advantage members, with a focus on duals. Haleta leads a national team in designing evidence-based strategies, partnerships, and tools to measurably improve health outcomes by addressing root causes of poor health. Haleta holds a BA from Columbia University and MBA from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business.
Jayanta 'Jay' Bhattacharya, MD, PhD
Director; Acting Director, National Institutes of Health; Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
READ BIOJayanta 'Jay' Bhattacharya, MD, PhD
National Institutes of Health; Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
Jayanta "Jay" Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D., took the helm as 18th director of the National Institutes of Health, the nation’s medical research agency, on April 1, 2025. President Trump nominated Dr. Bhattacharya for the position on Nov. 26, 2024, and the U.S. Senate confirmed him on March 25, 2025. Dr. Bhattacharya, a renowned doctor, researcher, health economist, previously held a tenured professorship in the medical school at Stanford University in California. His research focused on population aging and chronic disease, particularly on the health and well-being of vulnerable populations. He has published over 170 research papers in peer-reviewed journals in medicine, epidemiology, health policy, economics, statistics, science policy, and public health, as well as a leading textbook on health economics. During the pandemic, Dr. Bhattacharya coauthored the Great Barrington Declaration, which called for opening schools and lifting lockdowns while better protecting older populations who were most vulnerable to the disease. Dr. Bhattacharya held numerous additional appointments at Stanford University, including courtesy appointments at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, the Stanford Freeman Spogli Institute and Stanford’s Hoover Institution, and Economics department. Previously, he conducted research at the National Bureau of Economic Research and the SPHERE Institute, a policy research firm. Before joining Stanford, he was an economist at the RAND Corporation and worked as a visiting economics professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Bhattacharya is a longtime NIH grantee and has served as a standing member of multiple NIH review committees. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from Stanford University. He then completed medical school and earned a Ph.D. in economics also from Stanford University.
Steven Chen, MD
Chief Medical Officer, Recipe4Health - Alameda County
READ BIOSteven Chen, MD
Recipe4Health - Alameda County
Steven Chen, MD is the Chief Medical Officer of Alameda County Recipe4Health, a nationally recognized “Food as Medicine” program embedded in Federally Qualified Health Centers that prescribes regenerative and/or organic produce paired with health coaching to treat, prevent, and reverse chronic conditions and food/nutrition insecurity. By intentionally sourcing food from local regenerative/organic farms, Recipe4Health creates a health multiplier effect that generates co-benefits to human health, economic health, ecological health, and health equity. While leading the scale and spread of R4H, Dr. Chen and his team successfully implemented one of California’s first Medically Supportive Food and Nutrition services as a covered Medi-Cal (Medicaid) service.
Katie Garfield, JD
Clinical Instructor & Director, Whole Person Care,, Center for Health Law & Policy Innovation, Harvard Law School
READ BIOKatie Garfield, JD
Center for Health Law & Policy Innovation, Harvard Law School
Katie Garfield is a Clinical Instructor and Director of Whole Person Care at the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation of Harvard Law School. She leads initiatives aimed at integrating responses to health-related social needs into the U.S. healthcare system, including the Food is Medicine project. Katie conducts legal and policy research and provides support to organizations and agencies working to implement these strategies. She co-convenes the Food Is Medicine Massachusetts (FIMMA) coalition and is a licensed attorney in Massachusetts.
Christina Economos, PhD
Dean and Professor, The Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy
READ BIOChristina Economos, PhD
The Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy
Christina Economos, PhD is a prominent leader of interdisciplinary research in childhood obesity, community-based interventions, and nutrition science. She is Dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, New Balance Chair in Childhood Nutrition, Professor at the Friedman School, and Professor of Public Health and Community Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. Her pioneering research has brought evidence-based, systems-level solutions to the forefront of policy and practice. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine.
Chellie Pingree
Member of Congress (D-ME-01), US House of Representatives
READ BIOChellie Pingree
US House of Representatives
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree represents Maine’s 1st District in the U.S. Congress and is a national leader on food, agriculture, and climate policy. A longtime certified organic farmer, Pingree brings firsthand experience to her work strengthening local food systems, supporting farmers, reducing food waste, and expanding access to healthy, affordable food. As a member of the House Agriculture Committee and the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Pingree has been a leading voice for food policy reform and for treating nutrition as central to health. She is the founder and chair of the bipartisan Food Recovery Caucus and has led legislation to reduce food waste across the food system. She secured the funding to create and sustain the Produce Prescription Pilot Program at Indian Health Service, and she is also the author of the bipartisan, bicameral Produce Prescription for Veterans Act, which would give the Department of Veterans Affairs authority to help veterans purchase fresh fruits and vegetables.
Jason Langheier, MD, MPH
Founder, Board Director, & Chief Science Officer, Foodsmart
READ BIOJason Langheier, MD, MPH
Foodsmart
Jason Langheier, MD, MPH is a digital health entrepreneur and the Founder & Chief Science Officer of Foodsmart, the nation’s largest Foodcare platform integrating telenutrition, food benefits, and AI-driven personalization to treat and prevent diet-related disease at scale. Foodsmart partners with health plans, employers, and government programs to address obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and food insecurity through clinically integrated nutrition care — aligning outcomes with value-based care. He is also the CEO of Foodsmart's joint venture with MGB Health Plan -- OneHealth -- focusing on modern, AI-driven business intelligence and virtual care networks. Dr. Langheier previously founded Boston Medical Center’s Nutrition & Fitness for Life pediatric obesity program, launched multiple youth health equity initiatives, and co-founded Proventys, a personalized cancer decision support company later integrated into national oncology networks. He trained at Cambridge, Duke Medical School, Harvard School of Public Health and UCSF, and remains focused on redesigning healthcare around foodcare, prevention, and AI-enabled care delivery.
Dorella Walters, MPA
Chief Program Development Officer, God's Love We Deliver
READ BIODorella Walters, MPA
God's Love We Deliver
Dorella Walters is the Chief Program Development Officer at God’s Love We Deliver, an agency that last year, delivered more than 4M nutritious, medically tailored, high-quality meals to men, women and children living with life-altering illnesses in New York City and in Hudson County New Jersey. She has been with the agency for more than 27 years, has led various areas of the organization and is focused on supporting the organization’s provision of services that includes serving 15,000 individuals nutrition-related services. Under her leadership, the organization expanded the types of diagnoses and populations served and has seen significant growth in expanding the organization’s revenue portfolio to include healthcare partnerships with managed care organizations, health systems and community-based agencies. In this role, she is responsible for leading efforts in the development, implementation, and management of client programs and services, research-based community and healthcare partnerships, client growth and retention. Through this work, she furthered God’s Love’s visibility regarding the impact that food is medicine interventions have on health-related social needs, healthcare costs and health outcomes. Dorella received her Master of Public Administration from the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College.
Michelle Howell
Farmer, Writer, & Community Organizer, Need More Acres Farm
READ BIOMichelle Howell
Need More Acres Farm
Michelle Howell is the owner of Need More Acres Farm in Scottsville, Kentucky, where she works at the intersection of farming, public health, and community food systems. For more than 26 years, Michelle has helped build practical pathways that connect locally grown food with healthcare, education, and family farms. Through Need More Acres Farm and Farm to HealthCare Co., she partners with health departments, hospitals, schools, and community organizations to provide locally sourced, home-delivered Food is Medicine boxes for families participating in diabetes prevention, diabetes self-management, blood pressure, maternal health, and food access programs. Michelle’s work is rooted in the belief that food can improve health outcomes while also creating reliable markets for farmers. She has helped develop farmer-centered produce prescription and grocery prescription models that prioritize regional procurement, home delivery, patient dignity, and long-term farm viability. Her experience includes grant-funded program development, farm-to-school education, public health partnerships, and local food procurement strategy across Kentucky. As a farmer, mother, and community organizer, Michelle brings a grounded, place-based perspective to the national Food is Medicine conversation, helping bridge the gap between agriculture and healthcare.
Merry Davis
Director, Health Through Food, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation
READ BIOMerry Davis
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation
Merry Davis serves as Director of Health Through Food at the Blue Cross NC Foundation, where she helps lead efforts to improve health through increasing access to nutritious food across North Carolina. Guided by a belief that everyone—no matter where they live—should have access to healthy, affordable food, Merry works with partners to support community-driven solutions and system-level strategies. Since joining the Foundation in 2016, she has drawn on her experience in strategy, program design, project management, and communications to support initiatives that expand access to healthy food, grow Food is Medicine efforts, and make the healthy choice the easy choice. Merry’s commitment to this work is rooted in the wide-reaching impact food can have—not just on individual health, but also on local nonprofits, farms, and rural economies. Over the past 20+ years, she’s worked at leading organizations including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, California HealthCare Foundation, Duke University, and RTI International. Outside of work, Merry enjoys hiking near the Eno River, visiting farmers markets, and discovering North Carolina’s hidden gems. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Kristin Heltman-Weiss
Executive Director, Providence Farm Collective
READ BIOKristin Heltman-Weiss
Providence Farm Collective
Kristin Heltman-Weiss received her B.A. and Ed. M. from SUNY Buffalo. In 2017, in partnership with Somali Bantu leadership, she was a founding member of the Somali Bantu Community Farm and in September of 2019, the group formed Providence Farm Collective as a nonprofit 501c3 with a mission of cultivating farmer-led and community-rooted agriculture and food systems to actualize the rights of under-resourced peoples. Kristin has served as Executive Director at Providence Farm Collective since 2020 and also serves on the organization's board of directors. Providence Farm Collective is a grassroots farmer-led nonprofit and the only organization in Western New York with an incubator farm program that provides farmland access and training to new entry farmers in sustainable growing practices, business, and accessing markets, with a goal of launching graduates to their own farm enterprises. Every year, over 200 farmers grow over 100,000 pounds of fresh produce that feeds more than 14,000 people in the region. The organization works to bolster regional food security, provides farmland access to under-resourced farmers, and promotes fair pay for all farmers. As lead for PFC, Kristin participated as a member of the One Region for Climate Action Climate Justice Working Group, a project of One Region Forward. Kristin is also a founding member of the WNY Farmland Access Support Network, along with her PFC colleagues Mo Mberwa and Beth Leipler. The WNY Farmland Access Support Network has a mission to improve farmland access in WNY by making better use of existing resources and programs, identify and fill holes in the network, identify and break down barriers, and actually get people onto farmland. Honors and awards for Providence Farm Collective these past several years include the 2023 Buffalo Business First IDEA Award, 2023 Edible Communities Sustainability Award, Buffalo Spree Best New Farmers Market Award, WNY Sustainable Business Roundtable 2023 Community Impact Award, Erie County’s 2023 Environmental Excellence Award, 2024 Springboard Award for Farmer Leadership Circle Program, New York State Ag & Markets Empowerment Through Agriculture Award, New York State Senate 2024 Empire Award, the 2024-25 NYS Women Inc. Buffalo Niagara Chapter Women in Leadership Award, and the 2025 Buffalo Bills Foundation Community Honors MVP Award.
Erin Martin
Founder & CEO, FreshRx Oklahoma
READ BIOErin Martin
FreshRx Oklahoma
Erin Martin’s passion for helping others began at fifteen when she worked in a retirement community, inspiring her to pursue a master’s degree in Gerontology from the University of Southern California, the world’s top-ranked gerontology school. Certified in Regenerative Soil Advocacy, Erin is passionate about promoting food as medicine and its connection to soil health. As President of the Tulsa Urban Ag Coalition, Director of Oklahoma’s FreshRx program, and co-lead of Oklahoma’s Food is Medicine Policy Coalition, she works to integrate food is medicine and regenerative agriculture as a standard of care for those with chronic disease.
Betsy Skoda
Associate Director, Food Supply Chain, Health Care Without Harm
READ BIOBetsy Skoda
Health Care Without Harm
Betsy has more than ten years of experience in research, program design, policy and advocacy, nonprofit operations, and financial management. She is committed to creating sustainable food systems to improve community health and build local economies. Betsy holds a Bachelor of Arts in geography and environmental Studies and a Master of Public Administration with a certificate in health policy.
Michele Arthurs, MD
Regional Medical Director for Lifestyle & Obesity Medicine, Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group
READ BIOMichele Arthurs, MD
Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group
Dr. Michele Arthurs is the Regional Medical Director for Lifestyle and Obesity and a physician leader within The Center for Healthy Weight and Lifestyle Medicine. Dr. Michele Arthurs attended The University of Notre Dame earning a Bachelors in Science in Biochemistry and then earned a Masters in the Arts of Teaching from University of Portland. She attended medical school at The Boonshoft Wright State School of Medicine and residency at Georgetown University/Providence Hospital Family Medicine Residency and is board-certified in Family Medicine, Obesity Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine. She has worked as Lifestyle Medicine Physician in MAPMG since 2019.
Tom McDougall
Founder & CEO, 4P Foods
READ BIOTom McDougall
4P Foods
Tom McDougall is the Founder and CEO of 4P Foods, a food hub network based in the Mid-Atlantic, working with over 600 small farmers, ranchers, and food producers. As an advocate for equitable and regenerative food systems, Tom is a current Fellow with the Aspen Institute’s Food Leaders Fellowship Program, an Inc. 500 Fastest-Growing Companies recipient, and Board member of several food-system organizations. In 2019, he helped Co-Found the Eastern Food Hub Collaborative, a network of mission aligned food hubs up and down the Eastern Seaboard, for the sole purpose of regional collaboration and a more cohesive, decentralized food supply chain. Tom is an entrepreneur and activist, advocating for long term policy change needed to shift support towards local and regional food systems for the sake of our farms, our communities, and our planet.
Dion Dawson
Chief Dreamer & President, Dion's Chicago Dream
READ BIODion Dawson
Dion's Chicago Dream
Dion Dawson is the founder and Chief Dreamer of Dion’s Chicago Dream, one of the nation’s most efficient last-mile Food-Is-Medicine enterprises, and CEO of Cosmic Crate, a logistics technology platform scaling impact for mission-driven teams.
Since launching on Chicago’s South Side, Dawson has scaled Dion’s Chicago Dream from startup to a $7M operation, raising more than $17 million while serving thousands of households weekly and delivering hundreds of thousands of pounds of fresh food monthly across Chicagoland region. His enterprises has achieved 6,400% growth while maintaining positive margins since launching. His logistics-first model proves that food insecurity isn’t inevitable, it’s solvable through better design.
A TED fellow & speaker, Echoing Green Fellow, and Rockefeller Foundation Big Bets Fellow, Dawson has shared platforms with Presidents, foreign diplomats and influential figures. He’s been recognized by Crain’s 40 Under 40, the White House End Hunger Challenge, and the Chicago Innovation Awards.
Today, Dawson advises Fortune 500 companies, philanthropic institutions, and policy leaders on building equitable systems at scale. His work sits at the intersection of social entrepreneurship, health equity, and systems innovation proving that sustainable change requires both compassionate vision and operational excellence.
Alisha Reed, PharmD, MBA
Pharmacist, Participant of American Heart Association Health Care by Food™ Lived Experience Group
READ BIOAlisha Reed, PharmD, MBA
Participant of American Heart Association Health Care by Food™ Lived Experience Group
Dr. Alisha Reed, is a licensed pharmacist, community health educator, and founder of Your Self Care Prescription LLC. After losing her husband to heart disease at 43, Alisha faced her own cardiovascular crisis when her blood pressure became dangerously uncontrolled—all while working as a frontline healthcare provider during the pandemic. Her 4-year-old son’s question—“Mommy, are you going to die too?”—became her catalyst for transformation. Today, with her blood pressure at goal, Alisha teaches Black women over 40 how to manage high blood pressure through her REFILL Strategy framework. Dr. Reed serves as Board Chair of the American Heart Association Greater New Orleans, Zone Director for the National Pharmaceutical Association, serves on the Healthcare by Food Lived Experience Patient Advisory Board, and is a member of the Women’s Health Advisory Council for HealthyWomen. She is also the recipient of the 2026 Beverly Matheney Volunteer Service Award, honoring her outstanding service, leadership, and commitment to the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women movement. Through Your Self Care Prescription LLC, she positions strategic self-care as preventive medicine, addressing health disparities in communities where Black women face significantly higher hypertension rates.
Kofi Essel, MD
Food as Medicine Director, Elevance Health
READ BIOKofi Essel, MD
Elevance Health
Kofi D. Essel, MD, MPH, FAAP, is a nationally recognized physician executive leader at the intersection of healthcare, nutrition, and social impact. He serves as the inaugural Food as Medicine Program Director at Elevance Health, where he leads enterprise-wide strategy to design, implement, and scale innovative food-based interventions addressing diet-related chronic disease and social risk. As a core member of the Health Outcomes Organization, Dr. Essel works across social impact, medical policy, and health quality initiatives to advance Food as Medicine as a foundational component of whole-person care. Dr. Essel is a board-certified community pediatrician at Children’s National Hospital and Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences, where he previously served as Director of the GW Culinary Medicine Program and Founding Director of a Food as Medicine research and innovation lab. His career has been defined by advancing workforce training, clinical innovation, and community-engaged research focused on food insecurity, obesity, and diet-related disease across the life course. An award-winning executive, scholar, and author, and a highly sought-after national speaker, Dr. Essel is widely recognized for his ability to translate complex research and policy into compelling, actionable insights for clinical, policy, industry, and public audiences. He has been extensively published in peer-reviewed journals, authored nationally disseminated clinical toolkits, and frequently appears in national media. His scholarship and thought leadership have informed clinical guidelines, federal policy discussions, and multiple National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convenings. Dr. Essel currently serves on the National Academies’ Roundtable on Obesity Solutions Lived Experience Innovation Collaborative, the Board of Directors for the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), and as Physician Advisor to the Partnership for a Healthier America’s Veggies Early & Often campaign. He previously served on the Executive Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Obesity. Dr. Essel earned his bachelor’s degree from Emory University and his MD and MPH in Epidemiology from the George Washington University.
Cathryn Couch
Founder & CEO, Ceres Community Project
READ BIOCathryn Couch
Ceres Community Project
Cathryn Couch is founder and CEO of Ceres Community Project, a 100% organic food is medicine organization providing 245,000 medically tailored meals annually. Ceres’ model includes a Youth Development Program serving hundreds of teens. Ceres has scaled their integrated community health model to more than a dozen communities across the US, Denmark and New Zealand. Couch and Ceres are engaged in California and nationally around the integration of evidence-informed food interventions into healthcare as covered medical benefits, and values-based food procurement to advance local and sustainable food systems. She serves in the following roles: Vice-Chair, Food is Medicine Coalition Advisory Board; American Heart Association Health Care by Food Initiative; California Food is Medicine Coalition; Food & Society at Aspen Institute; Partnership HealthPlan of California Board of Commissioners. She was named a CNN Hero in 2016 and has an MBA from the University of Michigan. Cathryn Couch is founder and CEO of Ceres Community Project, a 100% organic food is medicine organization providing 245,000 medically tailored meals annually. Ceres’ model includes a Youth Development Program serving hundreds of teens. Ceres has scaled their integrated community health model to more than a dozen communities across the US, Denmark and New Zealand. Couch and Ceres are engaged in California and nationally around the integration of evidence-informed food interventions into healthcare as covered medical benefits, and values-based food procurement to advance local and sustainable food systems. She serves in the following roles: Vice-Chair, Food is Medicine Coalition Advisory Board; American Heart Association Health Care by Food Initiative; California Food is Medicine Coalition; Food & Society at Aspen Institute; Partnership HealthPlan of California Board of Commissioners. She was named a CNN Hero in 2016 and has an MBA from the University of Michigan.
Sam Hoeffler
Coalition Director, National Produce Prescription Collaborative
READ BIOSam Hoeffler
National Produce Prescription Collaborative
Sam is an experienced advocate committed to aligning anti-poverty interventions with values of dignity, care, and connection. She is the Director of the National Produce Prescription Collaborative, a program of Wholesome Wave. In this role, she works to embed produce prescriptions in healthcare; manages a coalition of more than 90 members; shapes federal and state policy strategy; and casts a vision for reconceptualizing healthcare in the United States. Prior to joining Wholesome Wave, she spent six years at Reinvestment Partners as the Co-Director of Food Programs. There she developed produce prescription programs and advocated for integrating healthy food in healthcare. She managed a $25M program portfolio, guided program evaluation with a focus on strategic impact, and influenced SDOH policy at the state level. Sam attended Kenyon College and holds a Masters in Food Policy and Applied Nutrition from Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. She brings optimism, determination, and savvy to the goal of healthcare, food, and autonomy for all.
Sarah Downer, JD
Health Insurance Specialist, State & Population Health Group, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation
READ BIOSarah Downer, JD
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation
Sarah Downer is a Health Insurance Specialist at the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation, where she serves as a subject matter expert on nutrition, prevention, and pediatric health care innovation. Ms. Downer is also an attorney and was previously the Associate Director of Center for Health Law & Policy Innovation at Harvard Law School, where she advocated for policy reforms that improve access and quality of health care for people living with chronic illness. She has written and published on nutrition and health care policy. She received her BA from Harvard University and JD from Harvard Law School.
Rajiv Shah, MD
President, The Rockefeller Foundation
READ BIORajiv Shah, MD
The Rockefeller Foundation
Dr. Shah serves as President of The Rockefeller Foundation, a global
institution with a mission to promote the well-being of humanity
around the world. The Foundation applies data, science, and innovation
to ensure everyone has the opportunity to be hopeful, healthy,
empowered, and prosperous. Today, he is leading big bets to end
energy poverty for more than a billion people, ensure universal access
to food that’s good for both people and planet, strengthen health
systems against 21st-century threats, and ensure the American dream
is the expectation – not the exception.
In 2009, Dr. Shah was appointed USAID Administrator by President Obama and unanimously
confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Dr. Shah reshaped the agency’s operations in more than 70 countries
by elevating the role of innovation, creating high-impact public-private partnerships, and focusing
U.S. investments to deliver stronger results. He led the U.S. response to the Haiti earthquake and
the West African Ebola pandemic, served on the National Security Council, and elevated the role
of development as part of a bipartisan foreign policy. He previously served at the U.S. Department
of Agriculture and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he helped create the International
Finance Facility for Immunization, unlocking the resources to vaccinate 1.2 billion children and
save an estimated 20.6 million lives.
In October 2023, Dr. Shah published Big Bets: How Large-Scale Change Really Happens, which
the Wall Street Journal said “admirably argues against cynicism,” JP Morgan added to its
Next2024 list, and The Next Big Ideas Club recognized as a “Must-Read.”
Raised outside of Detroit, Michigan, Dr. Shah is a graduate of the University of Michigan, the
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and the Wharton School of Business. He is
married to Shivam Mallick Shah, and they have three children.
Rachel Fisher
Senior Advisor, Office of Disease Prevention & Health Promotion, Department of Health & Human Services
READ BIORachel Fisher
Department of Health & Human Services
Rachel Fisher, MS, MPH, RDN, is the Acting Deputy Director of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In this role, she advises agency and departmental leaders on current physical activity and nutrition science to inform policies and programs focused on health promotion and disease prevention. Rachel also leads the HHS Food Is Medicine initiative to advance and coordinate collective action across the Department and supports the HHS Initiative to Advance Nutrition Education in Medical Training. Prior to joining the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), Rachel spent 15 years in the Office of Nutrition Research at the National Institutes of Health.
Lloyd Smucker
Member of Congress (R-PA-11), U.S House of Representatives
READ BIOLloyd Smucker
U.S House of Representatives
Lloyd Smucker wants to reignite the American Dream. As a Member of the Ways and Means Committee and Vice Chair of the Budget Committee, Smucker champions policies that make it possible for every person to pursue their American Dream, including increased economic opportunity for everyone, reining in Washington's out-of-control spending, and providing regulatory relief to small businesses so they can expand and create jobs. Rep. Smucker is fighting to support America's free enterprise system, to expand apprenticeships and technical education opportunities for students, and help hardworking Americans save for retirement. Prior to being elected to Congress, Rep. Smucker owned and operated the Smucker Company for 25 years until 2008, and grew the small business to eventually employ more than 150 people. He served two terms in the Pennsylvania State Senate where he built a reputation as an independent-minded conservative who seeks creative solutions to complex problems. He lives in Lancaster County with his wife.
Alicia Higa
Chief Health Equity Officer; Executive Director, Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center; 'Elepaio Social Services
READ BIOAlicia Higa
Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center; 'Elepaio Social Services
Alicia Higa is the Executive Director of ʻElepaio Social Services and Chief Community Health Officer at Waiʻanae Coast Comprehensive Health Center (WCCHC), Hawaiʻi’s oldest and largest Federally Qualified Health Center. A proud Waiʻanae native, she brings both lived experience and strategic leadership to her work, with a focus on health equity, cultural resilience, and community-driven innovation. Alicia is recognized for advancing transformative approaches at the intersection of food, health, and economic development. Through initiatives centered on food access, food as medicine, and food sovereignty, she has helped address food insecurity and diet-related illness while strengthening the local economy. Under her leadership, these programs infused $1.7 million into the local food economy in the past year, generating more than $4 million in economic impact and supporting Native Hawaiian farmers and producers. Her work is nationally recognized as a model for integrating Indigenous values, traditional foodways, and sustainable systems of care to improve community health outcomes. Beyond WCCHC, Alicia serves on the boards of MAʻO Organic Farms and Hoa ʻĀina O Mākaha and is a founding member of the Hawaiʻi Good Food Alliance.
Lindsay Hanson
Chief Marketing Officer & Head of Health & Wellness Solutions, John Hancock
READ BIOLindsay Hanson
John Hancock
Lindsay Hanson is Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Health & Wellness Solutions of John Hancock. She leads marketing strategy and execution, driving growth and advancing a modern approach to life insurance that rewards healthy living. Lindsay oversees initiatives like the John Hancock Vitality program—which earned John Hancock recognition as the only life insurer on Fortune’s 2025 Change the World list—along with the first-of-its-kind Longevity Preparedness Index and the recently launched Leaders in Longevity docuseries. She has built a robust partnership ecosystem to amplify John Hancock’s mission of helping people live longer, healthier, better lives. A graduate of Northeastern University, Lindsay serves on several boards and industry networks and lives on the South Shore of Massachusetts with her son and dog.
Jorie Butler, PhD
Associate Professor, University of Utah School of Medicine
READ BIOJorie Butler, PhD
University of Utah School of Medicine
Jorie M. Butler, PhD is an Associate Professor at University of Utah in the Department of Biomedical Informatics and Department of Internal Medicine (Division of Geriatrics), where her work focuses on the design, implementation, and evaluation of health system interventions to improve care. She is also an Investigator at the VA Salt Lake City IDEAS Center of Innovation and serves as Associate Director of Education and Evaluation for the VA Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center. Dr. Butler’s research applies sociotechnical and learning health system approaches to evaluate how clinical, behavioral, and digital interventions function in real-world settings. A major focus of her current work is Food is Medicine (FIM) interventions within the Veterans Health Administration, where she leads and collaborates on multiple studies examining how produce prescriptions and related programs impact food insecurity, cardiometabolic health, healthcare utilization, and implementation processes among Veterans. Her work includes pragmatic and quasi-experimental evaluations of FIM programs as well as mixed-methods studies to understand barriers, facilitators, and equity considerations in scaling these interventions across health systems. Across her research portfolio, Dr. Butler integrates electronic health record data, qualitative methods, and implementation science frameworks to generate actionable evidence that informs policy and practice. Her work aims to advance sustainable, patient-centered solutions to improve health outcomes for key populations, including older adults and Veterans experiencing food insecurity.
Hollie Harris
President & CEO, Appalachian Regional Healthcare
READ BIOHollie Harris
Appalachian Regional Healthcare
Hollie Harris, MHA serves as President and CEO of Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH), the largest healthcare provider and leading employer in southeastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia. With more than 20 years of service at ARH, Harris has advanced a bold vision for rural health, strengthening the long-term sustainability of hospitals in medically underserved communities while improving outcomes through innovative, community-centered care. A dedicated champion for health equity, Harris focuses on addressing the social determinants of health that shape life in Central Appalachia, with a particular emphasis on food insecurity and nutrition-related chronic disease. She co-chairs Kentucky’s statewide Food Is Medicine initiative, helping integrate nutrition access into healthcare to prevent and manage conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. Under her leadership, ARH has expanded partnerships with food banks, farmers, and community organizations to implement food security screenings, produce prescription programs, and medically tailored food initiatives across its system. Harris’ commitment to “food as medicine” is also deeply personal. After experiencing persistent symptoms traced to a gluten allergy and later navigating an early-detected cancer diagnosis and full recovery, she became even more focused on prevention and whole-person health. That conviction has helped shape ARH’s growing Lifestyle Medicine strategy, including the launch of Kentucky’s first dedicated Lifestyle Medicine service line and the opening of ARH’s first Lifestyle Medicine Clinic in Hazard, Kentucky, with plans to expand across its service region. Harris is also known for building a culture of wellness within ARH, supporting employee wellness initiatives, a subsidized Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program with local farmers, healthy cooking demonstrations, and community-building events that connect people to the food system. She frequently speaks at Food Is Medicine–focused events nationwide, sharing practical lessons from Appalachia and contributing to national conversations on nutrition security and healthcare innovation. Harris is a graduate of the University of Richmond and the Medical College of Virginia. She serves on the boards of the Kentucky Hospital Association, Kentucky Health Collaborative, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee, God’s Pantry Food Bank, Sayre School, the Women’s Business Collaborative, and Kentucky’s Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board.
Ameya Kulkarni, MD
Executive Medical Director, Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group
READ BIOAmeya Kulkarni, MD
Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group
Ameya Kulkarni, MD, FSCAI Executive Medical Director Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States Dr. Ameya Kulkarni serves as the Executive Medical Director of the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, where he leads with a bold vision: to make Permanente Medicine the world’s solution for healthcare. He is focused on advancing a model of care that is trusted, scalable, and influential – delivering exceptional outcomes for patients while shaping the future of healthcare more broadly. Dr. Kulkarni’s strategy centers on three priorities: excelling as the most trusted solution for patients’ healthcare needs, expanding the population under Permanente care to reach more communities, and evangelizing the Permanente model to influence healthcare systems beyond those directly served. Through this approach, he is working to extend the impact of Permanente Medicine both regionally and globally. He earned his medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine, completed his residency in internal medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, and pursued fellowship training in cardiology at the University of California, San Francisco, with a focus on adult congenital heart disease. He also completed advanced fellowship training in interventional cardiology at Massachusetts General Hospital. Since joining the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group in 2013, Dr. Kulkarni has held numerous leadership roles, including Chair of the Cardiovascular Institute, Chief of Cardiology for the Northern Virginia service area, and Chief of Vascular Surgery. Prior to his current role, he served as Associate Medical Director with oversight of Medical Specialties, Emerging Enterprises, Physician Development and Wellness, Service Culture, and Acute Care Services. A practicing cardiologist, Dr. Kulkarni is deeply committed to delivering care that is clinically excellent, seamlessly coordinated, and designed around the needs of patients and physicians alike. He is passionate about building systems that make high-quality care more accessible, efficient, and meaningful – advancing Permanente Medicine as a model for what healthcare can and should be. Reflecting on his experience, Dr. Kulkarni shares: "Early in my career at Kaiser Permanente, I was told our job was to deliver world-class care, make it simple for patients, and meaningful for physicians. Years later, that principle continues to guide everything we do—from managing chronic conditions to navigating the most complex care journeys. It’s the kind of medicine physicians aspire to practice, and it’s what we strive to deliver every day."
Colin Schwartz
Senior Advocacy Advisor, Health Care by Food™, American Heart Association
READ BIOColin Schwartz
American Heart Association
Colin Schwartz, MPP, is the Senior Advocacy Advisor, Health Care by Food™, American Heart Association, focused on federal advocacy for the initiative. Previously he was Director, Federal Affairs at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). He is often quoted by the media and is published in a number of journal articles on child nutrition and food policy. He is originally from sunny southern California and is based in Washington, DC.
Caroline Dotson
Health Behavior Coordinator, Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks
READ BIOCaroline Dotson
Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks
Caroline Dotson serves as Health Behavior Coordinator for the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks (VHSO) in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Ms. Dotson is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and received her Master of Social Work from Arizona State University and Bachelor of Social Work from Northern Arizona University. Ms. Dotson’s professional work includes providing psychotherapy for severe mental illness and substance use disorders, criminal justice, public health, and collegiate instruction. She was a recipient of the international Planetree 2018 Global Person-Centered Care and Innovation Award and served as a panelist at the 2023 and 2024 Veteran Food Security Summits. Ms. Dotson currently chairs the VHSO Food Security Committee.
Peter Skillern
Chief Executive Officer, Reinvestment Partners
READ BIOPeter Skillern
Reinvestment Partners
Peter Skillern serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Reinvestment Partners, a North Carolina based nonprofit that works with people, places and policy to foster healthy and just communities. The agency has earned local, state and national recognition for its impact. In recognition of his leadership, he was selected as a William Friday Fellow for Human Relations and as an Eisenhower Fellow for International Relations. He received his B.A. from the University of California Santa Cruz with Highest Honors. He received his Masters Degree from UNC Chapel Hill and was recognized as a Distinguished Alumni by the UNC faculty in 2020.
Nicholas Jury, PhD
Strategic Scientific Advisor, Office of Nutrition Research, National Institutes of Health
READ BIONicholas Jury, PhD
National Institutes of Health
Dr. Jury serves as the Strategic Scientific Advisor and in this role, he is responsible for planning, analyzing, reporting, and communicating scientific, clinical, and policy issues and information in support of NIH nutrition research programs. He is also charged with coordinating the implementation efforts for the Office of Nutrition Research Strategic Plan and Strategic Plan for NIH Nutrition Research. He is also the Co-Chair of the NIH Ultra-Processed Foods and Food is Medicine Thematic Working Groups. Dr. Jury joined the NIH Office of Nutrition Research (ONR) in April 2021. He was selected as the Communications Director for the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. He spent five years with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) as a science policy analyst focused on strengthening clinical data and biospecimen sharing policies, managing the NIH Regenerative Medicine Innovation Project, contributing NHLBI-supported science advances to the weekly COVID Report, and producing reports to Congress before coming to the ONR. Prior to that, Dr. Jury was a senior fellow at the National Center for Health Research in Washington, D.C. where he made significant contributions to the 21st Century Cures Act and public health policies. He holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and a B.S. in cell and molecular biology from Bradley University. He completed a two and a half-year postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) where he conducted research examining the effects of age, genetics, sex as a biological variable, and chronic alcohol exposure on brain morphology and related behavioral outcomes.
Erin McDonald, PhD, MPP
Senior Director, Food Is Medicine Initiative, Arizona State University
READ BIOErin McDonald, PhD, MPP
Arizona State University
Erin McDonald, PhD, MPP, is Senior Director of the Food Is Medicine Initiative at Arizona State University, where she collaborates to develop local to national strategy to design and scale cross-sector models integrating nutrition into healthcare delivery. She works across healthcare systems, community organizations, and policy leaders to advance operational frameworks that move Food Is Medicine from pilot to system-level implementation.
Previously, Dr. McDonald served as Senior Advisor in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she co-led the HHS Food Is Medicine Initiative and directed People and Places Thriving, a whole-of-government effort advancing economic mobility and community wellbeing. She also served as Regional Administrator for the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in the Mid-Atlantic, overseeing federal programs supporting children and families and leading strategic initiatives to strengthen economic security and cross-sector collaboration.
Prior to federal service, Dr. McDonald held senior leadership roles across government, philanthropy, and the nonprofit sector, including Chief Strategy Officer for Human Services in the New York City Mayor’s Office, Vice President of Research and Strategy at Feeding America, and Director of Research and Evaluation at Women’s World Banking.
She holds a PhD in Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a Master’s in Public Policy from Johns Hopkins University.
Elizabeth Kromm, PhD
Assistant Secretary, Population Health & Strategic Initiatives, Maryland Department of Health
READ BIOElizabeth Kromm, PhD
Maryland Department of Health
Elizabeth Edsall Kromm, Ph.D., M.Sc., is the Assistant Secretary for Population Health and Strategic Initiatives for the Maryland Department of Health. In this role, she serves as the primary advisor to the Secretary on population health improvement strategies and programs. This position incubates and drives high priority initiatives for the Department and works to bridge the gaps that exist in the health continuum between upstream interventions and the clinical delivery system. Previously, she led the Department’s Prevention and Health Promotion Administration, the largest component of public health services with over $600 million in funding, covering impact areas such as chronic disease, maternal and child health, infectious disease prevention and outbreak response and environmental health. Prior to joining the state, she was with the Johns Hopkins Health System as Vice President, Population Health and Advancement for Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center. In that role she led population health, community engagement and strategic planning efforts for the hospital and served as Vice President of Development and Chief Operating Officer for the Howard Hospital Foundation. Dr. Edsall Kromm’s additional work experiences include leadership positions in local government as well as with national non-profits. She served as the policy director for Howard County Government, a senior officer with The Pew Charitable Trusts, a senior adviser and bureau director with the Howard County Health Department and a program manager with the American Cancer Society. Dr. Edsall Kromm earned a doctorate in health policy and management from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she is an adjunct faculty member in the department of Health, Behavior and Society. She holds a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Devon Klatell
Vice President of Food & Lead of Food is Medicine, The Rockefeller Foundation
READ BIODevon Klatell
The Rockefeller Foundation
Devon Klatell is Vice President, Food, at The Rockefeller Foundation. She leads the Foundation’s work to advance a more nourishing, equitable and sustainable food system in the United States. Currently, Ms. Klatell is leading the Foundations $100M Food is Medicine initiative. In that role, she works with healthcare insurers, community-based organizations, farmers, food businesses, policy makers and other funders to increase consumption of healthy foods by underserved communities. Previously, she led the Foundation’s initiatives on food waste prevention, sustainable protein, school nutrition, and the True Cost of Food. Prior to taking on her current role, she oversaw the Foundation’s Strategic Planning team, which designed implementation models, resource plans, risk assessments and impact targets for the Foundation’s global initiatives. Before joining the Foundation, Devon was a management consultant at Katzenbach Partners and at Booz & Company. She holds a B.A. from Harvard University in cognitive psychology and an M.A. in food systems from New York University.
Michael de la Guardia
Senior Policy Director, The Health Initiative
READ BIOMichael de la Guardia
The Health Initiative
Michael is a Senior Policy Director at The Health Initiative where he focuses on policies that advance investments in health, including access to healthy food, safe housing, and jobs that create self-sufficiency. Michael previously served as Deputy Director of Health Plan Innovation at the CMS Innovation Center, where he led a portfolio of health plan models and advanced policies that expanded access to nutrition supports and other benefits for millions of low-income Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. He also worked for the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, where he contributed to the Inflation Reduction Act and Medicare Part C policies.
Lauren Ramos
Deputy Associate Administrator, Maternal & Child Health Bureau, Health Resources & Services Administration
READ BIOLauren Ramos
Health Resources & Services Administration
Lauren Ramos is the Acting Deputy Associate Administrator of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) at the Health Resources and Services Administration, where she has been instrumental in expanding high-quality programs for women, children and families. Over the course of her career, Lauren has demonstrated a deep and sustained commitment to improving maternal and child health, with particular emphasis on workforce development and improving access to care for children and youth. Prior to her current role, Lauren served as Director of MCHB’s Division of Maternal and Child Health Workforce Development where she led national efforts to train and grow the current and future maternal and child health clinical and public health workforce. She also served as the lead for MCHB’s Autism investments and children's behavioral health integration efforts. Earlier in her career, Lauren held leadership roles at both the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, grounding her work in strong federal–state partnerships. Lauren earned her Master of Public Health degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Public Health and her Bachelor of Arts degree from Tufts University.
Josh Trautwein
Co-Founder & CEO, About Fresh
READ BIOJosh Trautwein
About Fresh
Josh is the Founder and CEO of About Fresh, a non-profit platform building solutions at the intersection of medicine, technology, and local food systems. Through About Fresh, Josh founded and serves as CEO of Fresh Connect: food as medicine payment and program management technology that helps health plans, providers and community organizations cover the cost of nutritious food at 20,000 grocery stores, nationally. His work at Fresh Connect is dedicated to addressing affordability as a barrier to healthy food access. Prior to this work, Josh was a community health worker at a Boston health center and founded Fresh Truck, a Boston-based non-profit mobile market focused on serving low-income, food-insecure neighborhoods. Josh is a Food Leader Fellow with the Aspen Institute and holds a degree in Sociology from Northeastern University. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife Kate and their dog, Hayes.
Jenefer Jedele, PhD
Health Economist, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina
READ BIOJenefer Jedele, PhD
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina
Dr. Jenefer Jedele is a health economist and health services researcher specializing in implementation and evaluation science. As a Health Economist for the Drivers of Health Strategy Team at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Jenefer leads evaluations of pilot programs that test innovative approaches to supporting members experiencing social drivers of health needs. She has expertise in evaluation across a variety of sectors including academia, government, and non-profit; and across a variety of domains including behavioral health, social programs, and public health. Dr. Jedele earned a Master’s degree in Survey Methodology and a PhD in Health Services Research at the University of Michigan.
In her work, she is recognized as a “translator” of complex statistical output into actionable insights and strategies as well as a passionate advocate of data-driven decision-making.
Connie Berryhill
P4 & Food Is Medicine Director, Muscogee (Creek) Nation Department of Health
READ BIOConnie Berryhill
Muscogee (Creek) Nation Department of Health
I am a member of the Choctaw Nation and have served with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Department of Health since 2018. I presently serve as the Food Is Medicine Director after five years as Diabetes Program Manager. My experience has shaped my passion for advancing culturally relevant, food-based approaches to improving health outcomes through nutrition. I enjoy spending time with my large extended family, gardening and being outdoors. I’m also a dedicated OU Sooners football and Oklahoma Thunder Basketball fan who enjoys live music and concerts.
Anand Shah, MD, MPH
Senior Vice President of Community & Social Health , Kaiser Permanente
READ BIOAnand Shah, MD, MPH
Kaiser Permanente
Anand Shah, MD, MS, Senior Vice President, Community and Social Health, Kaiser Permanente Anand Shah, MD, MS, is senior vice president of community and social health at Kaiser Permanente. In this role, he oversees strategic initiatives and operations across Kaiser Permanente’s annual $3+ billion community health portfolio. He is responsible for developing and implementing key strategies to improve health outcomes and reduce health disparities by addressing community and social factors that impact the health of Kaiser Permanente members and millions of others in communities Kaiser Permanente serves. An emergency physician by training, Dr. Shah understands firsthand how community factors and social circumstances can impact health. He joined Kaiser Permanente in 2019 to develop the organization’s enterprise social health strategy, which today includes the Kaiser Permanente Community Support Hub®, a national support center dedicated to helping members meet their basic needs, and the Kaiser Permanente Food Is Medicine Center of Excellence. He also oversees Kaiser Permanente’s Population Health Management Initiative and data and evaluation efforts. Prior to joining Kaiser Permanente, Dr. Shah was the chief product and clinical officer at Pieces Technologies, a company that uses AI to provide integrated monitoring, prediction and organizational learning services and software for hospitals, health systems and community-based organizations. He held academic appointments at the University of Texas Southwestern, University of Pennsylvania, and Brown University. He received his undergraduate education in neuroscience and behavioral biology from Emory University, and his medical degree at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He completed his residency and chief residency in emergency medicine at Brown University and was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania, where he also earned a master’s degree in health policy research.
Kim Prendergast, RDN
Vice President, Policy & Strategy, Community Care Cooperative
READ BIOKim Prendergast, RDN
Community Care Cooperative
Kim Prendergast, RDN, MPP, is Vice President of Policy & Strategy at Community Care Cooperative (C3), a national accountable care organization founded and governed by federally qualified health centers. She leads strategy and partnerships that integrate healthcare, nutrition, and social supports to improve outcomes for patients with complex needs. Her work focuses on designing and implementing Food is Medicine approaches within Medicaid, including large-scale nutrition programs that connect clinical care with community-based services. She is the architect of C3’s Section 1115 waiver-funded Health Related Social Needs Services program, which has supported more than 30,000 patients with nutrition and housing services through partnerships with dozens of community-based organizations. Prior to C3, she spent two decades at Feeding America, where she helped build healthcare–food bank partnerships and advance national nutrition initiatives. She focuses on aligning policy, financing, and delivery systems to make Food is Medicine intervention a core component of high-quality, whole-person care.
Rachel Roller
President & CEO, Dohmen Company Foundation
READ BIORachel Roller
Dohmen Company Foundation
Rachel Roller is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Dohmen Company Foundation (DCF). Rachel leads efforts to optimize the Foundation’s vision of life without diet-related disease. Her nearly three decades of leadership experience has focused on improving the health and wellbeing of communities. Prior to joining the Foundation, she founded a successful consulting practice dedicated to addressing health disparities. Rachel’s career also includes serving as Senior Vice President of Government and Community Relations for one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit integrated health care systems for more than a decade. Rachel has also served as a public servant in several leadership capacities. She maintains broad and deep relationships with community leaders and elected officials at all levels of government, understands the power of partnership and has considerable experience building alliances and influential coalitions. A seasoned healthcare strategist, she has developed and implemented comprehensive strategies that have resulted in successful public/private partnerships, clinical and operational transformation, greater healthcare access, and community collaboration such as a signature multi-million-dollar community benefit program. Rachel brings an inclusive and collaborative mindset to DCF’s grant making, investment and public awareness strategies. She maintains an unwavering personal and professional commitment to addressing our nation’s greatest public health threat, the proliferation of diet-related disease.
Cait Lamberton, PhD, MBA
Vice Dean of Undergraduate Division & Alberto Duran Professor, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
READ BIOCait Lamberton, PhD, MBA
Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Cait Lamberton is Vice Dean of the Undergraduate Division and a Professor of Marketing at Penn, as well as co-chair of the American Heart Association's Healthcare x Food Behavioral Science Task Force. Her work addresses a wide range of subjects, including information processing, assortment size and structure, commercial sharing systems, responses to taxation, and, most recently, individuals' experiences of dignity affirmation in the marketplace. She currently serves as President-Elect of the Society for Consumer Psychology, co-founder of the Center for Empirical Philosophy and Behavioral Insights, an Academic Trustee of the Marketing Science Institute, editor of the Cambridge Handbook of Consumer Psychology and past editor of the Journal of Marketing.
Melanie Bush, MPAff
Deputy Secretary of Medicaid, North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services
READ BIOMelanie Bush, MPAff
North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services
Melanie Bush is Interim Deputy Secretary of Medicaid for the North Carolina Division of Health Benefits (DHB), Department of Health and Human Services – also known as NC Medicaid. In this role, she provides leadership, strategic direction, operational oversight, and managed care supervision for the North Carolina Medicaid program, which serves more than 3 million North Carolinians who cannot afford health care. As Assistant Secretary and Chief Operating Officer, Melanie and her teams led the implementation of managed care transformation, the unwinding of continuous coverage for the COVID-19 public health emergency, and an expansion of Medicaid that extended access to care to more than 700,000 additional North Carolinians. Melanie also serves as a Governor’s appointee to the Board of Trustees for the North Carolina State Health Plan, which provides health care coverage for state and county employees. She is committed to ensuring high-quality health care at the lowest cost possible for the State of North Carolina. Prior to joining NC Medicaid, Melanie was the Medicaid Fiscal Analyst for the Fiscal Research Division of the North Carolina General Assembly (NCGA), where she led the Health and Human Services budget team. Her previous roles also include Senior Policy Analyst for Medicaid at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and Policy Analyst for the Center for Community Change in Washington, DC. Melanie holds a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Austin.
Leah Hebert Welles
Chief Executive Officer, Open Arms of Minnesota
READ BIOLeah Hebert Welles
Open Arms of Minnesota
Leah has been leading Open Arms since 2013, after more than 20 years of nonprofit leadership positions. A nonprofit Executive Director since 1999, Leah has worked in the arts, community education, and reproductive and community health care. She began her career out of college as a victim advocate at a battered women’s shelter – an experience that ignited a deep commitment to justice and access to resources for underserved and vulnerable populations. A mother herself at age 17, who had to ask for help, Leah is committed to ensuring that everyone who asks for help is treated with dignity and respect. Since joining Open Arms, Leah has overseen significant organizational expansion, including the opening of a second Open Arms kitchen facility in St. Paul to increase production capacity and broaden its reach in the East metro. She has served on a variety of boards of directors and community coalitions and currently serves on the Advisory Board for the National Food is Medicine Coalition and the Second Harvest Heartland Make Hunger History Advisory Council.
Roger Marshall, MD
Senator (R-KS), United States Senate
READ BIORoger Marshall, MD
United States Senate
Doc Marshall is a physician, devoted father, grandfather, and U.S. Senator for Kansas. As a 5th generation farm kid growing up in Butler County, Doc Marshall became the first in his family to attend college. After graduating from Butler County Community College, he received his Bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University and his Medical Doctorate from the University of Kansas. Doc Marshall practiced medicine in Great Bend for more than 25 years and served in the Army Reserves for seven years. As an OB/GYN, he delivered more than 5,000 babies, giving him a deep appreciation and passion for the sanctity of life and an intimate understanding of the healthcare system. During his time in medicine, Doc Marshall was more than a physician. For 25 years, he was a business owner who signed a paycheck every other week for a practice that grew from 5 people to eventually more than 300. As an OB/GYN serving in Congress, Doc Marshall is a proud member of the GOP Doctors Caucus. He is also on the Pro-Life Caucus, Western Caucus, Friends of Australia Caucus, Congressional Rare Disease Caucus, and Senate Hunger Caucus. He has been a congressional leader on health care and agriculture policies, a national voice on pro-life issues, and a champion of the 2nd amendment. He also takes a leading role in promoting US trade around the world.
Sonya Shin, MD, MPH
Associate Physician, Division of Global Health Equity, Brigham & Women's Hospital
READ BIOSonya Shin, MD, MPH
Brigham & Women's Hospital
Dr. Shin’s work has focused on advancing global health equity by implementing and evaluating CHW and other community-based interventions. She has worked for almost 30 years with the global organization, Partners In Health, in Peru, Russia, and Navajo Nation. She trained in Internal Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and in Infectious Diseases in the Longwood Program at Harvard. She is an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, and Associate Physician at the Division of Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Shin also serves as Public Health Medical Advisor for the Office of Alcohol Misuse Prevention in the New Mexico Department of Health. She resides in New Mexico and provides clinical care to patients in Gallup, New Mexico.
Benjamin Martin, JD
Senior Director, Programs & Strategy, Project Angel Food
READ BIOBenjamin Martin, JD
Project Angel Food
Benjamin Martin, J.D., is Senior Director of Programs & Strategy at Project Angel Food. Ben’s portfolio includes the agency’s work under CalAIM, California’s framework to, in part, encourage a medically tailored meal intervention under Medicaid (Medi-Cal). In particular, he has led Project Angel Food’s partnerships with five managed care plans in Los Angeles County since CalAIM launched in 2002. Ben’s role also includes responsibility for Project Angel Food’s accreditation, improving its client-related technology, and the implementation of its grants and programs. He oversees the Client Services, Nutrition Services, and Dispatch departments. He is thrilled to foster intentional relationships among community partners and, always, to create services and systems resulting in positive impact on clients’ health, well-being, and quality of life. Under Ben's leadership, Project Angel Food has been building an integration with the LANES health information exchange to improve quality of care and create client-centered processes. Ben joined Project Angel Food in May 2019. Previously, Ben worked as an employment lawyer for a decade and on the senior management team of the USC Alumni Association. He graduated highest honors from the University of Virginia School of Law and from the University of Southern California for his B.A. He currently serves on the Board (Vestry) of All Saints Episcopal Church of Pasadena, California, and previously served on the Board of Being Alive, a social welfare and health organization in Hollywood.
Rishi Manchanda, MD, MPH
CEO, HealthBegins, LLC
READ BIORishi Manchanda, MD, MPH
HealthBegins, LLC
Dr. Rishi Manchanda is CEO at HealthBegins, a national mission-driven strategy and implementation firm that helps Medicaid-serving managed care plans, health systems, and social sector clients to exceed health care equity and social needs performance requirements and achieve long term impact for people and communities harmed by societal practices. Dr. Manchanda’s areas of expertise include building and scaling value-based care models for historically marginalized populations, embedding and advancing equity in clinics and communities, and designing and leading national and regional policy initiatives to improve population health. Dr. Manchanda served as the founding director of social medicine for a network of community health centers in south central Los Angeles, as the first lead physician for homeless veterans at the Greater Los Angeles VA, and as the chief medical officer for a multi-billion-dollar employer with a large rural agricultural workforce. In his 2013 book - The Upstream Doctors - and TED Talk, he introduced “Upstreamists”, a new model of healthcare professionals and leaders who improve outcomes by addressing the social and structural drivers of health equity - patients’ social needs, community-level social determinants of health, and structural determinants of health equity including structural racism. Based in Los Angeles, Dr. Manchanda serves as a board member and advisor for several national nonprofits, companies, and initiatives that promote health equity, economic opportunity, and participatory democracy.
Michelle Jester
Senior Director, Social Determinant of Health Strategy & Product Development, Highmark Health
READ BIOMichelle Jester
Highmark Health
Michelle Jester is the Senior Director of Social Health Strategy and Program Development at Highmark Health, the third largest Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance provider in the U.S. In this role, she leads the development and execution of Highmark’s three-year enterprise-wide strategy on social health, inclusive of social health programs and benefits, social health data and analytics, community engagement and investment, provider and care delivery transformation, and policy/advocacy. Prior to joining Highmark Health, she served as the Executive Director of Social Determinants of Health at America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP)—the trade association representing health insurance providers. At AHIP, she led the organization’s work on social determinants of health and health equity, focusing on: scaling and sustaining social determinant of health interventions, improving sociodemographic data collection, fostering equitable collaboration models with community partners, centering equity into benefit design and network contracts, and developing policy solutions to advance this work. Previously, she worked at the National Association of Community Health Centers for ten years in the Public Policy and Research Division where she helped to develop the PRAPARE Social Determinants of Health Tool—one of the first and most widely used social health assessment tools. She spent years helping a wide variety of health care organizations build capacity to collect and use social health data to improve care delivery, inform policy, and accelerate community change. She received her Masters degree from The Australian National University in Culture, Health and Medicine and her Bachelors degree in East Asian Studies from Davidson College.
Sarah Mastrorocco
Vice President & General Manager of Health, Instacart
READ BIOSarah Mastrorocco
Instacart
Sarah Mastrorocco is Vice President and General Manager of Health at Instacart. An innovative leader with extensive expertise in business development and strategy, Sarah spearheaded the creation of Instacart Health and continues to oversee the initiative designed to support consumers, businesses, and nonprofits across three key areas: increasing nutrition security, inspiring healthier choices, and scaling food as medicine programs. In her role, she is focused on expanding consumer health tools and empowering organizations with technology to help improve access to nutritious food and nutrition education. A longtime Instacart veteran, Sarah has played an integral role at the company since joining as the first member of the company’s business development team in 2014. During her tenure, she has held various leadership positions across business development and operations including building relationships with North America’s largest retailers, leading Instacart’s catalog, developing strategic partnerships, and scaling new businesses.
Julian Xie, MD
Director, Medicaid & Food Security, Share Our Strength
READ BIOJulian Xie, MD
Share Our Strength
Julian Xie (he/they) leads the Medicaid Food Security Network (MFSN) and serves as Share Our Strength's programmatic expert in Medicaid and Food is Medicine, and federal nutrition benefits. Through MFSN, Julian convenes a network of food security advocates and healthcare representatives, develops resources, and provides technical assistance. Through these activities, MFSN aims to mobilize the Medicaid system and food security community to better serve Medicaid participants through improved access to SNAP, WIC, and FIM initiatives in support of state and national FIM coalition building that is inclusive of whole-family food and nutrition security through serving communities with the full range of nutrition support services. Julian was previously the Associate Director of Healthcare Innovation and Evaluation at Benefits Data Trust where he led partnerships with healthcare organizations - primarily Medicaid managed care organizations - to connect members/patients to BDT application assistance for SNAP. Julian’s role included evaluation facilitation and technical assistance to increase linkages and data-sharing between healthcare and public benefits. At Duke University, Julian completed his Doctor of Medicine (MD) and a Master of Public Policy (MPP). His past experiences and research have focused on food as medicine - including founding the Root Causes Fresh Produce Program food box service for food-insecure patients, evaluating a produce prescription program, generating global case studies on public food procurement in schools and hospitals, and coalition-building to address antibiotic resistance in the food system - with the common thread of building healthcare-food system collaboration.
Anuraag Chigurupati
Chief Operating Officer of Devoted Medical, Devoted Health
READ BIOAnuraag Chigurupati
Devoted Health
Anuraag Chigurupati is Chief Operating Officer at Devoted Medical, the medical group division of Devoted Health, a company focused on dramatically improving the health and well-being of older Americans. Before Devoted, Anuraag started his career at McKinsey & Company and then served in state government as the Policy Director for Cost Trends at the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (HPC).
Arif Kamal, MD
Chief Patient Officer, American Cancer Society
READ BIOArif Kamal, MD
American Cancer Society
Arif Kamal, MD, MBA, MHS, FACP, FAAHPM, FASCO Chief Patient Officer American Cancer Society Dr. Arif Kamal is the inaugural chief patient officer for the American Cancer Society. In this role, he drives coordinated efforts to accelerate progress against cancer through the organization’s patient, caregiver, and healthcare professional mission initiatives. Dr. Kamal oversees the organization’s support network, patient navigation services, educational programs, patient and caregiver lodging and transportation, 24/7 contact center, digital patient support resources, and organizational efforts that impact the full cancer continuum across 20,000 global communities. He is also a practicing oncologist and palliative care physician in North Carolina and an associate professor of medicine and population health at the Duke University School of Medicine. In 2017, Dr. Kamal co-founded Prepped Health, a company that develops innovative technology solutions to educate and engage people facing serious illness and their caregivers. Dr. Kamal is active with several national professional organizations, currently serving as the immediate past president for the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine board of directors. He has published more than 225 peer-reviewed scientific articles and is recognized as an international expert in supportive oncology and palliative care. He has been a guest on Good Morning America and interviewed by The New York Times, CNN, NPR, The Washington Post, and USA Today. Dr. Kamal received his medical degree from the six-year combined B.A./M.D. program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He completed his internal medicine residency and a hospice and palliative medicine fellowship at the Mayo Clinic, and a hematology-oncology fellowship at Duke University. He holds a Master of Health Science in clinical research from Duke University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Dr. Kamal lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with his wife and two children.
Stephen Massey
Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Health Action Alliance
READ BIOStephen Massey
Health Action Alliance
Stephen Massey is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Meteorite, a social impact firm that helps health movements scale. Meteorite designs, launches, and manages large-scale coalitions that unite employers, health systems, philanthropies, and community organizations around shared health goals — turning fragmented efforts into coordinated national infrastructure. Stephen co-founded and leads the Health Action Alliance, an 11,000+ employer network representing more than 50 million U.S. workers, which translates public health priorities into workplace action. Through HAA, he also launched U.S. Business Action to End HIV, mobilizing the private sector to help end the epidemic by 2030. He partners with Fortune 1000 companies to build initiatives that reduce barriers to care and address the social drivers of health. Stephen's career spans two decades of coalition leadership at global scale: co-founding an HIV organization in Russia, leading the United Nations' Global Media AIDS Initiative, and serving as a White House Fellow on the National Security Council. He is currently writing Structurally Sound, a book on designing systems for durability and applying organizational design principles to how we build our own lives.
James Rota
Participant, Living Hungry's Produce Prescription Program
READ BIOJames Rota
Living Hungry's Produce Prescription Program
James Rota is a passionate advocate for the Food Is Medicine movement, bringing a deeply personal perspective shaped by lived experience. After facing pre-diabetes, high blood pressure, Stage 4 throat cancer, and Stage 3 kidney failure, James chose a path rooted in faith, resilience, and a commitment to healing from within. His journey began as a patient in the Healthy Food Rx program through Living Hungry, where he spent five years learning to reconnect with food as a source of healing. What started as receiving support soon evolved into giving it, volunteering his time to pack food boxes for new patients walking a path he knew all too well. Today, he continues that journey both as a recipient of nutritional support and as a storyteller through his participation in the FreshRx program. Through these experiences, he has transformed not only his physical health, but his entire relationship with food, wellness, and purpose. What began as a personal fight became a calling. James now gives back in tangible, heartfelt ways, creating healthy recipes and preparing healthy snacks and baked goods using nuts and seeds for clients that reflect the same principles that helped restore his own health. His work is grounded in the belief that healing should be shared, accessible, and rooted in care. Beyond his personal journey, James has helped shape the broader Food Is Medicine landscape in Florida. He has served on the Steering Committee for the Florida Food Is Medicine Symposium for its first three years, helping guide its growth and impact. As Creative Director for the Florida Health & Nutrition Coalition during its foundational years, he led the development of its brand identity and logo, ensuring the movement’s message was both cohesive and compelling. With a natural ability to connect through honesty and storytelling, James speaks to the emotional, spiritual, and practical sides of healing. His message is simple yet profound: when we align what we put into our bodies with intention and care, we create the conditions for real change, not just in ourselves, but in the communities around us. James represents the heart of the movement, a reminder that behind every data point is a human story, and that transformation is always possible when we nourish the body and honor the journey.
Lisa Goldman Rosas, PhD
Professor, School of Medicine, Stanford University
READ BIOLisa Goldman Rosas, PhD
School of Medicine, Stanford University
Lisa Goldman Rosas, PhD, MPH Dr. Lisa Goldman Rosas is an Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health and the Department of Medicine, Division of Primary Care and Population Health at Stanford School of Medicine. An epidemiologist by training, Dr. Goldman Rosas’ research focuses on addressing disparities in diet-related chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, depression, and cancer among under resourced groups and communities of color. Critical to this work is addressing important social determinants of health, such as food insecurity. She leads the Food For Health Equity Lab that works collaboratively with healthcare and community partners to develop, implement, and evaluate nutrition programs that significantly contribute to advancing health equity. This research features rigorous quantitative methodologies, participatory qualitative approaches, and shared leadership with patient and community partners. She is passionate about integrating patients, caregivers, community organizations, and other key stakeholders in the research process in order to affect the greatest improvements in health and well-being. In addition to research, she teaches at the undergraduate and graduate levels and has a special focus on increasing diversity in biomedical research.
Alison Gustafson, PhD
Director, Food as Health Program, University of Kentucky
READ BIOAlison Gustafson, PhD
University of Kentucky
Alison Gustafson, PhD, MPH, RD Martin Gatton Foundation Endowed Chair and Professor in the Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, at Martin Gatton College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment and College of Nursing. Dr. Gustafson also serves as the Executive Director of the Food as Health Program located at UKhealthcare but with services across the state of Kentucky. Dr. Gustafson addresses health disparities through the food insecurity lens to improve policy approaches for those in social safety networks. Dr. Gustafson has been the PI or Co-I on over $14 million in grant funding from CDC, NIH, and USDA related to interventions targeting food insecurity and subsequent health outcomes. Recently she has been the recipient of two American Heart Association and Humana Foundation grants to improve the infrastructure in Kentucky for food is medicine program delivery and evaluation. As Director she leads the Food as Health program which provides the service of delivering tailored food is medicine programs across a variety of clients including Medicaid, healthcare providers, and commercial insurance.
Jim McGovern
Member of Congress (D-MA-02), United States House of Representatives
READ BIOJim McGovern
United States House of Representatives
U.S. Congressman James P. McGovern was first elected to Congress in 1996, and represents Massachusetts’ 2nd Congressional District, which includes his hometown of Worcester as well as much of Central and Western Massachusetts. In 2019, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi named him the Chairman of the powerful House Rules Committee, which serves as the traffic cop of Congress, deciding which bills and amendments come to the floor for debate and how they will be considered. McGovern, who serves as Co-Chair of the bipartisan House Hunger Caucus and Chairman of the Board of the Congressional Hunger Center, is a tireless and globally-recognized champion in the fight to end hunger. As a senior member of the House Agriculture Committee, he has been a leader in helping to address America’s hunger and malnutrition crisis. His advocacy during the pandemic in support of nutrition programs like SNAP, school breakfasts and lunches, and summer meals led to major increases in benefits for some of our nation’s most vulnerable. As the leading author of the George McGovern—Bob Dole International Food for Education program, the Congressman’s work has helped provide nutritious meals in a school setting to nearly 9 million of the world’s poorest children. As Chairman of the Rules Committee, McGovern convened a series of hearings, site visits, roundtables, and listening sessions across the country which paved the way for President Biden to announce the first White House conference on nutrition, hunger, and health in over 50 years. In 2026, McGovern was a featured speaker at SXSW EDU, sharing his expertise on school food programs as part of a panel discussion entitled “Feeding Kids Like We Give a Damn: Transforming School Food.” For his work, he earned a 2024 LiveSavor Award from Community Servings, a Boston-based Medically Tailored Meals provider, a 2023 Bill Emerson & Mickey Leland Hunger Leadership Award, a 2016 James Beard Leadership Award from the James Beard Foundation and a 2008 McGovern-Dole Leadership Award from the World Food Program USA.
Anabel Ruiz, MD
Associate Medical Director, La Clinica de la Raza
READ BIOAnabel Ruiz, MD
La Clinica de la Raza
Dr. Anabel Ruiz is a Family Medicine physician dedicated to community health. She serves as the Associate Medical Director of La Clinica de la Raza’s San Antonio Neighborhood Health Center in Oakland, CA, where she focuses on providing culturally appropriate and comprehensive medical care to a diverse population. Dr. Ruiz and her team collaborate with local community partners to develop programs that provide medically tailored meals, aimed at addressing chronic health conditions in a community experiencing high rates of food insecurity, ultimately to improve health outcomes. Dr. Ruiz completed her training in Family Medicine at the Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency Program and received her medical degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Additionally, she holds a Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Grant Leslie
Operating Partner, Government & Policy, S2G Investments
READ BIOGrant Leslie
S2G Investments
Grant brings extensive experience navigating the intersection of government and the private sector as well as fostering collaboration between key stakeholders to drive results. Prior to joining S2G, Grant founded and ran the food & agriculture practice at FGS Global, a leading government affairs and strategic communications firm, where she and her team advised corporate, nonprofit, and coalition clients on advocacy, policy, and communications strategy. Previously, she served as Senior Advisor to Secretary Tom Vilsack at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), where she managed policy development and interagency coordination across key areas including the Farm Bill, renewable energy, nutrition, trade, and rural development. She also spent a decade in the U.S. Senate including roles with Senator Ken Salazar and in Senate Leadership with Senator Tom Daschle.
James Wannares
Regional Administrative Leader, Quality & Systems of Care, Kaiser Permanente
READ BIOJames Wannares
Kaiser Permanente
James Wannares, MPH is an executive leader with Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California Permanente Medical Group, where he focuses on advancing quality, systems of care, and population health innovation. Over the past decade, he has been instrumental in elevating the role of nutrition, education, and health behavior change within Kaiser Permanente’s integrated care delivery model. Through his leadership with Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Healthy Living, James helped implement a robust Medically Tailored Meals program across Kaiser Permanente Southern California, designed to support Medicaid members living with complex chronic conditions. This innovative effort expanded equitable access to healthy meals, empowered sustainable dietary changes, and drove measurable improvements in health outcomes. James earned his MPH from the University of California, Los Angeles and his BS in Biology and BA in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego.
Pamela Schwartz, MPH
Executive Director, Community Health, Kaiser Permanente
READ BIOPamela Schwartz, MPH
Kaiser Permanente
Pamela Schwartz, MPH, is executive director of community health for Kaiser Permanente. She leads a broad portfolio of work addressing social determinants of health in the areas of highest need among Kaiser Permanente members and its communities, including food, housing, mental health workforce development, and financial security. Pam oversees Kaiser Permanente’s $50 million commitment to improve access to healthy food, which includes the Kaiser Permanente Food Is Medicine Center of Excellence created in 2024 to more fully integrate food and nutrition into health care delivery both at Kaiser Permanente and at health systems across the country. A champion for patient- and community-led solutions to social factors shaping people’s health, Pam and her team have created innovative, high-impact initiatives to increase affordable housing and reduce homelessness in dozens of communities and to increase the number of medical respite programs available in communities to help patients experiencing homelessness heal in safe and stable environments.
An experienced leader in health care and community health, Pam has contributed pieces to several academic and health care publications and serves on many advisory committees and expert panels. She is currently on faculty at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine in the Department of Health System Science.
Kyu Rhee, MD
President & CEO, National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC)
READ BIOKyu Rhee, MD
National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC)
Kyu Rhee, MD, MPP President and CEO, National Association of Community Health Centers Dr. Kyu (“Q”) Rhee is a mission-driven physician leader, educator, scientist, and innovator who has led and developed transdisciplinary teams across and within the nonprofit, public, and private sectors to make the health system better, especially for underserved communities. Recognized as one of Modern Healthcare’s 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare 2025, Dr. Rhee serves as the President and CEO of the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC). Since the nation’s first community health centers (CHCs) opened in 1965, CHCs have become the best part of our health system, delivering high-quality, affordable, patient-governed primary care for communities across our nation. With 330K employed serving 52 million people in over 17K locations, CHCs provide value-based care to patients, regardless of ability to pay, in every state, U.S. territory, and the District of Columbia. Prior to joining NACHC, Dr. Rhee held the position of Senior Vice President & Aetna Chief Medical Officer at CVS Health, where he led a team of over 1,500 doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other health professionals in the integration and delivery of clinical and population health solutions to improve health for up to 65M people. Before CVS Health, Dr. Rhee was the Chief Health Officer of IBM for a decade, where he had global responsibilities for IBM’s efforts to transform health through the use of data, analytics, artificial intelligence, services, and research for providers, health plans, employers, governments, and life science companies across the world. During the exciting time of the Affordable Care and Recovery Acts, Dr. Rhee served in the public sector at HHS as Chief Public Health Officer of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which is the primary federal agency for improving access to health care services for people who are uninsured or medically vulnerable, and the Director of the Office of Innovation and Program Coordination at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is the primary federal agency for research. Before his public service, Dr. Rhee worked in the nonprofit sector as a National Health Service Corps physician and Chief Medical Officer for CHCs in the Washington, DC/Baltimore area. He served as Chief Resident and completed his medical residency in internal medicine & pediatrics at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, with dual board certification. He earned his MD from USC, a Master's in Health Policy from Harvard, and a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale, where he also served as President of the student body.
Amanda Flaum
Vice President of Community & Social Health Programs, Kaiser Permanente
READ BIOAmanda Flaum
Kaiser Permanente
Amanda Flaum, VP CA & HI Medicaid markets, is a distinguished leader within Kaiser Permanente’s Medicaid line of business, where she oversees strategy, planning, regulatory relationships, and health plan performance across California and Hawaii. Known for her steady leadership and clear strategic vision, Amanda partners closely with regional and national teams to drive operational excellence and improve outcomes for Medicaid members. With more than 25 years of experience in the healthcare sector, Amanda has led large scale organizational transformations, revitalized underperforming operations, and delivered more than $1 billion in enterprise savings and efficiencies. She is widely recognized for her ability to strengthen organizational capabilities, align leaders around shared priorities, and execute with discipline and precision. Amanda has held leadership roles at CenCal Health, Aetna Better Health, Blue Shield of California, and Anthem. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from California State University, Northridge, and completed Harvard Business School’s Women’s Leadership Forum. Beyond her work at Kaiser Permanente, Amanda is deeply committed to advancing community health and equity. She brings her expertise to several nonprofit organizations through board and advisory roles, supporting efforts that improve social care, expand access, and strengthen local communities. Through her role with the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce, she actively engages in civic forums that highlight collaboration and resilience within the region’s business community. As a board member of the Partners in Care Foundation, she helps guide the organization that addresses social determinants of health for vulnerable populations, supporting programs that have reached over two million people with critical care coordination and community based services. She is actively engaged with the United Way Ventura County, specifically Women United that supports single mothers on their educational journey. A Southern California native, Amanda lives in the region with her husband, Julian. She is an avid sports fan and brings that same competitive spirit and teamwork mindset to her leadership every day.
Noosheen Hashemi
CEO & Co-Founder, January AI
READ BIONoosheen Hashemi
January AI
Noosheen Hashemi is the co-founder and CEO of January AI, a precision health company applying artificial intelligence to extend healthspan. She leads the company’s two flagship innovations: a patented virtual continuous glucose monitor that predicts blood sugar responses to food in real time, and Mirror, a Health Context Engine that organizes fragmented health data into a clinically grounded Personal Health Knowledge Graph. Under her leadership, January AI has built the industry’s most advanced lifestyle intelligence platform, integrating food, activity, sleep, and glucose insights. Time Magazine, CES, Fast Company, Inc., and The Wall Street Journal have recognized the company’s work, and Hashemi was named to Forbes’s 50 Over 50 list. She has spoken on leading stages, including CES, HLTH, and the Fortune Global Forum. Previously, she spent ten years at Oracle, helping scale revenues from $26 million to $3 billion. Today, she also serves on multiple advisory boards at Stanford, Tufts, and the Council on Foreign Relations. She is also a member of the Milken Institute Feeding Change Business Council.
Erika Hanson, JD
Clinical Instructor, Center for Health Law & Policy Innovation, Harvard Law School
READ BIOErika Hanson, JD
Center for Health Law & Policy Innovation, Harvard Law School
Erika Hanson is a Clinical Instructor at the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation of Harvard Law School, where she works with partners and students to advance innovative health care models. Erika primarily focuses on legal and policy implementation matters concerning health care financing and delivery of services that address the social determinants of health, reproductive justice, and the design of cash payment as treatment pilots for seriously ill patients and their families. Prior to joining Harvard, Erika was a Staff Attorney at The Legal Aid Society in New York City where she represented clients, conducted class action litigation, and led policy advocacy on a wide range of health law issues, and she was a Georgetown Women’s Law & Public Policy Fellow and a Reproductive Rights & Health Legal Fellow at the National Women’s Law Center in Washington, D.C. She is a licensed member of the New York State bar.
Roseline Ifidon
Participant & Client Advocate, Moveable Feast
READ BIORoseline Ifidon
Moveable Feast
Born in Nigeria, I grew up in a very loving Christian home with five other siblings. I left home at age 16 years, to attend college in California. I graduated as a psychologist from university of Arizona, Tucson. Back in Nigeria, I ran a very successful business for ten years as well as being a principal at my parents school. I later lived in the United Kingdom for a few years where I worked with adults and children with autism. I left London and moved to Baltimore MD where I worked in human relations at Woodstock Job Corps for 10 years as a manager for the soft trades. I worked at Catholic Charities for 8 years and Work Opportunities Unlimited as a Regional Director for 9 years. I retired due to health issues. Unfortunately I struggled with getting nutritional meals which landed me in hospitals so many times than I can count. Soon my health counselor introduced me to Movable Feast. I was introduced to Medically Tailored Meals which has been a great help and success in my health journey. I am currently on the Community Advisory Board at Movable Feast. I am also on the Governance Committee. I participate in some community events and programs in my neighborhood and church. I am very grateful to be part of a great FIMC team. I thank the team for the opportunity to work with such brilliant minds, professionals and knowledgeable people. I am most grateful for the opportunity to share my experiences with others.
Bechara Choucair, MD
Executive Vice President & Chief Health Officer, Kaiser Permanente
READ BIOBechara Choucair, MD
Kaiser Permanente
Dr. Bechara Choucair, a board-certified family physician, serves as executive vice president and chief health officer for Kaiser Permanente, the nation’s largest integrated health system with more than 12.5 million members.
In this role, he oversees over $4 billion in annual investments supporting the organization’s community health and social health portfolio, including the creation of the nation’s largest social health network and the organization’s philanthropic giving. This includes support to medical financial assistance and charitable health coverage programs, as well as grants to community health programs throughout the organization’s footprint. Dr. Choucair oversees the organization’s Medicaid line of business covering 1.5 million members, and advances initiatives to increase access to care and improve health outcomes for those enrolled in both Medicaid and Medicare. In addition, his accountability includes leading enterprise clinical business development opportunities focusing on care delivery models, technologies, and products. He also leads Kaiser Permanente’s environmental stewardship work, which resulted in the organization becoming carbon neutral in 2020, and he oversees the organization’s goal to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. From January through November 2021, Dr. Choucair served as the White House national COVID-19 vaccinations coordinator. During his tenure, nearly 500 million doses of the vaccine were administered nationwide.
Marti Macchi, DrPH
President & CEO, Project Angel Heart
READ BIOMarti Macchi, DrPH
Project Angel Heart
As the President & Chief Executive Officer of Project Angel Heart, Dr. Macchi is responsible for advancing the organization’s mission to deliver medically tailored meals to those living with severe illnesses. In partnership with the Board of Directors and the executive leadership team, Dr. Macchi leads both long-term strategy and day-to-day operations to ensure organizational success and sustainability. Overseeing a dedicated staff of 49 and a robust volunteer network, Dr. Macchi manages the organization’s budget with fiscal responsibility and transparency, fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing workplace culture that aligns with the organization’s values and inspires passion for its mission. As the organization’s chief spokesperson and primary revenue generator, Dr. Macchi actively cultivates relationships with donors, partners, and community stakeholders. Through media appearances, public speaking engagements, and community outreach, she serves as a key ambassador for Project Angel Heart, building strong and lasting partnerships that enhance the organization’s reach and impact. Dr. Macchi holds a Master of Education in Exercise Science from Wichita State University, a Master of Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Macchi has over 25 years of experience working in public health practice, focusing on the prevention and control of chronic diseases, actively contributing to national conversations on emerging issues in chronic disease prevention and control, including Food is Medicine.
Cecilia Gerard
Managing Director, Food is Medicine Institute, Tufts University
READ BIOCecilia Gerard
Food is Medicine Institute, Tufts University
Cecilia Gerard leads strategy, partnerships and implementation at Tufts University’s Food is Medicine Institute, translating nutrition research into scalable models of care. She works with health care organizations and state agencies to adopt these models so they can deliver better outcomes at a sustainable cost for people with diet-related chronic conditions.
Phalba Adams
Participant, American Heart Association Health Care by Food™ Lived Experience Group
READ BIOPhalba Adams
American Heart Association Health Care by Food™ Lived Experience Group
Phalba L. Adams, RPh, CCMP, is a healthcare leader based in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the CEO of EMBRACE AHEAD, LLC. She is recognized as a change agent, speaker, medication safety consultant, and advocate for both health equity and workplace equity. Adams specializes in optimizing clinical and operational resources to improve outcome measures in areas such as acute care, disease state management, diversion prevention, automated pharmacy distribution systems, and sterile compounding (USP 797/800) compliance. She is particularly focused on change management within pharmaceutical healthcare systems and is known for providing effective advocacy in the pursuit of optimized healthcare for all, as well as supporting individuals facing hostile or discriminatory work environments in high-stress healthcare settings. Her career includes over three decades of leadership in pharmacy management, medication safety consulting, and community health education. Adams earned a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Texas Southern University (1985–1990) and holds multiple certifications, such as the Certified Change Management Professional (CCMP) designation from Prosci and multiple ASHP certifications in medication safety, pharmacogenomics, well-being, resilience, and workplace well-being. She currently serves as a member of the American Heart Association’s Health Care By Food Lived Experience Patient Advisory Board. Phalba is a new home gardener and great home cook. She is pursuing the transformation of bad to healthy eating and teaching her community.
Lauren Driscoll
Founder & CEO, NourishedRx
READ BIOLauren Driscoll
NourishedRx
Lauren Driscoll is the founder and CEO of NourishedRx, a precision nutrition company that bridges healthcare and food to improve outcomes for individuals with chronic conditions. A public health expert by training, Lauren has spent her career at the intersection of healthcare innovation, policy, and value-based care—holding senior roles at Oxford Health Plans, Leavitt Partners, and in care delivery organizations focused on population health. She launched NourishedRx to help health plans and providers deliver personalized, data-driven nutrition support at scale. The company’s SaaS-enabled platform integrates culturally responsive services with rich data—from food and nutrition behavior to labs, claims, and patient-reported outcomes—laying the foundation for AI-powered insights and precision care. Lauren began her career on the health policy staff in the Clinton White House and has remained focused on transforming how we prevent and manage chronic disease—by making personalized nutrition a practical and measurable part of everyday healthcare.
Christina Rodriguez
Founder & Publisher, Pull
READ BIOChristina Rodriguez
Pull
Christina Y. Rodriguez is a healthcare margin strategist and founder of Pull, a decision intelligence platform that evaluates which social care interventions actually get funded. Her work focuses on translating models like Food is Medicine into contract-ready, audit-defensible financial logic. She helps organizations move beyond outcomes alone to understand attribution, cost structure, and margin impact within Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, and value-based care environments. Through Pull and The Fundable 15, Christina analyzes national procurement signals, policy shifts, and capital flows to identify which programs are truly scalable, which are at risk of stalling, and where money is most likely to move. She is known for reframing social care as a form of financial infrastructure central to margin protection, quality performance, and contract durability.
David Kim, PhD
Associate Professor, University of Chicago
READ BIODavid Kim, PhD
University of Chicago
David D. Kim, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Public Health Sciences at the University of Chicago. His interdisciplinary research integrates health economics, policy evaluation, and decision modeling to advance value-based healthcare decision-making. Dr. Kim’s work has focused on defining and measuring the value of health interventions and guiding policies that promote the use of high-value care while discouraging low-value care. He has developed innovative analytical frameworks in economic evaluation and disease simulation models, including a Decision Framework for Assessing Transferability of Economic Evaluation, the Criteria for Health Economic Quality Evaluation (CHEQUE) tool, and the Diabetes, Obesity, Cardiovascular Disease Microsimulation (DOC-M) model. His work has been published in leading journals, including JAMA, Annals of Internal Medicine, Health Affairs, and Medical Decision Making, and has received coverage in major media outlets, such as The New York Times and The Washington Post. Dr. Kim serves as a member of the World Health Organization’s Guidelines Development Group for GLP-1RAs for obesity management, the Midwest Comparative Effectiveness Public Advisory Council at the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), and as an Associate Method Editor for Annals of Internal Medicine.
Donna Lawson
Client & Advocate, Food and Friends, Washington, DC
READ BIODonna Lawson
Food and Friends, Washington, DC
Donna Lawson is an accomplished educator, retired school principal, and current Doctor of Educational Ministry student at Columbia Theological Seminary. She receives medically tailored groceries and nutrition therapy from Food & Friends, a community-based organization in Washington, DC. Donna’s love for learning, teaching, and storytelling intertwines in a way that transforms her life into both a lesson and a witness, where healing flows like a river, encouraging and inspiring others wherever her journey takes her. In 2019, Donna underwent a lung biopsy. Months later, she received a life-changing prognosis: Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, an autoimmune interstitial lung disease associated with HIV and Sjogren’s Disease. Over time, she also developed secondary immunodeficiency conditions, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease, because of her underlying medical conditions, treatments, and medications. One of her prescribed medications, OFEV, used to treat lung disease, came with challenging side effects, including diarrhea, nausea, stomach pain, vomiting, liver issues, decreased appetite, headache, weight loss, and high blood pressure. Donna experienced six of the nine most common side effects daily. Another medication, Prednisone, raised her blood sugar and likely contributed to steroid-induced diabetes. Navigating the complex terrain of chronic illness, Donna found essential support through the nutritional strategies provided by dietitians at Food & Friends. With their guidance and her dietary changes, she maintained a balanced diet, discontinued Metformin, and stabilized her glucose levels at 5.6–5.9 for nearly a year. Today, the side effects of OFEV have been reduced to occasional gastrointestinal issues, and her weight remains steady. Without a doubt, Donna has found truth in the principle that Food is Medicine. She calls this chapter of her life “Living HIV Healthy,” a testament to resilience, faith, and the power of nutrition in managing chronic illness. She is committed to advocating for food as medicine, believing it is key to empowering individuals to take control of their health and live vibrant, fulfilling lives. “Food is Medicine. Prioritize your health and embark on a path to a more vibrant and fulfilling life.” Here’s a concise, conference-ready version of my biography: Donna Lawson is an educator, former school principal, and Doctor of Educational Ministry student at Columbia Theological Seminary. Living with HIV, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, and other chronic conditions - diabetes, cardiovascular disease, etc., she has turned her health journey into a testimony of resilience. Through medically tailored meals and nutrition therapy from Food & Friends in Washington, DC, Donna stabilized her glucose levels, reduced medication side effects, and embraced what she calls “Living HIV Healthy.” She is a passionate advocate for the principle that Food is Medicine, empowering others to manage chronic illness through nutrition, faith, and education.
Lisa Sanders
National Executive Director, Health Care by Food™, American Heart Association
READ BIOLisa Sanders
American Heart Association
As National Executive Director, Lisa Sanders drives the American Heart Association’s vision and operational plan for the Health Care by Food Initiative. With more than 20 years of experience in the public health and policy field, Lisa brings expertise in advancing health system interventions, evidence-based policies, and collective impact strategies that improve population health. She brings extensive experience in organizational revenue generation, new business development and resource mobilization, including a strong track record of securing philanthropic contributions for capacity building and short-and-long term program implementation. Her approach to diversifying revenue streams and connecting capital investments to community needs has supported many small and rural healthcare systems in building operational efficiencies, sustainable funding practices, and infrastructure resiliency. Prior to joining the AHA, Lisa served as the Director of Chronic Disease for the Mississippi State Department of Health overseeing Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, Diabetes Prevention and Control, and Comprehensive Cancer programs.
Cate Hensley
Manager of Policy & Projects, Food is Medicine Coalition
READ BIOCate Hensley
Food is Medicine Coalition
Cate is an equity-oriented, community-driven social work professional bringing expertise in advocacy, communications, and systems change to their work supporting the Coalition. Cate advances FIMC’s policy priorities, lead’s the health equity initiative, crafts technical assistance and symposia offerings, and supports FIMC’s working committees. Cate has previously worked in nutrition policy and advocacy, provided clinical mental health services, and supported survivors of trauma. Cate is committed to centering community voice, dismantling systems of oppression, and working towards a more just world. Cate holds a master's in social work from Washington University in St. Louis, where she was a Graduate Policy Scholar.
Emily Kain, MPH
Senior Program Manager, Food is Medicine, MaineHealth
READ BIOEmily Kain, MPH
MaineHealth
Emily Kain, MPH, is a leader in Food is Medicine strategy and implementation, bringing nearly two decades of experience advancing equitable access to nutritious food through policy, systems, and community-based solutions. She holds a Master of Public Health in Social & Behavioral Sciences from Boston University, grounding her work in evidence-based approaches that strengthen both patient outcomes and population health.
As Senior Program Manager for Food is Medicine at MaineHealth, Emily partners with clinical teams to implement FIM interventions for patients managing uncontrolled diabetes and heart failure. She has led high-impact initiatives, including launching Maine’s first hospital-based food pantries that now serve more than 5,000 people each month and achieving consistent food insecurity screening across primary care practices.
Emily also leads Maine’s statewide Food is Medicine Coalition and is known for uniting diverse clinical, community, and policy partners to advance solutions that integrate nutritious food into care, improve health outcomes, and strengthen communities across Maine.
Seth Berkowitz, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Vice Chief for Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
READ BIOSeth Berkowitz, MD
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Dr. Berkowitz is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Section Chief for Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine in the Division of General Medicine & Clinical Epidemiology. He is a general internist and primary care doctor. He studies the relationship between health-related social needs, such as food insecurity, and health outcomes. He is the Deputy Scientific Director for the American Heart Association’s Health Care by Food (HCXF) initiative. He is also the author of the recent book Equal Care: Health Equity, Social Democracy, and the Egalitarian State, which examines how public policy can improve population health.
Erika Tribett, MPH
Director, Program Strategy & Design, Project Open Hand
READ BIOErika Tribett, MPH
Project Open Hand
Erika works with multidisciplinary teams at Project Open Hand to design and evaluate person-centered nutrition care for the diverse Bay Area population, with a focus on using data to improve programs, strengthen sustainability, and contribute to the Food Is Medicine evidence base. Her work is rooted in community, with an emphasis on learning from clients and partners, elevating lived experience, and translating real-world practice into research that can informs quality care and policy. She is Co-Chair of the Food Is Medicine Coalition Research Committee and helps build capacity across member organizations to lead coordinated, community-driven research. Erika also serves as a site project director on studies funded by the USDA, the Administration for Community Living, and the American Heart Association, and is committed to advancing equitable, community-led approaches to improving health outcomes.
Corby Kummer
Executive Director, Food & Society, Aspen Institute
READ BIOCorby Kummer
Aspen Institute
Corby Kummer is executive director of Food & Society at the Aspen Institute, a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science, and a senior editor of The Atlantic, for which he was a longtime food columnist and originated a vertical on food, sustainability, policy, and food justice. He attended the Loomis-Chafee School and received a BA from Yale College. He is the author of The Joy of Coffee and The Pleasures of Slow Food, the first book in English on the Slow Food movement, and has been restaurant critic of New York, Boston, and Atlanta Magazines and a food and food policy columnist for The New Republic. He has received six James Beard Journalism Awards. One of the country’s most widely quoted experts on food justice and food culture in the United States, Corby is a featured commentator on food and food policy every week on WGBH’s Boston Public Radio.
Danielle Nierenberg
President, Food Tank
READ BIODanielle Nierenberg
Food Tank
Here is the link to my bio https://foodtank.com/danielle-nierenberg/
Shelby Reed, PhD
Professor, School of Medicine, Duke University
READ BIOShelby Reed, PhD
Duke University
Shelby D. Reed, PhD, is Professor in the Departments of Population Health Sciences and Medicine at Duke University’s School of Medicine. She is the director of the Center for Informing Health Decisions at the Duke Clinical Research Institute. She also is core faculty at the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy and an affiliate member at the Duke Cancer Institute. Shelby has 25 years of experience in health economics, health preferences and health policy research. Her research portfolio includes a broad array of trial‐based and model‐based cost‐effectiveness analyses of medical diagnostics, drugs, devices and patient‐centered interventions. In 2016, she co-founded the Preference Evaluation Research (PrefER) Group at the DCRI, and she currently serves as its director. She and the group are frequently sought to conduct stated-preference studies to inform regulatory decisions, health policy, care delivery, value assessment and clinical decision making with applied projects spanning a wide range of therapeutic areas. Since fall of 2023, she has been serving as chair of the Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Task Force for the American Heart Association’s Healthcare x Food™ Initiative.
Holly Freishtat
Senior Director, Milken Institute
READ BIOHolly Freishtat
Milken Institute
Ms. Freishtat is the Senior Director of Feeding Change at the Milken Institute. She is an experienced director, transformative leader and strategist with a 20-year track record developing and implementing food system policies and programs. Holly served as Baltimore City’s first Food Policy Director and Chief of Food Policy & Planning where she founded and directed the Baltimore Food Policy Initiative. Holly spent over a decade building an equitable and resilient food environment by creating policies and programs that directly impact health & economic disparities. As a result, Baltimore City has become internationally renowned for innovative food governance and leadership. Holly has received national and international recognition for her public speaking skills and food systems expertise. She has presented at 125 international and national speaking engagements and has been interviewed by CNN, NBC, Huffington Post, Politico and the Associated Press. In addition, Holly has been awarded numerous accolades for her contributions to food systems, including the Mayors Medallion for Meritorious Service Award, Maryland Daily Record’s Top 100 women, and the 2016 Milan Urban Food Policy Pact Award. Freishtat has served as a food systems strategist, agricultural marketing director, nutrition educator, and grower. She holds an M.S. in Agriculture, Food, and Environment from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy at Tufts University, a B.S. in Nutrition from the University of Vermont, and an executive certificate from Carey Business School.
Stacey Chang
Principal, New Origin Studio
READ BIOStacey Chang
New Origin Studio
Stacey Chang is a designer of new creative solutions to age-old dilemmas in health. He focuses on building complex adaptive systems that can respond to the dynamic challenge of producing health in human society, and currently advises a broad array of efforts seeking to build more sustainable, equitable, and effective models. Prior to founding New Origin Studio, Stacey served as the Founding and Executive Director of the Design Institute for Health at the University of Texas at Austin. The Design Institute was a pioneering academic institution, dedicated to creating systemic human-centered solutions in clinical and community contexts. Embedded as an integrated part of an operating health system and a medical education and training program, the Institute considered topics as broad as the design of products and services, the built environment, integration of social and medical interventions, the structure and strategy of national health systems, and new models for societal health at a global scale.
Before his academic tenure, Stacey served as the Managing Director of the Healthcare practice at IDEO, the global design and innovation firm. Clients included governments, research institutions, hospitals, pharma, insurance, medtech, and all the upstarts trying to rewrite the script, in both established and emerging markets.
Stacey presents frequently and is widely published, including in the New England Journal of Medicine, NEJM Catalyst, Harvard Business Review, and Politico. He has served as a TEDMED Editorial Advisory Board member, a Thought Leader for NEJM Catalyst, an Eisenhower Fellow, and an advisor to the Global Delivery arm of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He holds degrees in engineering from MIT and Stanford.
Kevin Volpp, MD, PhD
Director; Scientific Director, Center for Health Incentives & Behavioral Economics; Health Care by Food™, American Heart Association
READ BIOKevin Volpp, MD, PhD
Center for Health Incentives & Behavioral Economics; Health Care by Food™, American Heart Association
Dr. Volpp is Director of the Penn Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics, the Mark V. Pauly President’s Distinguished Professor at the Perelman School of Medicine and the Wharton School at Penn, and Scientific Lead of the American Heart Association Health Care by Food Initiative, building evidence on effectiveness and cost effectiveness of food is medicine programs nationally. Dr. Volpp has contributed to benefit designs using financial incentives for smoking cessation by many employers, redesigns of primary care payment implemented in multiple states, the “Humana Simplicity” health plan, and ‘enhanced active choice’ used by millions of CVS members to facilitate automated medication refills. His work has been recognized by the NIH Matilda White Riley Award, the John Eisenberg Award from the Society of General Internal Medicine, the Association for Clinical and Translational Science Distinguished Investigator Award, the American Heart Association Distinguished Scientist Award, the Edward S. Cooper Award from the American Heart Association, numerous article-of-the-year awards, and election to the National Academy of Medicine.
Joshua Faller
Co-Executive Director, Just Roots
READ BIOJoshua Faller
Just Roots
Joshua Faller is Co-Executive Director of Just Roots, where he works at the intersection of agriculture and healthcare to advance Food is Medicine initiatives. He helps lead the Just Roots Growing Network, supporting partnerships that connect farms to healthcare systems across Massachusetts. His work focuses on developing scalable models that improve patient access to nutritious food while strengthening farm viability and regional food economies.
Matt Pieper
Chief Executive Officer, Open Hand Atlanta
READ BIOMatt Pieper
Open Hand Atlanta
Matthew Pieper, Chief Executive Officer: Matt recently celebrated his sixteenth anniversary with Open Hand Atlanta, a not-for-profit that cooks, packages and delivers over 5,000 meals a day to neighbors in need in metro-Atlanta and many surrounding counties including Clarke, Madison and Oglethorpe counties. Open Hand also provides nutrition education and counseling for clients facing a chronic disease diagnosis.
In addition to his role as CEO, Matt serves as Chair of the Board of Advisors for the national Food Is Medicine Coalition, he serves on the Board of Directors for Rotary Club of Buckhead where he has been a proud Rotarian since 2010. He is also an active member of the Atlanta Regional Collaborative for Health Improvement and speaks frequently as a public policy advocate for the role community-based nutrition interventions play in helping to achieve better health outcomes.
In 2016 and 2017, Matt was listed in The Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Top 50 Influential Nonprofit Leaders in Atlanta. Additionally, he is a graduate of Leadership Atlanta’s Class of 2018.
Nicole Blackstone, PhD
Associate Professor, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University
READ BIONicole Blackstone, PhD
Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University
Nicole Tichenor Blackstone is an Associate Professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. She holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Dr. Blackstone is a sustainability scientist who studies the environmental and social impacts of food system innovations, interventions, and policies. She collaborates with colleagues across disciplines and institutions, from medical doctors at University of California San Francisco to engineers at Texas A&M and labor rights experts at the University of Nottingham’s Rights Lab in the UK. Her research has been published in high-impact journals, such as Nature Food and the Lancet Planetary Health and has been supported by over $13M of federal, philanthropic, and private sector funding to date.
Heather Latino, JD
Clinical Instructor, Food Law & Policy Clinic, Center for Health Law & Policy Innovation, Harvard Law School
READ BIOHeather Latino, JD
Food Law & Policy Clinic, Center for Health Law & Policy Innovation, Harvard Law School
Heather Latino, JD, is a Clinical Instructor at the Food Law and Policy Clinic at the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation of Harvard Law School. Since joining the Clinic in 2023, Heather has helped lead initiatives supporting community organizations, nonprofits, coalitions, and government entities—including local, state, and tribal partners—interested in developing or expanding Food is Medicine policies and programs. Her work centers on the critical connections between Food is Medicine initiatives and local food systems. Heather is a co-author of the recent report on Maximizing the Impact of Nutrition Interventions with Local Food Procurement, which outlines strategies for states to integrate local agriculture and other food systems values into Food is Medicine policies and initiatives. Heather has a Master of Laws in Food and Agricultural Law from the University of Arkansas School of Law.
Edil 'Junior' Lebron
Chef, Cambridge Health Alliance / Boston City Cruises
READ BIOEdil 'Junior' Lebron
Cambridge Health Alliance / Boston City Cruises
Edil Lebron’s career is defined by service—first during his nine years in the military, and now as a Chef at Cambridge Health Alliance. After graduating from Community Servings, Edil rose to lead a large-scale culinary team producing medically tailored meals that prove food is a vital tool for healing. A graduate of the American Academy of Personal Training and a volunteer for The Phoenix, Edil is a dedicated hybrid athlete who believes in the power of movement and nutrition to transform lives.
Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DrPH
Director, Food is Medicine Institute, Tufts University
READ BIODariush Mozaffarian, MD, DrPH
Food is Medicine Institute, Tufts University
Dariush Mozaffarian is a cardiologist, public health scientist, and Director of the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University. He is also Distinguished Professor, Dean Emeritus, and Jean Mayer Professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy; Professor of Medicine at Tufts School of Medicine; and attending physician in the Division of Cardiology at Tufts Medical Center. Dr. Mozaffarian’s overall goal is to create the science and translation for a food system that is nutritious, equitable, and sustainable. He is globally renowned expert in Food is Medicine and has authored more than 600 scientific publications on nutritional priorities for cardiometabolic health and on evidence-based policy approaches and innovations to advance nutrition security, reduce diet-related diseases, improve health equity, and reduce healthcare costs in the US and globally. He has served in numerous advisory roles, including on the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, and his work has been featured in an array of media outlets. Thomson Reuters named him as one of the World's Most Influential Scientific Minds. Dr. Mozaffarian received his B.S. in biological sciences from Stanford University, M.D. from Columbia University, and Doctorate in Public Health from Harvard University; with clinical training in internal medicine at Stanford University and in cardiology at the University of Washington. He is married, has three children, and actively trains as a Fourth Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo.
Aidan Dewar
Co-Founder & CEO, Nourish
READ BIOAidan Dewar
Nourish
Aidan Dewar is the co-founder and CEO of Nourish, the leading food-as-medicine platform addressing the root cause of the chronic disease crisis through AI-powered, insurance-covered virtual nutrition care. Nourish is tackling one of the most important challenges in the world - our broken healthcare system - by building a consumer-centric digital health system focused on nutrition and lifestyle change that improves outcomes, lowers costs, and helps people live healthier, longer lives. Nourish’s platform integrates lab testing to deliver more personalized, data-driven care, and its AI-powered mobile app enables patients to easily track progress and stay engaged with their health goals. With thousands of registered dietitians in its network, Nourish serves millions of patients across all 50 states. Nourish has raised $115 million to date and is backed by leading investors including Index Ventures, Thrive Capital, Maverick Ventures, TCV, Y Combinator, and BoxGroup.
Hilary Seligman, MD
Professor, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco
READ BIOHilary Seligman, MD
University of California San Francisco
Hilary Seligman MD MAS is Professor of Medicine and of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). She holds faculty affiliations in UCSF’s Division of General Internal Medicine, Institute for Health Policy Studies, ARC for Health, and Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute. Hilary is a nationally recognized expert on food insecurity and health outcomes across the life course, with a particular interest in activating healthcare as a partner in addressing food insecurity as a risk factor for chronic disease and a challenge for chronic disease self-management. She has directed NOPREN (the CDC’s Nutrition and Obesity Policy Research and Evaluation Network) for the last ten years. Her team runs Vouchers for Veggies, a large produce prescription program, and provides technical assistance and support to USDA-funded GusNIP produce prescription programs across the country. Hilary also serves as Deputy Scientific Lead for the American Heart Association’s Health Care by Food initiative.
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Event Sponsors
FIMCON 2026 Hotel & Travel Information
Grand Hyatt Washington
1000 H Street NW Washington, D.C. 20001
The Grand Hyatt Washington is FIMCON's host hotel and conference venue, located in the heart of downtown Washington, D.C. The hotel is directly connected to Metro Center station, one of the city's main transit hubs, making it easily accessible from all three area airports and throughout the D.C. metro region.
Hotel Accommodations
Special FIMCON Room Block: We've secured a limited room block at the Grand Hyatt Washington with discounted rates exclusively for FIMCON attendees.
Room Rate: $369.88 per night (inclusive of taxes)
Cut-Off Date: May 11, 2026
Important: Reservations must be made by the specified deadline to guarantee the discounted rate and room availability. After the cut-off date, rooms will be available on a space-available basis at prevailing rates.
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Amenities
- Complimentary WiFi for conference attendees
- 24-hour fitness center
- Business center
- On-site dining options
- Valet parking available
- ADA-compliant accessible rooms and facilities
Getting to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C. is served by three major airports:
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)
- Distance from hotel: 4 miles
- Travel time: 15-20 minutes
- Closest airport with direct Metro access
Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
- Distance from hotel: 26 miles
- Travel time: 35-50 minutes
- Major international hub
Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI)
- Distance from hotel: 32 miles
- Travel time: 45-60 minutes
- Alternative option with train service to D.C.
Transportation to the Hotel
Metro: The Grand Hyatt is located directly above Metro Center station. Metro service is available directly from Reagan National Airport (DCA) and from Dulles International Airport (IAD).
Parking at the Hotel: Valet parking is available at the Grand Hyatt Washington.
- 0–2 hours (tax/fees included) $34.00
- 2-8 hours (tax/fees included) $44.00
- 8 - 24 hours (tax/fees included) $63.00
- Overnight (Up to $75 + Tax) $75.00
- Oversize vehicles (limit 6'6") + tax (This equals out to $88.50 w/ 18% tax) $75.00
Alternative parking options are available nearby. More information on parking and transportation at The Grand Hyatt is listed on their website.
Accessibility
The Grand Hyatt Washington and FIMCON are committed to providing an accessible experience for all attendees.
Available Accommodations:
- ADA-compliant accessible guest rooms
- Accessible conference and meeting spaces
- Accessible parking
- Elevator access throughout the property
- Accessible restrooms
Need Assistance?
For specific accessibility needs or questions, please contact us at hello@fimcon.org. We're here to ensure your FIMCON experience is comfortable and accessible.
Questions?
For hotel and travel questions, please contact hello@fimcon.org.