The Health meets Food Curriculum Committee
The Health meets Food (HmF) Curriculum Committee brings together a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals representing a broad range of expertise and specialities and representatives from ACCM partner sites using HmF curriculum for a diverse array of learners. Each month, the committee reviews and updates one curriculum module and its accompanying supplemental materials to ensure the content remains current, evidence-based, and relevant. Selected modules also undergo additional review by subject matter experts.
Meet the Members
Margaret Smith, MD, MPH, MHSA, CCMS
Dr. Margaret L. Smith is a professor emeritus at the University of Kansas in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. In her retirement she continues to be involved in culinary medicine by teaching medical students and serving as a member of the ACCM curriculum committee. Dr. Smith is board certified in Family Medicine and Obesity Medicine. She completed the Culinary Medicine Certification in 2021 to help her patients lead healthier lives.
Virginia DeFina, MS, FNP, CCMS
Virginia DeFina completed her Master of Science degree and graduated as a Family Nurse Practitioner from Pace University/New York Medical College after earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Sociology from Fordham University. A lifelong learner, Virginia achieved a Certificate in Editing from New York University School of Continuing Education and is an American Heart Association instructor and instructor-trainer in both Basic and Advanced Cardiac Life Support disciplines. She holds American Nurses Credentialing Center board certification and is a member of the Oncology Nurses Association and American Mensa.
Linda Garrow, MS, PhD, CCMS
Linda S. Garrow, MS, PhD, CCMS has been a teaching professor for more than 2 decades, starting with 19 years at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 5 .5 years at Michigan State University, and starting her 3rd year at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine where she teaches two lecture/laboratory courses in the master’s program, Food Science & Ingredient Functionality and Medical Nutrition Therapy. Her educational training is in Nutrition Science (BS and MS) and Food Science (PhD). With this background along with certification as a Culinary Medicine Specialist, she provides a unique contribution to the Culinary Medicine Curriculum Committee, on which she is starting her fourth year. She enjoys an active lifestyle that includes swimming, weight training and core training, hiking, biking, camping, and travel. As a non-seafood eater, she has even put in the effort to eat fish at least once a week to more closely align with the guidelines of the Mediterranean Diet.
Barbara Schultz, RN, BSN, CCMSW
Barbara has been a nurse for several decades and has practiced in the Health and Wellness world for over 20 years. She has great experiences and stories about working in the mining, manufacturing, snack food, bio-pharma, and health care industries, and has learned that to reach and teach people, you have to “meet them where they are.”
She is currently the Health Educator at a not-for-profit community clinic in coastal North Carolina, where her certification in Culinary Medicine has proven invaluable time and again. She is also the owner and President of No Bad Foods LLC, taking a unique approach to nutritional counseling: she not only teaches about the importance of the Mediterranean way of eating, but also blends her knowledge as a Master Gardener to educate her clients about growing their own vegetables and herbs. She wraps it all up by demonstrating how to put a wonderful meal on the table with her cooking demonstrations.
Aimee Shea, MPH, RDN, CCMS, LD
Aimee Shea, MPH, RDN, CCMS, LD is a Nutrition Specialist with the Mount Carmel Healthy Living Center in Columbus, OH. She previously served as an associate professor of nutrition at Mount Carmel College of Nursing for over 10 years, and she has held adjunct faculty positions at the University of South Dakota and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Aimee has taught culinary medicine to internal medicine and family medicine resident physicians and undergraduate and graduate nursing students, thus integrating evidence-based nutrition education with hands-on culinary experiences.
Since 2023, Aimee has collaborated with the Mount Carmel Healthy Living Center to deliver culinary medicine classes to community members. She earned the Certified Culinary Medicine Specialist (CCMS) credential in 2023 and is an active member of the American College of Culinary Medicine (ACCM) Curriculum Committee. Aimee has been a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist since 2006, and she formerly practiced as a Board Certified Oncology Dietitian. She holds a bachelor’s degree in nutritional science from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree in public health nutrition from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Jennifer Hronkin, MD, CCMS
Francisco Zayas, MD, CCMS
Dr. Francisco J. Zayas, MD, CCMS is a physician, board-certified Culinary Medicine Specialist, writer, and educator from Puerto Rico. His literary and educational work explores the relationship between food, culture, public policy, and health, with particular attention to how economic and structural factors influence access to nutritious foods among Puerto Rican families. His writing examines the island’s transition from an agricultural economy to a more import-dependent food system and the implications of that shift for food security, public health, and cultural identity.
Dr. Zayas is currently leading the development of a proposed National Nutrition Literacy Plan for Puerto Rico, an educational initiative designed to strengthen nutrition literacy among students through culturally relevant storytelling and interdisciplinary learning. His work seeks to address the growing burden of chronic disease while promoting healthier communities, preserving culinary heritage, and supporting the long-term social and economic well-being of Puerto Rico.
Sonali Iyer, MD, FACP
Dr. Iyer is passionate about bridging the gap between nutrition science and everyday practice through integration of Internal and Culinary Medicine. As a faculty instructor for the Culinary Medicine elective at her university and double board certifed in Internal Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine, Dr. Iyer is helping to create learner centered curricula that empower future clinicians to use food as a foundational tool for prevention, healing, and community health.
S
hipra Bansal, MD, DipABLM
Dr. Bansal is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Sciences and Community Health at Touro University, where she leads the institution’s Lifestyle Medicine Certification Program and directs culinary group visits focused on chronic disease management.
Previously, she served as a physician at the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute and as a Clinical Professor at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, where she practiced and taught lifestyle medicine. During her time at UCI, she developed and piloted successful diabetes group visit programs at an affiliated federally qualified health center, improving access to team-based, preventive care.
Dr. Bansal has also created and published a fully open-source lifestyle medicine curriculum designed for medical students, advancing the integration of evidence-based lifestyle interventions into undergraduate medical education. Her work centers on preparing the next generation of healthcare professionals with practical, evidence-based tools to treat and reverse chronic disease while optimizing whole-person health.
She completed her training at Harbor–UCLA Medical Center in 2008 and is dual board-certified in Family Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine. She is also a certified clinical health coach and is deeply committed to building collaborative, empowering relationships with her patients.
Traci Stevenson, DO, IFMCP, CCMS, Dip ABFM
Dr. Traci Stevenson provides the tools you need to build the healthy life you want. This community is an Alliance of friends committed to having fun while feeling good. Your ‘go to’ place to get the latest health and medical Information explained, and actually understand it, from the doctor you trust. It’s where you’ll find the Motivation to do the hard work. From on-line courses and in-person workshops to personalized consultations we help you apply aim and get results. This is an educational forum currently in development. Personalized functional medicine consultations will be available in the future.
Neha Bhanusali, MD, FACR, Dip ABLM
Jessica Rosen, MD, MS
Dr. Jessy Rosen is an Obstetrics and Gynecology resident physician at Albany Medical Center. She graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Health Studies before earning her medical degree from New York Medical College while concurrently completing a Master of Science in Medical Nutrition at Arizona State University.
During medical school, Dr. Rosen helped integrate nutrition into the medical curriculum, developed a Nutrition and Culinary Medicine Area of Concentration and associated electives, and taught hands-on culinary medicine classes to medical students. Throughout residency, she has continued to advance nutrition education through curriculum development, research, and clinical teaching, with a focus on incorporating evidence-based nutrition and lifestyle interventions into both patient care and physician education. She is passionate about empowering patients to make informed decisions about their health while equipping healthcare professionals with the knowledge and practical skills to integrate nutrition into clinical practice.
Dr. Rosen’s professional interests include nutrition and culinary medicine, women’s health, preventive medicine, and medical education. Outside of medicine, she is a marathoner and Ironman triathlete—pursuits that connect her personal experience of nutrition and physical activity with her professional interest in long-term health and wellbeing.
Amy Jasperse, RPh, CDCES, CCMS
Amy Jasperse RPh, CDCES, CCMS is Director of the Center for Diabetes Education and Lifestyle Medicine at Robert C. Byrd Clinic (RCBC), located on the campus of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) in Lewisburg, WV.
With more than 30 years of experience in pharmacy practice, Amy has dedicated her career to improving outcomes for individuals with diabetes and advancing preventive care through evidence-based lifestyle interventions. She earned her pharmacy degree from Ferris State University in 1995 and has served as adjunct faculty for the University of Kentucky, University of Cincinnati and University of Charleston Colleges of Pharmacy. She currently precepts medical students from WVSOM.
Since joining RCBC in 2019, Amy has played a role in clinical operations, including leading diabetes education and culinary medicine initiatives as well as consulting on medication management, and developing medication protocols. She has developed accredited diabetes education programs for both an independent pharmacy group and at RCBC and provides group diabetes education classes to outside clinics and other organizations. Amy also provides grocery tours to the community and started a prescription produce program at the clinic.
A Certified Culinary Medicine Specialist since 2020 and a board member of the American College of Culinary Medicine since January 2025, Amy has a strong interest in nutrition for disease prevention and reversal and in 2015, she co-developed the culinary medicine elective at WVSOM.
Carolyn Keeler, MD, CCMS
Carolyn Keeler, DO, MPH is a board-certified physician in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation with subspecialty training in Sports Medicine, Spine Medicine, and Integrative Medicine. She serves as an Assistant Professor in the Duke Neurosurgery Spine Division in Durham, North Carolina. Dr. Keeler is also certified in Lifestyle Medicine and Culinary Medicine and holds a MPH in Nutrition.
Her clinical practice focuses on spine and musculoskeletal disorders, with an integrative, evidence-informed approach that incorporates lifestyle interventions, nutrition, and when appropriate, acupuncture. Dr. Keeler has published on the role of nutrition in low back pain and is particularly interested in advancing non-pharmacologic, whole-person strategies to optimize musculoskeletal health and performance.
Heather Nace, RD, LDN
Amy Pinkham, MS, RDN, LDN, CCMS
Amy Pinkham, MS, RDN, CCMS, is a dedicated registered dietitian nutritionist and certified culinary medicine specialist with a passion for preventive care and nutrition education. She holds a Master of Science in Nutrition from the University at Buffalo and graduated from the University of New Hampshire, where she studied Nutrition-Dietetics with a focus on EcoGastronomy.
Her studies in Italy deepened Ms. Pinkham’s understanding of global food systems and the Mediterranean diet. She began her career in clinical nutrition before transitioning to Geisinger’s Culinary Medicine Program, where she now leads community education, medical student electives and professional training for healthcare providers. She remains committed to improving population health through sustainable, evidence-based nutrition interventions.
Karolyn Ryan, PA-C, CCMS
Rebecca Hinojosa, MS, RD, LDN
Meet the Student Members
Juhi Patel
Current M4 and future Family Medicine physician interested in applying the principles of nutrition to the art of medicine. Interested in preventative care, cardiometabolic health, and culinary medicine.
Mahi Bhatt
Mahi recently completed her third year of medical school at the GW School of Medicine and is currently spending her dedicated research year at Stanford exploring intersections of allergy, nutrition, and Asian American health. Mahi is interested in pediatrics, allergy and immunology, global health, and culinary medicine research.
She serves as President of the National Culinary Medicine Interest Group Committee (NCMIG), which falls under the ACCM umbrella, and is also part of the One Health Lessons (OHL) nonprofit, working to expand awareness of One Health globally.
Mahi holds a bachelors degree in Neuroscience (B.S.) from George Washington University with a minor in Computer Science.
Paul Rastrelli
Reilly Kruetz
Welcome to the Newest Members
Rashida Jones, PharmD, PhD, CPH
Sumathi Venkatesh, PhD, CCMS, CCMP
Dr. Sumathi Venkatesh is an Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Nutrition at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. With expertise in nutrition research and extension programs, she is committed to advancing public health through education and outreach, with a focus on improving dietary habits and health outcomes. She has contributed to the development and implementation of various health and nutrition program curricula and evaluation tools aimed at reducing preventable diseases in Texas, including those focused on chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. Her work also includes programs on general nutrition, weight management, recipe development, hands-on cooking schools, physical activity, and worksite wellness initiatives. Sumathi has also trained extension educators and both adult and youth volunteers to effectively deliver these nutrition and health programs.
She holds a Ph.D. in Human Nutrition from Michigan State University, where she taught college courses, conducted community nutrition research, and evaluated federally funded Extension nutrition programs. Her professional interests include nutrition education, physical activity, chronic disease prevention and management, dietary acculturation, culinary medicine, curriculum development, and Extension outreach and delivery.
Jocelyn Srigley, MD
Committee Chair
Katie Balaram, DNP, MPH, RN, CCMS
Dr. Balaram has served as Curriculum Committee Chair since 2023, translating evidence-based research into practical, food-forward approaches to health. A former mother-baby nurse and lactation consultant, she is passionate about promoting optimal nutrition and health across the lifespan. After earning her Master of Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Katie discovered culinary medicine and went on to complete her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree with mentorship from the Health meets Food team. Her doctoral work focused on translating evidence-based culinary medicine principles for executive chefs and evaluating their confidence in applying these practices. Katie remains committed to bridging research and practice to advance health through food and nutrition.
