Our Team

(Nina) Nermeen Asham

(Nina) Nermeen Asham, BScN, RN, is a McGill-trained nurse,  a graduate of Harvard’s Blackburn Course in Obesity Medicine, and an Independent Weight Loss Consultant. She obtained an Internationally Accredited Diploma in Weight loss and is also a member of the Obesity Medicine Association’s (OMA’s) Outreach Committee.

Dr. Craig Primack

Craig Primack, MD, FACP, FAAP, FOMA, is a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM), a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP), and a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM). He is an Ex-Officio Board Member at the Obesity Medicine Association (OMA) and the Founder and Managing Partner of Scottsdale Weight Loss Center. He is also the Co-Author of the book “Chasing Diets: Stop the Endless Search and Discover the Solution”. 

Dr. Gitanjali Srivastava

Gitanjali Srivastava, MD, FAAP, FACP, is a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM), a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP), and a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM). She is the Vice-Chair of the Obesity Medicine Fellowship Council (OMFC), the Director of Vanderbilt Clinical Obesity Medicine, the Program Director of the Clinical Obesity Medicine Fellowship Program, the Director of Vanderbilt Medical Weight Loss Center, and an Associate Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics & Surgery at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (Department of Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology & Metabolism). She is also an instructor in the “Blackburn Course in Obesity Medicine” at Harvard Medical School. 

Dr. Gregory Curtis

Gregory Curtis, MD, is a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM) and a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM). He the Vice President of Clinical Experience at knownwell, a former Obesity Medicine Physician at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a Teaching Faculty Member at Harvard’s Medical School, and the former Chief Medical Officer and Director of Hospital Medicine at New London Hospital.

Dr. Michelle Levitt

Michelle Levitt, MD, is a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM) and a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP). She is the Founder of Dr. Michelle Wellness Solutions LLC and a Childhood Obesity Weight Management Specialist at Akron’s Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Avni Jain

Avni Jain, MD, is a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM) and a Diplomate of the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM). She is the Physician Lead at Adventist Healthcare and former Medical Director at CoreLife Adventist Healthcare.

Dr. Anil Maheshwari

Anil Maheswari, MD, has a Certification in the College of Family Physicians (CCFP), is a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM), and a Diplomate of the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM). He is a Program Physician at Medical Weight Management Centre of Canada, an Executive Health Physician and Medical Director of the Weight and Lifestyle Management Program at Cleveland Clinic Canada, former Clinical Lead of Weight Loss Medicine at Grandview Medical Center, an Assistant Clinical (Adjunct) Professor at McMaster University, and a Peer Leader at OntarioMD.

Dr. Romina Tollerutti

Romina Tollerutti, MD, MS, RD, CKDS, NSHC-CHC, is a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM) and a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP). She is also a Ketogenic Nutrition Specialist and a Health Coach. She is the Owner of Healthy You Healthy Children and a Pediatrician at Amwell.

Dr. Angela Golden

Dr. Angela Golden, DNP, FNP-C, FAANP, is a current Fellow and Past President of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). She is the Owner and Sole Provider at NP from Home LLC and NP Obesity Treatment Clinic.

Cassie Graham

Cassie Graham, APRN, is a Nurse Practitioner at Baptist Health Medical Group (BHMG) Center for Medical Weight Management, Baptist Health Lexington.

Nancy T. Browne

Nancy T. Browne, MS, PPCNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, is a Fellow with the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and the American Academy of Nursing (AAN). She is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, who was the co-founder of a multidisciplinary weight management program. Most recently, she practiced as an NP provider at Way to Optimal Weight (WOW), an American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Stage 3 interdisciplinary weight management program in northern Maine. She is involved in pediatric obesity advocacy and policy initiatives within many organizations. She is also the author of numerous publications and national presentations related to pediatric obesity and related topics as well as one of the contributors of the Obesity Medicine Association’s (OMA’s) Pediatric Obesity Algorithm®.

Dr. Christina Nguyen

Christina Nguyen, MD, is a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM) and a Diplomate of the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM). She is the Obesity Medicine Medical Director at Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) Gainesville, an Obesity Medicine Specialist at Northeast Georgia Bariatric and Metabolic Institute Gainesville, and a Family Physician at Northeast Georgia Physicians Group Chestnut Mountain.

Dr. Dolapo Babalola

Dolapo Babalola, MD, FAAFP, is a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM), a Diplomate of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine (ABLM), and a Diplomate of the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM). She is a Professor and the Director of Family Medicine & Rural Health Clerkship and Undergraduate Medical Education at Morehouse School of Medicine. She is also the Founder of Living At Your Finest and the Host of the Living At Your Finest Podcast Show.

Dr. Joseph Cartwright

Joseph Cartwright, MD, MEd, is a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM) and a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM). He is practicing obesity medicine within his primary care role at Alameda Health System: Eastmont Wellness Center. He is passionate about coaching providers on practical ways to bring obesity treatments to patients who have insurance barriers.

Dr. Michael Mindrum

Michael Mindrum, MD, FRCPC, is a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM) and an Assistant Professor at Dalhousie University (Department of Internal Medicine). He is the Founder and Medical Director of Valley Metabolic Health and the Medical Director at Valley Regional Hospital Diabetes Centre.

Deirdre Pizzoferrato

Deirdre Pizzoferrato, RDN, CDN, is a registered dietitian-nutritionist with advanced Certificates of Training in Childhood, Adolescent, and Adult Weight Management through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She is the CEO & Founder of Nutrition Nanny and a member of Ideal Protein’s Medical Advisory Board.

Dr. Dominique Garrel

Dominique Garrel, MD, is an endocrinologist who has conducted research in the field of energy metabolism in obesity. He is the Co-Director of the Montreal Comprehensive Weight Management Program and a faculty member at the University of Montreal (UdeM), Department of Nutrition. He is also the author of the book “Question de maigrir: La vérité sur l’obésité… pandémie du siècle”.

Dr. Julie St-Pierre

• Julie St-Pierre, MD, PhD, FAHA, FRCPC, has a Doctor of Philosophy in physiology and endocrinology as well as a postdoctoral medical degree in pediatrics, from the Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada (FRCPC), and in lipidology. She is a Distinguished Professor at Université de Bretagne Occidentale (UBO) and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University. She is an expert in the treatment of pediatric obesity, metabolic syndrome, and management of children and adolescents at risk for cardiovascular disease. She is the Director at Réseau d’Action en Santé Cardiovasculaire / RASC (Approche 180), a multidisciplinary approach to global and sustainable health in Montreal. She is the actual Founder and spoke person of the Quebec Cardiovascular Health Action Association (Canada), a charitable non-profitable organization dedicated to solving the obesity epidemic in children and adolescents. She also manages the Center of excellence in childhood obesity of the Foundation of stars in Montreal. In addition, she is the author of “Redonner la santé à toute la famille” [Restore Health to the Whole Family]. She is the past Vice-Chair of the communications for the American Heart Association’s (AHA’s) Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health, and previously was a member of the AHA Obesity Committee. She is currently a member of the Cardiovascular Disease of the Young Council. She is also an author of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society’s Guidelines for the management and treatment of familial hypercholesterolemia in Canada. She was elected a Fellow of the American Heart Association (FAHA) in recognition of her overall contribution to the international research community. She is now involved with the National Lipid Association (USA). She published a Scientific Statement in Circulation Journal: Cardiovascular Risk Reduction in High-Risk Pediatric Patients. She has received several prestigious honors, including the Dr. Robert E. Beamish Award bestowed annually by the Canadian Journal of Cardiology and the Canadian Cardiology Society to the lead author of an original publication that will have a substantial impact on cardiovascular medicine. 

Dr. Lilian de Jonge

Lilian de Jonge, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor and Academic Program Coordinator at the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies at George Mason University (GMU) where she teaches courses related to Nutrition Assessment and Weight Management. Previously, she was a faculty member and the director of the Metabolic Chambers Laboratory at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, where she developed the Indirect Calorimetry Core Laboratory. As the director of the core, she was involved in the redesign and reprogramming of the metabolic chambers. These chambers have become a model for several other metabolic chambers in the USA, including the NIH/NIDDK and the University of Colorado. She studied the adaptation of energy expenditure and substrate oxidation to changes in dietary composition and energy balance and the role of physical activity in this adaptation. She has also collaborated with a large number of investigators on numerous studies, both federally and privately funded, including several long-term multicenter studies such as POUNDS LOST, a two-year intervention exploring the effect of diet composition on long-term weight loss and patient adherence, and CALERIE, a two-year intervention studying the effects of 25 percent caloric restriction on markers of longevity. She was also a staff scientist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) where she was involved in the study of the role of sleep and circadian rhythm on obesity.

Dr. Andraea Van Hulst

Andraea Van Hulst, RN, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at McGill University’s Ingram School of Nursing. She has extensive training and experience in population-based research on chronic diseases and associated lifestyle behaviors in children and adolescents and has expertise in study design, statistical analysis, and data synthesis. She is also part of several Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)-funded collaborative research efforts. She is one of the researchers at CIRCUIT, a healthy lifestyle intervention program for youth at risk of cardiovascular disease, including obesity, at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine. Her research focuses on identifying modifiable risk factors for obesity and its cardiovascular and metabolic consequences in pediatric populations. Findings from her research inform disease prevention and health promotion strategies, both through public health interventions and through clinical practice.

Dr. Hanen Samouda

Hanen Samouda, Ph.D., is a researcher, clinical anthropologist, and epidemiologist in the Department of Precision Health at Luxembourg Institute of Health. She is an expert in obesity and body composition. A major focus of her research activities is to develop easy-to-use tools to diagnose obesity through body composition, as well as specific obesity treatment programs, which enable a personalized approach to obesity management. She and her colleagues developed an adult  “Visceral Fat Calculator”, an online tool providing an accurate and easy evaluation of the visceral fat depot, the major risk factor for several chronic conditions. This was validated as the most accurate predictor of cardiometabolic risk, as well as cardiovascular, cancer, and all-cause mortality, amongst European Descent living in the United States, when biomedical imaging data are not available.

Nardin Rezk

Nardin Rezk, MSc, is an experienced clinical research associate with a demonstrated history of working in the health care industry (principally in public health). She is skilled in epidemiology as well as occupational & environmental health with a nursing background and a certificate focused on leadership from Cornell University.

Belinda Motaze

Belinda Motaze, AADP is the founder of Belinda Motaze – Holistic Wellness for Children and she is an educator and consultant for pediatric health.  She is also certified as a Health & Environmental health coach.

Pratibha Anand

Pratibha Anand, MHA, MBA, is a current Medical School Student at the University of Colorado (CU) Denver School of Medicine interested in the intersection between healthcare, nutrition, policy, business, and innovation. She has an academic background in Accounting, Leadership Studies, Management, Sustainability, and Healthcare Administration, with extensive leadership, service, and cross-cultural/ living abroad experience.

Amber Olson

Amber Olson, is an MD / MPH student at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Medicine. She graduated from the University of Chicago in 2020. As a prior weight loss patient herself, she is passionate about obesity medicine. She has founded an Obesity Medicine Interest Group and has worked to improve obesity medical education at CWRU. 

Dr. George Awad

Dr. George Awad, Ph.D. is a Computer Scientist. He has over 20 years of experience in academia, industry, and government sectors. His interests span from research prototypes to production products in machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Dr. Dennis Barley

Dennis Barley, DC, CCSP, is a Doctor of Chiropractic and Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician. He is the Founder of Barley Wellness, the Chief Operations Officer (COO) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Nutrition Nanny, and the former Vice President of Healthcare Strategy at Ideal Protein.

Jason Campbell

Jason Campbell is a Business Development Manager with experience in business development, strategic planning, and leadership.

Jason Krynicki

Jason Krynicki is a Bariatric Insurance Coordinator at Community Medical Center and a Bariatric Support Leader. He is also a member of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO), The Obesity Society (TOS), and Obesity Action Coalition (OAC).

Angela Chesworth

Angela Chesworth is a Novo Nordisk DEEP (disease experience expert panel) Member.

Daraju Babalola

Daraju Babalola is a passionate and adventurous middle schooler. He completed a triathlon, enjoys basketball and soccer, and is a big fan of volunteering at the YMCA Feed the Hungry program. He likes to share with other children what he learned and experienced from the benefits of the six pillars of Lifestyle Medicine: Eating more vegetables and fruit, Exercising, Being present, Staying calm, Sleeping well, and Being loving.

Helena Awad

Helena Awad is an FCPS Student who is a wellness ninja. From a young age, she created videos to help raise awareness about the importance of making healthy food choices and being physically active. She completed the MyShapers Program, an online healthy eating and activity program. She has been awarded Body Power Awards at her school for track running and meeting her fitness goals. She is knowledgeable about the 5-2-1-0 Healthy Children initiative and the Obesity Medicine Association’s (OMA’s) 4 pillars. 

Patrick Awad

Patrick Awad is an FCPS student who strives to be healthy and fit. He runs the track and participates in the Eat Healthy Challenge at school. He knows the importance of following the 5210 rules every day. He also reads the food label to look for the amount of calories, sugars, and fat.