For more than forty years, Dr. T. Colin Campbell has been at the forefront of nutrition research. His legacy, the China Project, is the most comprehensive study of health and nutrition ever conducted.

Board certified in family medicine, Ana M. Negrón, MD has made cooking with plants integral to her practice for almost two decades. By transitioning her patients to a whole foods plant-based lifestyle she helps reduce inflammation at the root of their illness. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, bilingual Negrón has a solo nutrition practice near Philadelphia, volunteers at a free clinic for the uninsured, and teaches young physicians how a whole foods plant-based diet can prevent, help treat, and even reverse chronic disease. Sunstone Press published her book, Nourishing the Body and Recovering Health: The Positive Science of Food—an antidote to our reliance on pharmaceuticals.

Meryl has been a registered nurse for close to 30 years, with all of that time spent working with the care and quality of care for underserved populations. She holds a Masters of Science Degree in Nursing. In addition, she has certifications in:

• Applied Project Management from Villanova Online University
• Plant-Based Nutrition from e-Cornell, T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies
• Plant-Based Culinary Arts from Rouxbe Online Culinary School
• Massage Therapy from Lakeside School of Massage Therapy

Meryl is President and CEO of Plant-Based Nutrition Movement, a Chicagoland based 501(c)3 with the mission of educating people about nutrition to sustain the health of the planet. She has her own business called Balance Forward Health and Wellness, LLC. As founder and CEO, she works with clients who want to transform their health. Her life’s mission is to dispel dietary myths and make healthy life habits accessible to everyone. She believes that we all have the power to increase our total health and happiness one breath, and one bite, at a time.

Michael C. Hollie, MD is a practicing physician board certified in Asthma, Allergy and Immunology. He is a member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

Robert Ostfeld, MD, MSc, FACC, a cardiologist, is the Director of Preventive Cardiology, the founder and director of the Cardiac Wellness Program at Montefiore Health System, and an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Ostfeld earned his MD from Yale University; and his Masters of Science in Epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Ostfeld completed his medical internship and residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital and his cardiology fellowship and research fellowship in Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital – both teaching hospitals of Harvard Medical School.

Ken Beckman, ACAS, ASA, MAAA, CFA is Vice President and Actuary at Central States Indemnity. He has nearly 25 years of insurance and actuarial experience primarily in health insurance pricing and valuation. He is also President and co-founder of two nonprofit organizations, Actuaries for Sustainable Health Care and Lifestyle Health Alliance.

Emeritus Board Member of Honor

Sylvester Johnson, PhD first became interested in the effect of diet on health when his moodiness as a teenager evened out after including nutritional yeast in his diet. Later he learned that the Vitamin B Complex in the yeast supports his nervous system.