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, RD, PhD
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.
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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, FAAP, DABOM, CCMS
Building a Culinary Medicine Program: Health Systems
AdventHealth
Dr. Angela Fals is a double board-certified pediatrician and obesity medicine physician who specializes in providing medically-supervised weight management for children and adolescents. She is the Medical Director of AdventHealth for Children’s (AHFC) Pediatric Weight and Wellness Program and heads the multidisciplinary clinical team combining medical therapies, counseling, and education to teach children healthy habits and skills for life. Dr. Fals is the medical consultant to Mission:Fit Possible, AHFC’s obesity prevention / wellness branch to local schools and has been instrumental in forming over 90 local, national and international partnerships to create the most comprehensive pediatric weight management program in Central Florida. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine, and Certified Culinary Medicine Specialist through the American College of Culinary Medicine.
Dr. Fals has spearheaded AdventHealth (AH) Culinary Medicine and has formed interdepartmental advisory boards advocating for the integration of teaching kitchens and culinary gardens as integral components of healthcare systems providing whole person care. She leads a teaching team working with residents, attending physicians, medical students, and hospital employees providing the opportunity to confidently integrate Culinary Medicine into their own lives and their clinics for chronic disease prevention and treatment prenatally through adulthood.
She has been the recipient of several awards including the U.S. President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, & Nutrition Community Leadership Award and The Press Ganey Top Performer 99th Percentile Award in Patient Experience. For more than 20 years, she has been an advocate for healthy lifestyles and wellness in children, teens, and families.
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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, CHE, CCMP
Building a Culinary Medicine Program: Culinary Programs
Frederick Community College
Elizabeth DeRose holds a B.S. in Finance from the University of Illinois and a Culinary Arts degree from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Parke, NY. She served as the Director of Culinary Operations for Chicago-based Lettuce Entertain You Enterprise’s Maggiano’s Little Italy restaurant group. Upon moving to Maryland. she served as Vice President for the national restaurant consulting firm VSAG, as advising start-ups and expanding brands, including Founding Farmers as the first LEED Certified restaurant in Washington D.C. She is currently the Director of the Hospitality, Culinary and Tourism Institute (HCTI) at Frederick Community College (FCC) and implemented the Culinary Medicine for Foodservice Professionals (CCMP) Program as the first culinary school in the country. She is a Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE) and Certified Culinary Medicine Professional (CCMP).
During her time with FCC, HCTI has been named as one of the top 10 culinary schools in the country, and the student-run restaurant, 200 Monroe, has earned Open Table’s Diner’s Choice award for the past 8 consecutive years. She and her husband are part-owners of a growing restaurant group, Oscars Alehouse, which currently has 4 locations throughout Maryland. Elizabeth has been recognized with a Do-Gooder Award for Frederick County, MD; Entrepreneurship Award by the Center for Advancement of Food Education, Technology Award by Rational USA, Dr. Patricia Stanley Excellence and Leadership Award by FCC, and featured as one of the Top Women In Food by Sass Magazine. She serves as Board Chair for Visit Frederick and is on the boards of directors for: Maryland Hotel Lodging Association, United Way of Frederick County, and Hood College.
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
Hands-on Educators
Max Goldstein, MS, RDN, CDN, CCMS
Chef Dietitian
Yale New Haven Health
Max Goldstein is a Chef Registered Dietitian for the Irving and Alice Brown Teaching Kitchen at Yale New Haven Health and Lecturer of the Department of Digestive Diseases at Yale School of Medicine. He earned his Associate of Culinary Arts and Bachelor of Culinary Nutrition from Johnson & Wales University and completed his Master of Science and Dietetic Internship at Saint Elizabeth University. He is also a Certified Culinary Medicine Specialist.
As a Registered Dietitian and chef, Max has always been interested in combining nutrition and culinary principles to help people reach their health goals. He has been teaching culinary medicine cooking classes since 2018. At YNHH he leads free culinary medicine classes for patients of the health system and co-teaches classes for providers and trainees. In these classes he imparts culinary and nutrition knowledge with the goal of giving participants the confidence to bring that knowledge home and make changes that are sustainable, nutritious, and delicious.
Alaina Elder-Correa
Community Projects Coordinator & Chef Instructor
Corewell Health
Alaina Elder-Correa serves as Culinary Medicine Chef Instructor and Community Projects Coordinator for Corewell Health in Southwest Michigan. She is also a certified Diabetes Prevention Lifestyle Coach, dedicated to supporting individuals and communities through food and preventative health education. Alaina’s passion for cooking began during her travels in early adulthood, particularly while living and working in Palau. While groceries were limited, she began experimenting with baking bread, making yogurt, and crafting plant-based meals from scratch, experiences that laid the foundation for her culinary creativity.
She earned her bachelor’s degree from Andrews University and a master’s degree at Salisbury University. Her work has included roles as a university professor, medical marketing writer, and vice president of a public housing commission. Throughout her time in higher education, Alaina encouraged students to celebrate and share their cultural food traditions, fostering inclusivity and culinary exploration both in and out of the classroom. Now certified in Culinary Medicine and Diabetes Prevention, Alaina continues to advocate for underserved populations, focusing on food access, nutrition education, and medical resident training and research in Culinary Medicine. Outside of work, she shares her love of food through community cooking classes and demonstrations and a homemade meal delivery service supporting families in crisis. Alaina lives in Southwest Michigan with her husband and three daughters.
Allison Jordan, MC, CCMS, DipABLM, NBC-HWC
Dr. Allison Jordan is a physician that is passionate about health and wellness. Dr. Jordan received her undergraduate degree in Biology from Florida A&M University and her MD with Distinction in Research from UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. She completed a combined residency in Internal Medicine and Psychiatry at Medical University of South Carolina where she served as Chief Resident and then went to The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center for her Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship training and received a Certificate in Medical Education from the University of Pittsburgh. She has obtained additional certifications as a health and wellness coach, nutrition and mental health, and board certification in Lifestyle Medicine.
Dr. Jordan has worked in various roles including the medical director of a 40-bed hospice house, medical director of an inpatient palliative care consultation service and tele-mental health psychiatrist. Her manuscripts have been published in the Journal of Maternal Fetal Neonatal Medicine, Harvard Review of Psychiatry, the American Journal of Palliative Medicine, the Journal of Palliative Medicine in addition to several book chapters and national presentations on the intersection of mental health and palliative care.
Nate Wood, MD, MHS, Chef, DipABLM, DABOM
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Director of Culinary Medicine
Yale School of Medicine, Irving and Alice Brown Teaching Kitchen at Yale New Haven Health
Dr. Nate Wood is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine and is board-certified in internal, obesity, and lifestyle medicine. He also serves as the inaugural Director of Culinary Medicine and leads nutrition education for the medical students at Yale.
Dr. Wood also attended culinary school, earning his diploma in professional culinary arts from the Institute of Culinary Education. He completed his externship at the two-Michelin starred restaurant The Modern in New York City. Dr. Wood’s ultimate goal is to combine his passions for medicine, food, and education to empower others to enjoy food in a healthy way.
