2026 Health meets Food: the Culinary Medicine Conference Speakers
Friday June 12, 2026
Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSc
Fats: Clinical Science of Culinary Fatty Acids
Tufts University
Dr. Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSc, is Senior Scientist and leader of the Diet & Chronic Disease Prevention for Healthy Aging directive at the HNRCA. Her research focuses on assessing the interplay between diet and cardiometabolic disorders.
Dr. Lichtenstein’s past and current work includes addressing issues related to trans fatty acids, soy protein and isoflavones, sterol/stanol esters, novel vegetable oils differing in fatty acid profile and glycemic index, primarily in postmenopausal females and older males. Additional work is focused on population-based studies to assess the relationship between nutrient biomarkers and cardiometabolic disorders, and application of systematic review methodology to the field of nutrition.
Dr. Lichtenstein currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Tufts Health and Nutrition Letter and Associate Editor of Journal of Lipid Research. She received the Award of Meritorious Achievement from the American Heart Association, a Mentorship Award from the American Society for Nutrition and an Honorary Lifetime Membership Award in recognition of unusual expertise and contributions to clinical lipidology from the National Lipid Association. She is a Fellow of the American Society for Nutrition and American Heart Association. Dr. Lichtenstein has been a member of numerous professional organizations, including the Food and Nutrition Board for the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. She was a member of the 2000 and vice-chair of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee for the USDA and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and vice-chair of the NHLBI Adult Treatment Panel. She recently received the Alumni Award of Merit from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Kimber Stanhope
Carbohydrates: Focus on Sugars and Non-nutritive Sweeteners vs. Artificial Sweeteners
University of California Davis
My priority research focus is on clinical studies to determine the effects of diet on the development of metabolic disease. Specifically, I have been investigating the effects of sugar consumption on body composition, lipid regulation and insulin sensitivity, utilizing well-controlled diet intervention studies in human subjects. These investigations have definitely demonstrated that there are significant biologic and metabolic differences between fructose and glucose, with fructose consumption promoting the development of dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and visceral adiposity in older, overweight/obese subjects. We have recently completed our follow-up NIH-funded study comparing the effects of consuming fructose, glucose, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), sucrose and aspartame in young, healthy subjects. The early results from this study (JCEM, Stanhope, 2011) demonstrate that consumption of HFCS-sweetened beverages at 25% of energy requirement increases risk factors for cardiovascular disease in young adults comparably to fructose and significantly more than glucose. The new results from this study, either in review or in preparation, demonstrate that:
- Consumption of beverages providing 0, 10, 17.5 or 25% energy requirement from HFCS results in dose-dependent increases of established risk factors for cardiovascular disease within 2 weeks in young men and women.
- Sugar consumption may provide relief from stress by turning down activity in the HPA axis.
- The negative effects induced by consumption of beverages containing 25% of energy requirement as sucrose are comparable to those induced by consumption of beverages containing 25% of energy requirement as HFCS
I am also currently conducting a pilot study to test the hypothesis that consumption of naturally-sweetened orange juice will not increase risk factor for cardiovascular disease compared to consumption of sucrose-sweetened beverage. Finally, as an awardee of an NIH Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health career support grant, I am expanding my research focus to issues in women’s health. Therefore the pilot study comparing orange juice to sucrose-sweetened beverage will be conducted in women and will also investigate the role of stress in mediating the adverse effects of sugar consumption. Additionally under my BIRCWH award I am investigating the role of estrogen in the development of diabetes in females of a novel rat model of type 2 diabetes.
Maya Vadiveloo, PhD
Mythbusting in Nutrition
University of Rhode Island
Maya Vadiveloo, Ph.D., RD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of Rhode Island. She is a registered dietitian and nutritional epidemiologist whose research focuses on using behavioral theory to favorably influence food choices, dietary quality, weight control, and eventually cardiovascular health.
She is interested in using population-level data to develop strategies that make it easier for consumers to choose healthy foods that are tasty and filling with the ultimate goal of helping individuals and populations develop lifelong dietary patterns that they enjoy and that promote healthy body weights.
Maya’s research in the Big Data and Eating Decisions lab employs a variety of research methods, including epidemiological analyses, laboratory and online studies, and qualitative methods.
Register for the Conference Now!
Saturday June 13, 2026
David Church, PhD, CSCS*D
Protein: Requirements and Clinical Implications
Assistant Professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Dr. Church is an Assistant Professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in the Center for Translational Research in Aging and Longevity (CTRAL) in the Department of Geriatrics. He earned his bachelor’s degree from DePauw University while playing football and baseball. He attended Baylor University for his Master’s Degree in Exercise and Nutritional Biochemistry while completing a strength and conditioning coach internship with the athletic department. He completed his PhD at the University of Central Florida where he focused on skeletal muscle physiology where his love for geriatrics research began.
Currently, Dr. Church uses a variety of research methods to leverage exercise, nutrition, and pharmacological approaches to correct and enhance human physiology with an overall passion to help older adults increase their health span (the part of a person’s life when they are generally in good health). He is investigating strategies to prevent the deterioration of muscle health that occurs in old age and is exploring ways to prevent performance losses by soldiers during sustained operations using nutrients. Dr. Church aims to be an independent investigator within a collaborative interdisciplinary translational research team that is involved in educating and training the next generation of geriatric specialists. Furthermore, as an individual who grew up on a farm, he has a keen interest in addressing key health disparities of rural Arkansans
Stephan Van Vliet, PhD
Protein: Current Trends, Myths, Fads
Utah State University
Research in the Van Vliet Lab is performed at the nexus of agricultural and human nutrition. We routinely collaborate with farmers, ecologists, and agricultural scientists to study critical linkages between sustainable agriculture, the nutrient density of food, and human health.
Currently, we are working on several large-scale projects to profile beef, bison, milk, blueberries, and other crops that were grown or produced using various production methods. We study whether more climate-friendly production practices, known as regenerative agriculture, also impact the nutritional quality of these foods and animal health. So far, we are seeing that regenerative agriculture can improve vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in these foods. We are also performing the first ever randomized controlled clinical trials that studies human health responses to eating foods produced using regenerative agricultural practices to see if there are any appreciable effects on human health.
The lab is led by Dr. Stephan van Vliet. Before arriving at USU, Dr. van Vliet earned his PhD in Kinesiology and Community Health as an ESPEN Fellow from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He received post-doctoral training at the Center for Human Nutrition at the Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine and the Duke University School of Medicine.
Matthew J. Landry, PhD, RDN
Protein: Plant Based Nutrition, Culture, & Sustainability
University of California Irvine
Assistant Professor of Population Health and Disease Prevention Matthew Landry, PhD, RDN believes that education and awareness are key to better community health and well-being. He also believes overall wellness is a result of a combination of factors: diet, sleep, and physical activity. It was the interdisciplinary, person-centric nature of public health that originally drew him into the field. Specifically, it was a class on Nutrition, Education and Counseling at Louisiana State University that sold him on pursuing a career in nutrition sciences and health promotion. The course asked the question: How do we get people to change their diets? What’s in it for them?
Landry’s path toward academia partly stems from having a family of teachers and his overall love and curiosity for the sciences. Armed with a doctoral degree in nutrition sciences and experience as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, he is ready to grow UCI Public Health’s nutrition and wellness expertise and course offerings. He’s looking forward to connecting with other faculty members across the UCI Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences and creating collaborations that will ultimately help underserved sectors of our population and prepare a public health workforce that can address issues such as food and nutrition security and health equity.
Angela Fals, MD
Building a Culinary Medicine Program: Health Systems
Adventist Health
Angela Fals, MD is a board certified pediatrician and obesity medicine physician who specializes in providing medically supervised weight management for children and adolescents. Dr. Fals earned her medical degree and completed her residency training in pediatrics at Loma Linda University School of Medicine and Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital, respectively. Dr. Fals is both a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine.
She combines her unique knowledge of pediatrics and weight management practices to offer children the most innovative and engaging options to control their weight and avoid a lifetime of obesity. Her multi-disciplinary approach combines medical therapies, counseling, education and physical fitness routines to teach children healthy habits they can carry into adulthood.
Register for the Conference Now!
Sunday June 14, 2026
David D. Dungan, MD, FACP, FAAP, CCMS
Building a Culinary Medicine Program: Multispecialty Clinics
Duly Health and Care
Dr. David Dungan, board-certified in internal medicine, pediatrics, and culinary medicine, serves as Secretary of the Clinical Board of the Duly Health and Care physician organization. Dr. Dungan is an experienced internist and pediatrician who specializes in high quality personalized healthcare for all ages. For the past decade he has been passionate about food as medicine for his patients and advocates for both healthy food and food security to benefit the patients and communities that Duly Health and Care serves.
Dr. Dungan was one of 110 founding physicians of DuPage Medical Group (now Duly Health and Care) in 2000; outside of his medical practice, he chairs the Quality Assurance and Utilization Management Committee of Duly Health and Care. In addition, he serves on the board of the DuPage Health Coalition representing Duly Health and Care, is newly assigned to the Clinical Practice Committee for the Culinary Medicine Specialist Board, and is a former board chair for FORWARD (Finding Opportunities that Result in Wellness for All Residents of DuPage), a charitable organization which was dedicated to building community-based systems to counter the growing problem of chronic disease and health disparities. Dr. Dungan is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a Fellow of the American College of Physicians.
He received his medical degree from Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Maywood, IL. Dr. Dungan completed his combined residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at Loyola University Medical Center/Foster McGaw Hospital and is affiliated with Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, IL.
Amy Moyer, M.Ed., RDN, LDN
Building a Culinary Medicine Program: Dietetics Programs
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Amy has worked in the field of nutrition for over 30 years, primarily consulting with long term care facilities to provide clinical nutrition management for all residents/patients as well as food service oversight including menus, food safety and sanitation, and procurement processes.
In addition, she has returned to her alma mater, UNC Greensboro, where she is an Assistant Professor and Accredited Programs Coordinator in the Department of Nutrition. Along with teaching Quantity Production and Food Science courses, Amy has focused her passion for Culinary Medicine on creating and directing the program for UNCG’s ACEND accredited dietetic internship, utilizing the Health Meets Food curriculum. The goal is to train future RDNs to become empowered to work in conjunction with physicians and other health care professionals in providing well rounded nutrition education enhancing medical nutrition therapy knowledge with culinary skills and emphasis on cultural and socioeconomic aspects of food and the food choices that our clients make. Amy has uniquely combined the HMF curriculum with institutional experience in campus dining to meet the ACEND required competencies for the food service rotation of the dietetic internship.
Elizabeth DeRose
Building a Culinary Medicine Program: Culinary Programs
Frederick Community College
Elizabeth DeRose earned her CCMP at FCC summer 2024. She has been the Institute Manager for HCTI since 2016. As a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, she has directed culinary operations during restaurant growth and has been instrumental in HCTI’s success. During her time FCC, Elizabeth works tirelessly to expand the HCTI program and has witnessed many benefits of those efforts.In 2023 Sass Magazine recognized Elizabeth as one of the “Top Women in Food” FCC News – Frederick Community College. In 2025, Elizabeth was awarded the prestigious “Dr. Patricia Stanley Excellence and Leadership Award” by FCC’s President.
HCTI Highlights:
• Culinary and Baking & Pastry programs are American Culinary Federation accredited
• Offering Health meets Food: Culinary Medicine for Foodservice Professionals
• Offering Health meets Food: Community Adult Beginner Series
• Offering Food Business Entrepreneurship training
• HCTI has experienced 48% increase in enrollment since 2016
