Science Advisory Board

Dr. Champ is a clinician and physician-scientist in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Duke University Medical Center, where he specializes in the treatment of breast cancer and lymphoma. His research focuses on the impact of lifestyle changes, including diet and exercise, to enhance cancer-specific and general health-related outcomes and metabolic therapies to enhance the effect of radiation therapy on cancer cells.

Dr. Fontaine is Chair of the Department of Health Behavior and the Antoine Lavoisier Endowed Professor of Energetics and Healthy Lifestyles in the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). A psychologist specializing in the treatment of obesity, he is also Adjunct Faculty in Rheumatology and Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Fontaine’s recent research interests include the role of low carbohydrate diets and nutritional ketosis on inflammation, type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s and cancer, modifying body composition in patients with rheumatic disease through strength exercise, the effects of non-deceptive placebos to improve patient-reported outcomes such as pain and fatigue, and the use of classical conditioning to promote dose extension in drugs with toxic side effects.

Veronica R. Johnson, MD is an obesity medicine specialist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Her research interests include health care disparities in obesity management, treatment of obesity in pediatrics, adolescents and adults and integration of obesity in primary care. 

Dr. Johnson received her BS in Biopsychology and Cognitive Sciences from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and her MD from the University of Illinois in Chicago (UIC) where she participated in the Urban Medicine Program and was elected to the Gold Humanism Honor Society. Veronica completed her residency training in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at Tulane University and fellowship in Clinical Obesity Medicine and Metabolism at University of Texas at Houston McGovern Medical School. She is board certified in internal medicine, pediatrics and obesity medicine and currently sees patients for obesity and overweight management at Northwestern Medicine Center for Lifestyle Medicine. 

Dr. Kossoff focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of childhood seizures and epilepsy, particularly treatments other than medications: such as diet, neurostimulation and surgery. Specific interests include the ketogenic diet, the modified Atkins Diet for children, infantile spasms, the interaction of migraine headaches with epilepsy, and Sturge-Weber syndrome.

Dr. Kossoff is also very involved in teaching and is the director of the Pediatric Neurology Residency Program. He is a coauthor of Treatment of Pediatric Neurologic Disorders and the 6th edition of The Ketogenic and Modified Atkins Diets. Dr. Kossoff is certified by the American Board of Neurology and Psychiatry with special certification in child neurology, as well as by the American Board of Pediatrics.

Andrew Koutnik, PhD is a Research Scientist at the Sansum Diabetes Research Institute, studying the influence of lifestyle and metabolism on health, disease, and performance. Dr. Koutnik has published numerous peer-reviewed articles in renowned medical journals and has been invited to present his research both nationally and internationally. Dr. Koutnik has recently been involved in multiple funded efforts looking at the effect of carbohydrates on diabetes control and beta cell function in children with newly diagnosed diabetes and strategies to augment ketosis for enhanced readiness and disease reversal. His commitment to diabetes research has garnered him recognition from both the academic and medical communities.

Dr. Mente is a principal investigator for the epidemiology program at the Population Health Research Institute. He received his doctoral degree in Epidemiology from the University of Toronto. He completed post-doctoral training in cardiovascular epidemiology at McMaster University, and is currently an assistant professor in Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at McMaster University. Dr. Mente has received a Research Fellowship from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, and a Research Early Career Award from Hamilton Health Sciences. Dr. Mente is currently working in the Population Urban and Rural Epidemiological (PURE) study, and is interested in the role of essential minerals (sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium) and dietary fatty acids in cardiovascular diseases in populations around the world. He has published 45 papers

Elizabeth Parks conducts research in the area of metabolism. Lecture topics include the regulation of body weight and effects of dietary macronutrients on blood lipid levels. Through studies of both transgenic mice and humans, her research is focused on understanding liver function and the many factors that alter it, including low-fat diets, alcohol, and the diseases of diabetes, obesity and heart disease. Using stable isotopes and gas chromatograph/mass spectroscopy, her lab provided the first definitive evidence on what can contribute to fatty liver in obese humans. Dr. Parks’ current research studies are investigating how the brain, intestine and liver may communicate through the taste of fat to maintain energy balance and how the dysregulation of lipid metabolism in obesity leads to body-fat gain.

Dr Slavin’s research group works on physiological responses to dietary fiber, resistant starch, and other phytochemicals. They conduct human metabolic studies, in vitro studies, and studies with more subjective measures of health effects of food intake. A particular interest of her group is the gastrointestinal effects of food intake, including changes in microflora, short chain fatty acids, and other measures.

Dr. Jeff Volek is a Professor in the Department of Human Sciences at The Ohio State University. He has published more than 230 peer-reviewed studies. He obtained his Bachelors of Science in Dietetics from Michigan State University and is a Registered Dietitian (R.D.). He completed his graduate work at Penn State University earning his Masters and PhD in Exercise Physiology and Nutrition. He has authored/co-authored 4 books including “The New Atkins for a New You”,“The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living”, and “The Art and Science of Low Carb Performance.”

Dr. Volek’s primary area of research is focused on physiological adaptations to low carbohydrate diets with emphasis on outcomes related to metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. He primarily uses prospective diet and/or exercise interventions and sophisticated cellular techniques to understand changes in adiposity, fatty acid and lipoprotein metabolism, inflammation, vascular function, and endocrine adaptations. Another major area of research has been in the general area of sports nutrition including studies evaluating a wide range of dietary supplements (carnitine, creatine, whey protein, etc.) on exercise performance and overall health.

Dr. Wortman received his MD from University of Calgary and Family Medicine certification at the University of British Columbia. His career has included urban family practice, public health, medical administration and research. For the past 10 years he has been working with low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet in both the research and practice setting. One of his studies was the subject of the CBC documentary, “My Big Fat Diet”. Dr. Wortman is a recognized authority on low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets for the treatment of obesity, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. He is a frequent presenter at scientific meetings and medical CME events. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at UBC. He was the recipient of the American Nutrition and Metabolism Award for Excellence in 2010 and the National Aboriginal Achievement Award for Medicine in 2002. He is an adopted member of the Haida Raven clan.