Jan N. Basile, MD, FACP, FASH, FAHA
Professor of Medicine
Seinsheimer Cardiovascular Health Program
Medical University of South Carolina
Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center
Previous Vice-Chair of Clinical Programs AHA Council of Hypertension
Charleston, SC

Dr. Jan N. Basile earned his medical degree in 1978 from the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond. He then completed his internship and residency at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston, where he was also Chief Resident. He is board certified in internal medicine and is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP), the American Society of Hypertension (FASH), and the American Heart Association (FAHA). For many years he served on the American Society of Hypertension (ASH) Board of Directors and has served within the AHA as Vice-Chair of Clinical Programs on the Council of Hypertension.

His honors and awards include the MUSC School of Medicine Excellence in Teaching award, the Golden Apple award, and, in 2014, he was the first recipient of the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control Hypertension Physician of the Year award. Recently, he received the Marvin Moser Clinical Hypertension Award from the American Heart Association Council on Hypertension. He was President of the Southern Medical Association from 2008-2009.

Currently, he is Professor of Medicine at MUSC. He spent 31 years at the Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center while faculty at MUSC having retired from federal service as Chief of Primary Care in 2009. He remains a volunteer at the VA, this his 43rd year at that hospital. He continues to direct the resistant hypertension clinic within the Seinsheimer Cardiovascular Health Program, a multi-risk factor lipid and resistant hypertension referral clinic at MUSC.

Dr. Basile’s research interests include outcome-based studies involving hypertension, lipid disorders, and diabetes. He has been involved in many large hypertension trials including the ALLHAT, ACCORD, VALUE, ONTARGET, ACCOMPLISH, ACCORD and SPRINT and SPRINT-MIND trials most under the auspices of the NHLBI. Most recently he has been involved in diabetes outcome trials with GLP1RA's including REWIND and most recently SURPASS-CV Outcome trial. He was a contributing reviewer of the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7) and the 2017 ACC-AHA Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults. Dr. Basile has published more than 400 original papers, abstracts, and book chapters, as well as a textbook, Hot Topics: Hypertension. He is a contributing author for the hypertension section of "Up To Date".

Darren M. Brenner, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine and Surgery
Irene D. Pritzker Foundation Research Scholar
Director, Northwestern Neurogastromotility and Integrated Bowel Dysfunction Programs
Director, Motts Tonelli GI Physiology Laboratory
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Chicago, IL

Dr. Darren M. Brenner is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Surgery in the Division of Gastroenterology at Northwestern University and serves as Director of the Neurogastromotility and Functional Bowel Programs, Co-Director of the Integrated Bowel Dysfunction program, and Director of the Motts Tonelli GI Physiology Laboratory. He is also an Irene D. Pritzker Foundation Research Scholar. Dr. Brenner focuses his clinical and research pursuits on a wide range of motility topics including IBS, constipation, opioid related constipation, fecal incontinence, gastroparesis and scleroderma. He has published more than 100 articles, abstracts, and online materials on these subjects, and has lectured both nationally and internationally in these areas. He acts as a reviewer and editor for multiple GI peer-reviewed journals and is a current associate editor of the American Journal of Gastroenterology. He was a charter board member of the American Gastroenterological Association Academy of GI and Liver Educators, serves on multiple ACG committees including the education and research committees and is a fellow of both the American College of Gastroenterology and American Gastroenterological Association. Dr. Brenner has been named to the Helio 200 top innovators in gastroenterology and hepatology and Best Doctors in America lists.

Gregory S. Day, MD, MSc, MSCI, FAAN
Senior Associate Consultant
Dept. of Neurology
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science
Jacksonville, FL

Dr. Gregory S. Day completed his Neurology Residency at the University of Toronto (Canada) in 2014 and his fellowship in memory and aging at Washington University in St. Louis in 2015. He joined the Mayo Clinic in Florida in 2020 and is currently an Assistant Professor of Neurology, Vice Chair of Research for the Department of Neurology, and Director of the Division of Behavioral Neurology. He continues his clinical research in dementia, with a particular interest in Rapidly Progressive Dementia, including autoimmune-causes of dementia. His work is supported by a career development grant from the National Institutes of Health, the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative, the Alzheimer’s Association, and other funding partners.

Thomas W. Heinrich, MD, FACLP
Professor of Psychiatry and Family Medicine
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Medicine
Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee, WI

Dr. Thomas W. Heinrich, Professor of Psychiatry and Family Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), completed a combined residency in psychiatry and family medicine. This was followed by a fellowship in consultation psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is board-certified in family medicine and general adult psychiatry and holds subspecialty certification in consultation-liaison psychiatry and neuropsychiatry. Clinically, Dr. Heinrich remains active in consultation psychiatry, working on a busy academic psychiatric consultation service at Froedtert Hospital, a quaternary care academic medical center that serves as MCW’s primary teaching hospital. The consultation service specializes in the assessment and treatment of the diverse and complex presentations of medical, surgical, and neuropsychiatric illnesses in patients admitted to the general medical hospital. Administratively, Dr. Heinrich currently serves as Director of the Division of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Executive Vice-Chair in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at MCW. In addition, he is the Medical Director of Process Improvement for inpatient medical and surgical services at Froedtert Hospital and Physician Lead for the implementation of Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin’s multidisciplinary behavioral health strategic plan. In these roles, he has collaborated with multiple stakeholders to develop and implement several innovative cross-disciplinary and inter-institutional clinical programs.

Heather M. Johnson, MD, MS, MMM, FAHA, FACC, FASPC
Preventive Cardiologist
Christine E. Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Institute
Boca Raton Regional Hospital
Boca Raton, FL

Dr. Heather M. Johnson is a Cardiologist and Preventive Cardiologist at the Christine E. Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Institute of Boca Raton Regional Hospital/Baptist Health South Florida, and a Clinical Affiliate Associate Professor of Florida Atlantic University. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology, Master of Population Health, and Doctor of Medicine degrees at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She graduated with Honors from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business with a Master of Medical Management. Prior to moving to Boca Raton, Florida, she practiced as a Noninvasive Cardiologist and Preventive Cardiologist for 10 years at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and served as an Associate Professor with Tenure at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health. Dr. Johnson is a leader in population health, heart disease prevention, and women’s health. She has led multiple research studies funded through the National Institute of Health with over 50 research publications. She is active with multiple medical organizations including the American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, American Society of Preventive Cardiology, and WomenHeart. Dr. Johnson is a guest medical expert on television newscasts, radio shows, and podcasts. She has received numerous awards. Notably, in 2018, Dr. Johnson was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and in 2019, she was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honor Society.

Alanna A. Morris, MD, MSc, FHFSA, FACC, FAHA
Associate Professor of Medicine
Director of Heart Failure Research
Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant/LVAD
Emory University School of Medicine
Emory Clinical Cardiovascular Research Institute
Atlanta, GA

Dr. Alanna A. Morris currently serves as Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of Heart Failure Research in the Division of Cardiology at Emory University School of Medicine. Her clinical time is spent as faculty for Emory’s Center for Heart Failure Therapy and Transplantation. She received her undergraduate degree from Xavier University of Louisiana, and her medical degree from the Harvard Medical School. She completed her residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts in 2008. Subsequently, she came to Emory University to complete fellowships in general cardiology in 2012, and advanced heart failure and transplant in 2013. After completion of her fellowship training, Dr. Morris also joined the faculty of the Emory Clinical Cardiovascular Research Institute in 2013. Her research interests include studying the importance of non-modifiable risk factors such as race/ethnicity and gender, as well as social determinants of health that may contribute to excess disease in high risk populations. Finally, her research examines race- and gender-based differences in outcomes in patients with heart failure, and after heart transplantation and left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation.

Ramon L. Rodriguez, MD
Medical Director, Neurology One
Professor of Neurology
University of Central Florida, College of Medicine
Orlando, FL

Dr. Ramon L. Rodriguez is a Professor of Neurology at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine. Dr. Rodriguez graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus and completed his internship and residency at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. After this, he completed a Fellowship in the Medical and Surgical Management of Movement Disorders and has been practicing academic medicine since then. Dr. Rodriguez has been involved in more than 40 research studies and more than 50 publications in both national and international journals. He is currently the director of the National VA PD consortia in Orlando, Florida.

Lisa B. VanWagner, MD, MSc, FAST, FAHA
Assistant Professor of Medicine (Gastroenterology and Hepatology) and Preventive Medicine (Epidemiology)
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Chicago, IL

Dr. Lisa B. VanWagner is an Assistant Professor of Gastroenterology & Hepatology and Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, IL. Dr. VanWagner received her medical degree from the University of Virginia School of Medicine in 2007. She completed her internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, IL in 2010 and then served as Chief Medical Resident from 2010-2011. She also obtained her master’s degree in Clinical Investigation from the Northwestern University Graduate School in 2011. Dr. VanWagner completed her Gastroenterology & Hepatology training at Northwestern in 2014 followed by an Advanced Transplant Hepatology Fellowship in 2015 before joining the Northwestern faculty in 2015.

Dr. VanWagner utilizes human population-based approaches, large electronic health record data analysis and health services research methods to define and characterize cardiovascular disease risk prediction, prevention and treatment approaches in patients with chronic liver disease, particularly among patients with fatty liver disease. As a practicing transplant hepatologist, she sees patients with NAFLD/NASH before and after liver transplant and recognizes gaps in our knowledge of the epidemiology and pathobiology of cardiovascular disease in this growing population. Her scientific work has been recognized by leading professional organizations, with research awards from American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL), American Society of Transplantation (AST) and American Heart Association (AHA). She has published over 80 peer-reviewed manuscripts. Her publications have been the first to describe findings such as the increased risk of adverse cardiovascular disease events after liver transplant for NASH, the first to describe national estimates of cardiovascular disease events after liver transplant, and the first to develop a clinical liver transplant-specific cardiovascular disease risk assessment tool for clinical use (calculator available at: www.carolt.us). Other publications have been used to develop strategies for policymakers, such as the American Heart Association (annual statistics update), and for clinical practice guidance (AST guidance on cardiovascular disease evaluation and management in liver transplant candidates). Clinically, she works in the multidisciplinary Northwestern Fatty Liver Program in the Northwestern Medicine Digestive Health Center and the combined heart-liver transplant program at the Northwestern Medicine Comprehensive Transplant Center.

C. Wayne Weart, PharmD, FASHP, FAPhA
Professor, Clinical Pharmacy and Outcome Sciences
Professor of Family Medicine
Medical University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy
Charleston, SC

Dr. C. Wayne Weart received his Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy in 1971 from the University of Georgia. He served his residency in Hospital Pharmacy at the Medical University Hospital in Charleston, SC in 1972. He received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science in 1974. Dr. Weart is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Outcome Sciences in the South Carolina College of Pharmacy, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), as well as Professor of Family Medicine in the College of Medicine, MUSC. Prior to his teaching at the Medical University, Dr. Weart instructed at West Virginia University in pharmacy and family medicine.

Dr. Weart has more than 100 publications and he has given scores of lectures to numerous professional groups and societies. He has received outstanding teacher awards at both West Virginia University and MUSC, and has been named Hospital Pharmacist of the Year in both South Carolina and West Virginia.

In 1991, Dr. Weart was among the first pharmacists to become a Board-Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist. In 1992, he was honored for his excellence in pharmacy practice and designated a Fellow of the American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists. Dr. Weart was named a Primary Care Policy Fellow for 1999 by the U.S. Public Health Service and he was honored by the Alumni Association of the MUSC College of Pharmacy as a Distinguished Alumnus in 2002. He also received the Bowl of Hygeia Award from the SC Pharmacy Association in 2003 for outstanding service to the community and the profession of pharmacy and the George D. Schwerin Mentor Award, from the South Carolina Society of Health System Pharmacists in 2004. In 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009 he was recognized by the MUSC College of Pharmacy student body for his excellence in education by the Golden Mortar and Pestle Award. In 2008 the MUSC Board of Trustees named Dr. Weart as a Master Teacher. In 2012 he received the Proctor and Gamble National Leadership Award from the Phi Lambda Sigma Pharmacy Leadership Society. In 2014 he was awarded the Ralph M. Wilkie Distinguished Lifetime Service Award by the SC Pharmacy Association Board of Directors. In 2015 he received the Kenneth Flinchum Distinguished Service Award from the SC Society of Health System Pharmacists. Dr. Weart served on the Board of Directors of the SC Pharmacists Association and as President and Chairman of the Board for 2010-2011. He served on the Board of Directors for the American Institute of the History of Pharmacy from 2009-2013 and was the President of the Waring Library Society for 2014-2015.

He is one of many Hot Dog Ministry volunteers involved with serving the homeless of Charleston.

Mark S. Williams, DO
Primary Care Sports Medicine
Direct Orthopedic Care
Team Physician at Columbia High School
Nampa, ID

Dr. Mark S. Williams is Medical Director and head of occupational medicine at Direct Orthopedic Care. Additionally, he is the team physician at Columbia High School in Nampa, Idaho. He practices Sports Medicine worldwide, assisting in medical coverage for Ironman Triathlons, the Marine Corps Marathon, and many more. He currently does full time non-surgical Sports Medicine at Urgent Care Orthopedic Clinic. Dr. Williams is a former doctor in the US Army.

Jan N. Basile, MD, FACP, FASH, FAHA
Professor of Medicine
Seinsheimer Cardiovascular Health Program
Medical University of South Carolina
Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center
Previous Vice-Chair of Clinical Programs AHA Council of Hypertension
Charleston, SC

Dr. Jan N. Basile earned his medical degree in 1978 from the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond. He then completed his internship and residency at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston, where he was also Chief Resident. He is board certified in internal medicine and is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP), the American Society of Hypertension (FASH), and the American Heart Association (FAHA). For many years he served on the American Society of Hypertension (ASH) Board of Directors and has served within the AHA as Vice-Chair of Clinical Programs on the Council of Hypertension.

His honors and awards include the MUSC School of Medicine Excellence in Teaching award, the Golden Apple award, and, in 2014, he was the first recipient of the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control Hypertension Physician of the Year award. Recently, he received the Marvin Moser Clinical Hypertension Award from the American Heart Association Council on Hypertension. He was President of the Southern Medical Association from 2008-2009.

Currently, he is Professor of Medicine at MUSC. He spent 31 years at the Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center while faculty at MUSC having retired from federal service as Chief of Primary Care in 2009. He remains a volunteer at the VA, this his 43rd year at that hospital. He continues to direct the resistant hypertension clinic within the Seinsheimer Cardiovascular Health Program, a multi-risk factor lipid and resistant hypertension referral clinic at MUSC.

Dr. Basile’s research interests include outcome-based studies involving hypertension, lipid disorders, and diabetes. He has been involved in many large hypertension trials including the ALLHAT, ACCORD, VALUE, ONTARGET, ACCOMPLISH, ACCORD and SPRINT and SPRINT-MIND trials most under the auspices of the NHLBI. Most recently he has been involved in diabetes outcome trials with GLP1RA's including REWIND and most recently SURPASS-CV Outcome trial. He was a contributing reviewer of the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7) and the 2017 ACC-AHA Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults. Dr. Basile has published more than 400 original papers, abstracts, and book chapters, as well as a textbook, Hot Topics: Hypertension. He is a contributing author for the hypertension section of "Up To Date".

Darren M. Brenner, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine and Surgery
Irene D. Pritzker Foundation Research Scholar
Director, Northwestern Neurogastromotility and Integrated Bowel Dysfunction Programs
Director, Motts Tonelli GI Physiology Laboratory
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Chicago, IL

Dr. Darren M. Brenner is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Surgery in the Division of Gastroenterology at Northwestern University and serves as Director of the Neurogastromotility and Functional Bowel Programs, Co-Director of the Integrated Bowel Dysfunction program, and Director of the Motts Tonelli GI Physiology Laboratory. He is also an Irene D. Pritzker Foundation Research Scholar. Dr. Brenner focuses his clinical and research pursuits on a wide range of motility topics including IBS, constipation, opioid related constipation, fecal incontinence, gastroparesis and scleroderma. He has published more than 100 articles, abstracts, and online materials on these subjects, and has lectured both nationally and internationally in these areas. He acts as a reviewer and editor for multiple GI peer-reviewed journals and is a current associate editor of the American Journal of Gastroenterology. He was a charter board member of the American Gastroenterological Association Academy of GI and Liver Educators, serves on multiple ACG committees including the education and research committees and is a fellow of both the American College of Gastroenterology and American Gastroenterological Association. Dr. Brenner has been named to the Helio 200 top innovators in gastroenterology and hepatology and Best Doctors in America lists.

Steven L. Cohn, MD, MACP, SFHM
Professor Emeritus
Department of Medicine
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Miami, FL

Dr. Steven L. Cohn is a nationally recognized expert in perioperative medicine and a frequently requested speaker. Dr. Cohn is currently Professor Emeritus in the Department of Medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He is the former Director of the Medical Consultation Service at Jackson Memorial Hospital and Medical Director of the UHealth Preoperative Assessment Center (UPAC) and Medical Consultation Service at the University of Miami Hospital, having relocated to Miami after 30 years at the State University of New York - Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn where he is also Clinical Professor of Medicine Emeritus. He was the former Chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine and Associate Medical Director for Performance Improvement at Downstate and the Director of the Preoperative Medical Consultation Clinic and Medical Consultation Service at Kings County Hospital Center, responsible for education and supervision of senior medical residents in both in-patient and ambulatory care settings and has evaluated over 30,000 patients preoperatively. After receiving his medical degree from the University of Monterrey, Dr. Cohn completed his residency in internal medicine at SUNY-Downstate Medical Center. He is a Master of the American College of Physicians (ACP), a senior fellow of the Society for Hospital Medicine (SHM), and a board member of the Society for Perioperative Assessment and Quality Improvement (SPAQI).

Dr. Cohn is the author/editor of several books – Decision-making in Perioperative Medicine: Clinical Pearls (McGraw Hill and ACP, 2021), Perioperative Medicine (Springer, 2011), and Perioperative Medicine - Just the Facts (McGraw Hill, 2006), and section editor for medical consultation in Comprehensive Hospital Medicine (Elsevier, 2007). He wrote the chapter on Preoperative Evaluation for the past three editions of Goldman/Cecil's Textbook of Medicine, the section on Perioperative Medicine in MKSAP XV, and co-authored multiple topics in UpToDate. He has also written numerous book chapters and articles that have appeared in peer-reviewed journals including the Annals of Internal Medicine, Journal of Hospital Medicine, Journal of General Internal Medicine, Heart, and Anesthesiology. Dr. Cohn has been named in Castle Connolly’s Top Doctors in the New York Metro Area annually from 1997-2011 and was also listed in New York Magazine's Best Doctors 2010 and 2011.

Gregory S. Day, MD, MSc, MSCI, FAAN
Senior Associate Consultant
Dept. of Neurology
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science
Jacksonville, FL

Dr. Gregory S. Day completed his Neurology Residency at the University of Toronto (Canada) in 2014 and his fellowship in memory and aging at Washington University in St. Louis in 2015. He joined the Mayo Clinic in Florida in 2020 and is currently an Assistant Professor of Neurology, Vice Chair of Research for the Department of Neurology, and Director of the Division of Behavioral Neurology. He continues his clinical research in dementia, with a particular interest in Rapidly Progressive Dementia, including autoimmune-causes of dementia. His work is supported by a career development grant from the National Institutes of Health, the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative, the Alzheimer’s Association, and other funding partners.

Heather M. Johnson, MD, MS, MMM, FAHA, FACC, FASPC
Preventive Cardiologist
Christine E. Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Institute
Boca Raton Regional Hospital
Boca Raton, FL

Dr. Heather M. Johnson is a Cardiologist and Preventive Cardiologist at the Christine E. Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Institute of Boca Raton Regional Hospital/Baptist Health South Florida, and a Clinical Affiliate Associate Professor of Florida Atlantic University. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology, Master of Population Health, and Doctor of Medicine degrees at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She graduated with Honors from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business with a Master of Medical Management. Prior to moving to Boca Raton, Florida, she practiced as a Noninvasive Cardiologist and Preventive Cardiologist for 10 years at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and served as an Associate Professor with Tenure at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health. Dr. Johnson is a leader in population health, heart disease prevention, and women’s health. She has led multiple research studies funded through the National Institute of Health with over 50 research publications. She is active with multiple medical organizations including the American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, American Society of Preventive Cardiology, and WomenHeart. Dr. Johnson is a guest medical expert on television newscasts, radio shows, and podcasts. She has received numerous awards. Notably, in 2018, Dr. Johnson was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and in 2019, she was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honor Society.

Stephanie J. Nahas-Geiger, MD
Associate Professor
Director, Headache Medicine Followship Program
Assistant Director, Neurology Residency Program
Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals
Philadelphia, PA

Dr. Stephanie J. Nahas-Geiger is a neurology specialist in Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Nahas-Geiger graduated from Rush Medical College of Rush University Medical Center in 2001. She completed her residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals. She currently practices at Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals and is affiliated with Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Dr. Nahas-Geiger is board certified in Neurology.

Ramon L. Rodriguez, MD
Medical Director, Neurology One
Professor of Neurology
University of Central Florida, College of Medicine
Orlando, FL

Dr. Ramon L. Rodriguez is a Professor of Neurology at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine. Dr. Rodriguez graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus and completed his internship and residency at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. After this, he completed a Fellowship in the Medical and Surgical Management of Movement Disorders and has been practicing academic medicine since then. Dr. Rodriguez has been involved in more than 40 research studies and more than 50 publications in both national and international journals. He is currently the director of the National VA PD consortia in Orlando, Florida.

Christopher D. Still, DO, FACN, FACP, FTOS
Director, Geisinger Obesity Institute
Medical Director, Center for Nutrition and Weight Management
Medical Director, Employee Wellness
Associate, Department of Gastroenterology and Nutrition
Geisinger Health Care System
Danville, PA

Dr. Christopher D. Still has been studying developments in nutrition, metabolic syndrome, and obesity for nearly three decades. His work has included research into genetic markers for obesity, NASH and diabetes; longitudinal assessment and outcomes of the bariatric surgery patient. He also serves as principal investigator of the Geisinger rural elderly nutrition and aging study of some 22,000 individuals.

He has recently edited CRC Press 2014 Nutrition and Bariatric Surgery as well as 2014 ASMBS Textbook of Bariatric Surgery, Volume 1. He has also published in multiple journals, including Obesity, PNAS, Lancet Endocrinology, Annals of Surgery, Gastroenterology, Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, Surgery for Obesity and Related Disorders, Human Molecular Genetics, among others. He has lectured on such subjects as vitamin and mineral metabolism; diet, nutrition, and exercise; obesity through the life cycle; and the peri-operative medical and nutritional management of the bariatric surgery patient.

Dr. Still is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, American Board of Obesity Medicine, the American Board of Physician Nutrition Specialists, and the American College of Nutrition. He belongs to several professional societies, including The Obesity Society, American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and the American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Nutrition. He served on the board of directors for The Obesity Action Coalition and is the past President of the National Board of Physician Nutrition Specialists as well as others editorial boards. He and his program have been featured on CNN, National Public Radio, ABC News, The Discovery Health Channel and several local affiliates. He was awarded the 2011 ASMBS’ Integrated Health Circle of Excellence Award.

Dr. Still received Masters of Science degree from Columbia University Institute of Human Nutrition and his osteopathic medical degree from The Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his internship at the University of Buffalo at Sisters of Charity Hospital, followed by a residency in internal medicine and a subsequent fellowship in clinical nutrition and obesity treatment at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, PA.

Lisa B. VanWagner, MD, MSc, FAST, FAHA
Assistant Professor of Medicine (Gastroenterology and Hepatology) and Preventive Medicine (Epidemiology)
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Chicago, IL

Dr. Lisa B. VanWagner is an Assistant Professor of Gastroenterology & Hepatology and Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, IL. Dr. VanWagner received her medical degree from the University of Virginia School of Medicine in 2007. She completed her internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, IL in 2010 and then served as Chief Medical Resident from 2010-2011. She also obtained her master’s degree in Clinical Investigation from the Northwestern University Graduate School in 2011. Dr. VanWagner completed her Gastroenterology & Hepatology training at Northwestern in 2014 followed by an Advanced Transplant Hepatology Fellowship in 2015 before joining the Northwestern faculty in 2015.

Dr. VanWagner utilizes human population-based approaches, large electronic health record data analysis and health services research methods to define and characterize cardiovascular disease risk prediction, prevention and treatment approaches in patients with chronic liver disease, particularly among patients with fatty liver disease. As a practicing transplant hepatologist, she sees patients with NAFLD/NASH before and after liver transplant and recognizes gaps in our knowledge of the epidemiology and pathobiology of cardiovascular disease in this growing population. Her scientific work has been recognized by leading professional organizations, with research awards from American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL), American Society of Transplantation (AST) and American Heart Association (AHA). She has published over 80 peer-reviewed manuscripts. Her publications have been the first to describe findings such as the increased risk of adverse cardiovascular disease events after liver transplant for NASH, the first to describe national estimates of cardiovascular disease events after liver transplant, and the first to develop a clinical liver transplant-specific cardiovascular disease risk assessment tool for clinical use (calculator available at: www.carolt.us). Other publications have been used to develop strategies for policymakers, such as the American Heart Association (annual statistics update), and for clinical practice guidance (AST guidance on cardiovascular disease evaluation and management in liver transplant candidates). Clinically, she works in the multidisciplinary Northwestern Fatty Liver Program in the Northwestern Medicine Digestive Health Center and the combined heart-liver transplant program at the Northwestern Medicine Comprehensive Transplant Center.

Mark S. Williams, DO
Primary Care Sports Medicine
Direct Orthopedic Care
Team Physician at Columbia High School
Nampa, ID

Dr. Mark S. Williams is Medical Director and head of occupational medicine at Direct Orthopedic Care. Additionally, he is the team physician at Columbia High School in Nampa, Idaho. He practices Sports Medicine worldwide, assisting in medical coverage for Ironman Triathlons, the Marine Corps Marathon, and many more. He currently does full time non-surgical Sports Medicine at Urgent Care Orthopedic Clinic. Dr. Williams is a former doctor in the US Army.