Prof Dean Ornish – Ambassador
Dean Ornish, M.D., is the founder and president of the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute and Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California in San Francisco and San Diego.
He received his M.D. from the Baylor College of Medicine, was a clinical fellow in medicine at Harvard Medical School, and completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He earned a B.A. in Humanities summa cum laude from the University of Texas in Austin, where he gave the baccalaureate address.
For over 40 years, he has directed clinical research demonstrating, for the first time, that comprehensive lifestyle changes may begin to reverse even severe coronary heart disease, without drugs or surgery. He directed the first randomized controlled trial demonstrating that comprehensive lifestyle changes may slow, stop or reverse the progression of early- stage prostate cancer. His research showed that comprehensive lifestyle changes affect gene expression, “turning on” disease- preventing genes and “turning off” genes that promote cancer and heart disease, as well as the first controlled study showing that these lifestyle changes may begin to reverse cellular aging by lengthening telomeres, the ends of our chromosomes which regulate aging (in collaboration with Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine & Physiology). He is currently directing the first randomized controlled trial to determine if comprehensive lifestyle changes can reverse the progression of early Alzheimer’s disease.
He is the author of seven books, all national bestsellers. UnDo It! (co- authored with Anne Ornish) was published by Random House as their lead nonfiction title in January 2019. His three main-stage TED.com talks have been viewed by almost six million people. He was appointed by President Clinton to the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy and by President Obama to the White House Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health. He is also a member of The Lancet Oncology “Moonshot Commission.” He has been a member of the boards of directors of the San Francisco Food Bank and the J. Craig Venter Institute. Dr. Ornish and colleagues established a lifestyle medicine clinic at the St. Vincent de Paul Homeless Shelter in San Francisco where over 30,000 homeless people were treated. The “Ornish diet” has been rated “#1 for Heart Health” by a panel of experts at U.S. News & World Report for eight years from 2011-2019.
Dr Andrew Weil (USA) is a long standing champion of integrative medicine
Andrew Weil, physician, author, expert on medical botany, mind-body interactions and alternative medicine is to become International Ambassador to the College of Medicine, with a special interest in its Food programme.
Andrew is founder and Director of the University of Arizona Centre for Integrative Medicine, a centre of excellence that has graduated over 1,300 physicians from intensive two-year Fellowship training. Andy was guest speaker at the College’s inaugural Food. The forgotten Medicine Conference in London in June 2016. He has a special interest in the body’s innate capacity for healing. The College of Medicine’s Chairman, Dr Michael Dixon, welcomes Andrew to the role, we are grateful to have such an esteemed voice as our latest International Ambassador; Andrew joins Dr Isaac Mathai (India) and Dr Kerryn Phelps (Australia).
Dr Uma Naidoo – US Ambassador for Nutritional & Metabolic Psychiatry
Dr. Uma Naidoo is a Harvard trained nutritional psychiatrist, professional chef, and nutritional biologist & author of the national & international bestseller: “This is Your Brain on Food.” Michelin-starred chef David Bouley described Dr. Uma Naidoo as the world’s first “triple threat” in the food and medicine space as the nexus of her interests have found their niche in Nutritional Psychiatry.
Her book has been published in 22 countries and 18 languages. Dr. Naidoo founded and directs the first and only hospital-based Nutritional Psychiatry Service in the USA. She is the Director of Nutritional and Metabolic Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital & Director of Nutritional Psychiatry at the MGH Academy while serving on the faculty at Harvard Medical School. She serves as a regular media contributor at CNBC and is on the Harvard Health Publishing Editorial Advisory Board.
She has been invited by the World Economic Forum to consult on their New Frontiers of Nutrition initiative. After being one of only four US physicians to be invited to meet personally with the former HRH The Prince of Wales, now King Charles III, she was asked to lead a public health Food for Mood Campaign with the UK College of Medicine, where she serves as the US Ambassador of food and nutrition. She designed and released the first and only CME based educational program at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard to educate other clinicians globally about nutrition for brain health. Dr. Uma has appeared as a Nutritional Psychiatry expert on Live with Kelly & Ryan, Today Show, 700 Club, ABC, and been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Thrive Global, Harpers, Shape, Parade, Boston Globe, AARP, and more.
Mathai (India) and Dr Kerryn Phelps (Australia).
Dr Isaac Mathai (India) is the founder of the SOUKYA holistic health centre in Bangalore
Dr Issac Mathai is an internationally renowned Holistic Health Consultant. He is the Founder and Medical Director of SOUKYA International Holistic Health Centre in Bangalore, India.
Dr Mathai hails from a family who has been practising Homeopathy for over 70 years. SOUKYA, a Holistic Integrative Medical facility was established in Bangalore, India in 2002. It incorporates different systems of medicine (Homeopathy, Ayurveda, Naturopathy, Yoga, etc.) plus various complementary therapies.
His Homeopathic approach focuses on the mind-body-spirit connection. His integration of Yoga and other Systems of Medicine has been very successful in attracting patients from over 120 countries. He is a visiting Consultant at various Holistic Centres in London and the US.
The SOUKYA Foundation has several Homeopathic clinics including Dr Mathai’s Rural Holistic Health Centre (DMRC), which focuses on providing Holistic Healthcare to 15,0000 people in 150 villages, free of charge.
Dr Mathai is the author of three books; “Dr Mathai’s Holistic Health Guide for Women” and “Dr Mathai’s ABC to Health”, published by Random House, and “Holistic Healing”, published by Harper Collins.
Mathai (India) and Dr Kerryn Phelps (Australia).
Professor Jonathon Gray
Director of the Commonwealth Leadership Institute
Jonathon has an academic, medical and executive background, developed across several health systems internationally.
Jonathon’s career has included: medical training and PhD in Scotland; Clinical Genetics training, consultant, clinical director and Public Health Director roles in Wales; Health Foundation/IHI improvement Fellowship in Boston USA; Master’s in Public Health from Harvard; Executive Director of Innovation and Improvement in New Zealand at Counties Manukau District Health Board; CEO of the Academic Health Science Network in SW England; Director of Transformation, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board; Director of the Dragons Heart surge hospital development during Covid; Director of the newly established Commonwealth Leadership Institute -role established within University of Wales Trinity St Davids
Jonathon is particularly proud to play a small part in the Centre for Healthcare Innovations amazing work in Singapore, as a contributor to the CHI Innovate conferences, and as a support for the CHI Faculty and young leaders in FLYING. He is also a Council member of the College of Medicine, and Lead for the Commonwealth.