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Our Team
Conducting Scientific Research with the Leaders in Science & Medicine
For more than 35 years, Dean Ornish, M.D.® and his colleagues at the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute (PMRI) in collaboration with the University of California, San Francisco and other leading academic institutions, have conducted a series of research studies showing that changes in diet and lifestyle can make a powerful difference in our health and well-being, how quickly these changes may occur, and how dynamic these mechanisms can be.
Dean Ornish, M.D.
Founder & President
Dean Ornish, M.D., is the founder and president of the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute and Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCSF and Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCSD. He received his M.D. from the Baylor College of Medicine, was a clinical fellow in medicine at Harvard Medical School, and completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He earned a B.A. in Humanities summa cum laude from the University of Texas in Austin, where he gave the baccalaureate address.
For over 44 years, he has directed clinical research demonstrating, for the first time, that comprehensive lifestyle changes may begin to reverse even severe coronary heart disease, without drugs or surgery. Medicare created a new benefit category, “intensive cardiac rehabilitation,” to provide coverage for this program. He directed the first randomized controlled trial demonstrating that comprehensive lifestyle changes may slow, stop or reverse the progression of early-stage prostate cancer. His research showed that comprehensive lifestyle changes affect gene expression, “turning on” disease-preventing genes and “turning off” genes that promote cancer and heart disease, as well as the first controlled study showing that these lifestyle changes may begin to reverse cellular aging by lengthening telomeres, the ends of our chromosomes which regulate aging (in collaboration with Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, Nobel Laureate in Medicine & Physiology). He is currently directing the first randomized controlled trial to determine if comprehensive lifestyle changes may reverse the progression of early Alzheimer’s disease.
He is the author of seven books, all national bestsellers. UnDo It! (co-authored with Anne Ornish) was published by Random House as their lead nonfiction title in January 2019. His three main-stage TED.com talks have been viewed by over six million people.
The research that he and his colleagues conducted has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, The Lancet, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Circulation, TheNew England Journal of Medicine, the American Journal of Cardiology, The Lancet Oncology, and elsewhere. A one-hour documentary of their work was broadcast on NOVA, the PBS science series, and was featured on Bill Moyers’ PBS series, Healing & The Mind. He has written a monthly column for TIME, Newsweek and Reader’s Digest magazines, is a LinkedIn Influencer, and was Medical Editor of The Huffington Post 2010-2016.
He was appointed by President Clinton to the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy; by President Obama to the White House Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health; and by Governor Newsom to the Governor’s Brain Trust on Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention and Preparedness. He is also a member of The LancetOncology “Moonshot Commission.” Dr. Ornish and colleagues established a lifestyle medicine clinic at the St. Vincent de Paul Homeless Shelter in San Francisco where over 30,000 homeless people were treated.
The “Ornish diet” has been rated “#1 for Heart Health” by a panel of experts at U.S. News & World Report for ten years from 2011-2021. He co-chaired the Google Health Advisory Council 2007-11.
He received the 1994 Outstanding Young Alumnus Award from the University of Texas, Austin; the University of California, Berkeley, “National Public Health Hero” award; the Jan J. Kellermann Memorial Award for distinguished contribution in the field of cardiovascular disease prevention from the International Academy of Cardiology; a U.S. Surgeon General Citation; a Presidential Citation from the American Psychological Association; the inaugural “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine; the Beckmann Medal from the German Society for Prevention and Rehabilitation of Cardiovascular Diseases; the “Pioneer in Integrative Medicine” award from California Pacific Medical Center; the Stanley Wallach Award from the American College of Nutrition; the Glenn Foundation Award for Research; the Bravewell Collaborative Pioneer of Integrative Medicine award; the Sheila Kar Health Foundation Humanitarian Award from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; Plantrician Project Luminary Award; and others. Dr. Ornish has been a physician consultant to President Clinton since 1993 and consulted with the chefs at The White House, Camp David, and Air Force One to cook more healthfully (1993-2000).
Dr. Ornish was recognized as “one of the 125 most extraordinary University of Texas alumni in the past 125 years;” by TIME magazine as a “TIME 100 Innovator;” by LIFE magazine as “one of the fifty most influential members of his generation;” and by Forbes magazine as “one of the world’s seven most powerful teachers.”
Colleen Kemp, RN, MSN, CNS
Vice President, Clinical Operations
Colleen Kemp, RN, MSN, CNS is the Vice President of Clinical Operations at PMRI. She began her career in nursing in 1980 in hospital-based critical care units where she developed her expertise as an acute care provider. She has a Masters in Nursing and is certified as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Integrative Health. She has developed Integrative Health continuing education courses for health care providers, including counseling individuals on integrating lifestyle modification, and other complementary therapies such as intuition and energetic healing into their health care plans. She also held an adjunct faculty position in the Nursing Department at Dominican University of California. Colleen has been working with Dr. Dean Ornish since 2002, and has served in a variety of roles including Project Director for the Gene Expression Modulation in Nutrition and Lifestyle research study at PMRI and Vice President of Ornish Lifestyle Medicine at Sharecare. She is a decisive and pragmatic manager of multidisciplinary teams and projects, responsible for the successful leadership and management of clinical programs and operations.
Heather Amador, BS
Vice President, Business Operations
Heather Amador, BS, is the Vice President of Business Operations at PMRI. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing Education from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She began working with Dr. Ornish at the Preventive Medicine Research Institute (PMRI) in 1993. For over 25 years Heather has served in a variety of roles at PMRI including; Director of Retreat Programs, Assistant to the Director of Operations, Assistant to the Vice President of Finance, and Operations Manager. She has experienced the transformational power of lifestyle changes in both her personal and professional life. She is grateful to have been part of this life changing program for the majority of her career and is passionate about continuing to work to make the world a healthier place.
Anne Ornish, BA
Vice President, Program Development
Anne Ornish is the Digital Director of Ornish Lifestyle Medicine and Vice President of Program Development at the nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute. She is the creator of Ornish Lifestyle Medicine’s digital platform—including pmri.org, ornish.com—and Empower, a turnkey learning management system that trains health care professionals and supports participants to transform their health throughout the country. Today, Ornish Lifestyle Medicine is reimbursed by Medicare and many other commercial payers, offered in more than 30 states, and delivered with a turnkey process that is optimized by decades of operating knowledge. Most importantly, it has empowered tens of thousands of people from across the country to take their lives back by transforming suffering into health and well-being.
Anne is highly trained and experienced in lifestyle medicine, yoga therapy, mobile applications and web design, with over 20 years of successful innovation in the health and wellness industry.
In their new landmark book, UnDo It! Anne and Dean Ornish, MD present a simple yet powerful new unifying theory explaining why and how simple lifestyle changes can reverse so many different chronic diseases and how quickly these benefits occur. https://undoitbook.com/
Tandis Alizadeh, BA
Chief of Staff
Tandis Alizadeh is Chief of Staff at the Preventive Medicine Research Institute where she supports Dean Ornish, MD and the senior management team’s efficiency and productivity regarding all strategic initiatives. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Davis. Tandis has a passion for animals and is actively involved with various rescue programs throughout the Bay Area. Her foster fail, Oliver, is the official Rescue Mutt at PMRI.
Catherine Madison, MD
Chief Neurologist
Dr. Madison received her M.D. from Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri and completed residency training in neurology at George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. After serving 8 years in the Air Force she came back to California to care for her own mother with Alzheimer’s disease. This personal family journey deepened her interests in helping others facing a similar life changing diagnosis.
Dr Madison envisioned and developed the Ray Dolby Brain Health Center (RDBHC) at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco in 2012 with an endowment from the Dolby Family. This is a multi-disciplinary center collaborating with the Alzheimer’s Association to educate patients and families about diagnosis, treatment strategies and how to work around changes to best maintain quality of life.
After assisting thousands of patients at RDBHC she is now working with Dr Ornish at the Preventive Medicine Research Institute (PMRI) to study how intense lifestyle interventions may change the course of an early Alzheimer’s process.
Sarah Tranter, RN, BS
Assistant Project Director, Senior Registered Nurse Case Manager
Sarah is an experienced critical care nurse who advocates for evidence-based diet and lifestyle prevention. She has more than 10 years of experience working in oncology, GI, intensive care units and the emergency room. Sarah holds a Food for Life instructor certificate from the Physician Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). Sarah currently works as a registered nurse in the emergency room and at the Preventive Medicine Research Institute (PMRI) supporting the Alzheimer’s lifestyle trial.
Nikki Liversedge, RN, BSN
Registered Nurse Case Manager
Nikki is an experienced emergency department nurse who strives to promote and encourage healthy lifestyle changes and educate the powerful impact this has on a person’s overall health and wellbeing, including chronic disease. She has more than 17 years of Emergency Department experience and has completed her Health Coaching certificate through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Nikki’s recent work has been to assist with developing and coordinating a family cooking program that educates and coaches families on healthy eating and improving diet quality. Nikki’s passion lies with helping and supporting individuals and their families through their health care journey. Some of Nikki’s interests include running, training for marathons and cooking healthy meals. Nikki currently serves as the RN case manager for the Alzheimer’s trial at PMRI.
Carra Richling, BS, RD
Senior Registered Dietitian
Carra Richling is a registered dietitian and certified health coach with a comprehensive background of over 30 years of experience in health, wellness and lifestyle medicine, with degrees in Human Development & Family Studies, Nutrition & Dietetics, and graduate work in Sports Medicine. She has extensive training in integrated health and behavior change methods that promote sustainable lifestyle changes with certifications in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Emotional Brain Training (EBT). She is passionate about food-as-medicine and empowering people to follow a plant-based lifestyle for optimal health, performance, and well-being. She has attended the Culinary Institute of American at Greystone and Rouxbe plant-based culinary training. She has experienced the power of food-as-medicine both personally and professionally and has seen it transform lives with her previous work as Senior Dietitian and Clinical Manager for Ornish Lifestyle Medicine at Sharecare, Director of Preventive Cardiology at the Boulder Sports Medicine Center and Heart Institute, and Senior Trainer/Registered Dietitian at the Institute of Health Solutions. In addition to her other work, Carra currently serves as Registered Dietitian consultant for the Preventive Medicine Research Institute.
Stacey Dunn-Emke, MS, RDN
Registered Dietitian
Stacey is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with a Master’s degree in Nutrition Science. She has been connected with PMRI since 1999 as a Senior Research Dietitian and as a consultant dietitian since 2005. She also is the founding owner of NutritionJobs, a career portal for fellow dietitians. Her background has also been as a nutrition writer, nutrition educator, clinical dietitian, and clinical nutrition manager at several medical centers in the San Francisco Bay Area. Stacey frequently speaks on the topics of nutrition, diet and lifestyle, along with optimizing LinkedIn Profiles and Modern Resumes for dietitians. She has been invited to speak at Harvard Medical School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Emory University, University of CA, San Francisco, California Dietetic Association, and the American Dietetic Association. She has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show and MSNBC TV. Stacey has been active in professional dietetic associations by serving as the Bay Area Dietetic Association President and was awarded Outstanding Dietitian by the Bay Area Dietetic Association, Outstanding Dietitian of the Year by ARAMARK, Healthcare Support Services, and Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year by the California Dietetic Association. Stacey lives in San Francisco with her family where her children take her on volleyball, ballet and lacrosse adventures.
Antonella Dewell, MS, RD
Registered Dietitian
Antonella is a registered dietitian consultant at PMRI. She received a Bachelor of Science from UCLA and a Master’s in Nutritional Science from San Jose University. Antonella has worked in the field of nutrition research for over 15 years and was the in-house Dietitian at PMRI from 2004 to 2007, when she was part of the team conducting prostate cancer research. She has authored several research papers with Dr. Dean Ornish. Antonella loves helping people achieve their health goals through dietary and lifestyle changes and has further specialized in the low FODMAP diet for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). She now splits her time between working in research and her private practice, helping people with IBS find relief from gut symptoms and improving their quality of life.
Nancy DeLamarter, LCSW, RYT
Group Support Facilitator and Stress Management Specialist
Nancy DeLamarter, LCSW, RYT is honored to be a part of Dr. Ornish’s team at the PMRI serving in the roles of Group Support Facilitator and Stress Management Specialist. Nancy is a Senior Trainer for the Dr. Dean Ornish Cardiac Reversal Program and has had the honor and privilege of facilitating Group Support and Stress Management Sessions as a part of the Ornish Cardiac Reversal program, for the past five years. In addition, Nancy has a private psychotherapy and yoga practice on the north shore of Oahu in Hawaii.
Nancy holds a Bachelor of Science from New York University and a Masters of Social Work from the University of Hawaii Manoa. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Registered Yoga Teacher and a Graduate of Metta Institute End-of-Life Practitioner Program.
In Nancy’s over twenty years of experience, she has focused on Integrative and Completive approaches of healing the Mind, Body, and Heart. Nancy comes to Lifestyle Medicine with a background in Hospice and Palliative Care where she learned a deep reverence for life, living well and living fully, moment to moment. Nancy enjoys life in Hawaii where she lives, on the north shore of Oahu, with her husband, two children and two dogs.
Kristin Gottesman, BS
Exercise Specialist
Kristin Gottesman is an Exercise Specialist at PMRI. Kristin’s passion for understanding human movement rooted her childhood development as a dancer. Her lifelong passion for movement led her to earn her degree in Exercise and Sport Science from Penn State University, as well as obtaining certifications in Personal Training, Pilates, Corrective Exercise, Massage Therapy, and Wellness Coaching. She has worked at the San Francisco Bay Club and currently teaches Pilates in Marin County. Kristin applies her knowledge of biomechanics and functional anatomy to create programming that effectively trains efficient, strong, coordinated movement. Kristin loves to explore nature hiking, mountain biking, snowboarding, backcountry mountaineering, and surfing.
Marie Goodell, C-IAYT, RYT-500
Stress Management Specialist
Marie Goodell is a Certified Yoga Therapist and Yoga Teacher. Marie turned to yoga to manage stress more effectively while working as a high-tech marketing manager in Silicon Valley for large companies such as IBM, Oracle and SAP. After experiencing improved health, Marie began teaching in 2011 at the Integral Yoga Institute in San Francisco where she leads Hatha Yoga and Restorative Yoga classes. Marie also teaches wheelchair yoga classes at Laguna Honda Hospital & Rehabilitation Center to clients with physical disabilities, neurological disorders, autoimmune diseases and Alzheimer’s disease. As a yoga therapist, Marie offers 1:1 sessions to clients recovery from surgery, heart disease, cancer, arthritis, and chronic fatigue. Marie also teaches stress management at the Preventive Medicine Research Institute championed by Dr. Dean Ornish. Marie serves as a Board Member of the Accessible Yoga Organization and IYI San Francisco.
Kamala Itzel Hayward, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, YACEP
Stress Management Specialist
Kamala Itzel Hayward is a certified Yoga therapist, a Yoga teacher trainer, and a fierce and compassionate advocate for love. Kamala has personally experienced the transformative power of integrative wellness to care for the whole person—body, mind, and spirit. She’s also witnessed it professionally, including in her previous work as a Senior Trainer Adjunct Faculty – Stress Management Specialist for Ornish Lifestyle Medicine at Sharecare and as the Ornish Lifestyle Medicine Stress Management Specialist at the MarinHealth Medical Center cardiac rehabilitation program. In addition to sharing integrative therapies with individuals, Kamala is the founder of Attuned Living, through which she offers social justice and allyship programs for organizations seeking to bring an anti-racist and mindful lens to the work they do. Her unique work is based on the teachings of yoga, mindfulness, and compassionate communication.
Emily Dougherty, RYT-500, TCTSY-F
Stress Management Specialist
Emily is a 500 hour Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance and a Trauma Center Trauma Senstive Yoga Certified Facilitator (TCTSY-F). Emily began her journey with yoga over 15 years ago while living in southern California. While it was the physical challenge that drew her in, it was the deep spiritual component that has inspired her commitment to the practice. She completed her first teacher training in 2017 and was immediately drawn to teaching classes that promote inclusivity for all bodies and abilities. Shortly after, she took her first trauma sensitive yoga training and knew that this would be one of the main focuses of her work. Emily received her 300 hour training through the Center for Trauma and Embodiment and is a certified facilitator of Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga, working with survivors of complex trauma or chronic, treatment-resistant post traumatic stress disorder. She first became connected to the Ornish Lifestyle Medicine Program in 2019 where she served as a Stress Management Specialist at a site in Delaware. She felt an instant alignment with the mission of the program and is honored to be a part of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute as a Stress Management facilitator.
Allison Haag, RYT-200
Stress Management Specialist
Allison Haag is 200 HR Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance. Allison began practicing yoga 10 years ago during American Acting Conservatory training programs. She learned yoga as a foundational warm-up to theatrical performance, dance, voice and improvisation. Allison’s curiosity of yoga as a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual practice led her to India for an Ayurveda & Yoga immersion. She became certified as a yoga teacher after studying classical Hatha Yoga with the Sivananda Yoga Farm in Grass Valley, CA. She currently teaches restorative and hatha yoga classes at Purusha Yoga Studio in San Francisco. Allison sees the integration of yoga as an essential tool for renewing joyful, daily tasks. She teaches mindfulness skills, and stretching to fellow employees at Greens Restaurant. She is currently studying to complete her 500 HR yoga teaching certification. Allison is thrilled to work with Dr. Dean Ornish and the Preventive Medicine Research Institute as a provider of stress management, and body and mind renewal.
Danielle Marquez, BS
Clinical Research Assistant
Danielle serves as the Clinical Research Assistant at Preventive Medicine Research Institute. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Medicinal & Synthetic Chemistry with a minor in Health Studies from the University of San Francisco. Through her time studying health practices in Costa Rica via study abroad, and interning at a local clinic in Peru, Danielle has decided to attend medical school in the near future. Her goal is to help increase access to healthcare globally as a physician. She is passionate about preventive medicine and grateful to support the Alzheimer’s Lifestyle Trial at PMRI.