I graduated from Columbia College, Columbia University in the City of New York with Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in biology and a Master of Science degree in Human Nutrition. I graduated from New York Medical College with a MD degree and then completed an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at St. Vincent’s Hospital and Medical Center in Manhattan. I am board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine with over 30 years of practice as a primary care physician. I am a Fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP). The ACP is an international organization of 154,000 internists with a commitment to excellence in patient care and ongoing professional education. Being an FACP is an honor and distinction conferred by one’s peers that recognizes accomplishments and achievements in the practice of medicine and contributions to the health of the community. Currently, I am an active member of the Health and Public Policy Committee of the New York ACP. I am also an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at Albany Medical College. I have also participated as an investigator in clinical research trials including landmark cholesterol lowering trials such as PROVE IT and JUPITER.

My experience and qualifications with Lifestyle Medicine began with the Master of Science degree in Human Nutrition at Columbia University. Later, while practicing at Community Health Plan (CHP)/Kaiser-Permanente, I was clinical chief for cardiovascular health for Kaiser-Permanente’s Northeast division. While at CHP/Kaiser, I developed and directed the Lifestyle Program, a 6-month program of diet, exercise and lifestyle change for patients with cardiovascular disease. This program was modeled on The Lifestyle Heart Trial published by Dr. Dean Ornish that had shown that lifestyle change alone could slow, stop and even reverse the cholesterol plaques in the arteries of patients with coronary artery disease. The Lifestyle Program was undertaken to determine the practicality of Dr. Ornish’s lifestyle approach in a mainstream population in Upstate New York. While at CHP/Kaiser, I developed and directed for General Electric a lifestyle based cardiovascular risk reduction program called HEARTPOWER; to ensure its acceptance in the business and engineering community and with the financial and logistical help of General Electric, HEARTPOWER became a six-sigma project, assuring the highest possible quality in achieving outstanding cardiovascular outcomes.  At Prime Care Physicians and the Center for Preventive Medicine and Cardiovascular Health, I managed complex cholesterol patients for our cardiology division, Albany Associates in Cardiology. To help in managing such patients, I also developed and directed the CARDIOFIT cardiovascular risk reduction program, a lifestyle based program for weight control and heart health. At Capital Care Medical Group/Community Care Physicians, I developed and directed the LiFE program (Lifestyle Improvement for Everyone) and directed the Centers for Disease Control certified National Diabetes Prevention Program. Since 2004, I have written a bi-monthly column in Adirondack Sport and Fitness magazine titled the Non-Medicated Life, which emphasizes the efficacy of diet, exercise and a healthy lifestyle to avoid unnecessary medication. I have participated in programs on diet and lifestyle for WAMC Medical Monday with Dr. Alan Chartock and WMHT TV HealthLink with Benita Zahn. Finally, I am a member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.