About
The Low-Carb Action Network is advocating for a true low-carb diet to be added to the official Dietary Guidelines for Americans as a viable dietary option.
Steering Committee
Nadir Ali, M.D.
Chairman, Department of Cardiology at Clear Lake Regional Medical Center and Research Professor, Department of Nutrition and Applied Science, University of Houston Clear Lake
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Nadir Ali, M.D.
Dr. Nadir Ali is a senior scientist and member of the core leadership team in the ENHI. He also holds an academic appointment as a research professor in the Department of Clinical, Health and Applied Sciences. Dr. Ali’s primary research interests include the effect of low-carbohydrate, high-fat diets on cardiovascular and metabolic health. An interventional cardiologist with over 25 years of experience, he also serves as the chairman of the Department of Cardiology for a major hospital system in Bay Area Houston, and as a director for the Low Carb Houston Conference.Before working as a cardiologist, he served as an assistant professor of medicine for eight years at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, where he also received his medical training. He has championed the low-carb lifestyle in the local Clear Lake area since 2013. Dr. Ali organizes a monthly nutritional seminar in the Searcy Auditorium of the Clear Lake Hospital that receives more than 100 visitors every month from the local community. He is a leader in the nutrition community whose research and passion have inspired many to profound health changes.
Charlie Cavo, D.O.
Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder, Pounds Transformation and a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
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As a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine and former OB/GYN, he brings his caring nature to treating obesity and obesity related illnesses using a medically progressive approach. Dr. Cavo is Board certified in Bariatric Medicine and Obstetrics & Gynecology and is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. He earned his medical degree at Nova Southeastern University School of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his Obstetrics and Gynecology residency at the University of Connecticut.
Charlie Cavo, D.O.
Dr. Cavo is Chief Medical Officer and Pounds Transformation Co-Founder, with his wife, Michelle Cavo, PA-C. As an OB/GYN at The Hospital of Central Connecticut, Dr. Cavo became increasingly concerned with how the obesity epidemic was negatively affecting his patients and decided to make finding a solution his life’s work. The business was founded to help patients successfully achieve their weight loss and health related goals through a combination of lifestyle, nutrition and medical interventions.As a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine and former OB/GYN, he brings his caring nature to treating obesity and obesity related illnesses using a medically progressive approach. Dr. Cavo is Board certified in Bariatric Medicine and Obstetrics & Gynecology and is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. He earned his medical degree at Nova Southeastern University School of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his Obstetrics and Gynecology residency at the University of Connecticut.
Georgia Ede, M.D.
Nutritional psychiatry consultant and founder of DiagnosisDiet.com
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Georgia Ede, M.D.
Georgia Ede M.D. is a Harvard-trained, board-certified psychiatrist specializing in nutrition science, brain metabolism, and mental health. She speaks internationally on ketogenic and other dietary approaches to psychiatric disorders, the nutritional differences between plant and animal foods, Alzheimer’s prevention strategies, public nutrition policy, and many other topics. She has nearly two decades of clinical experience including many years as a college psychiatrist and nutrition consultant at Smith College and Harvard University Health Services, where she was the first psychiatrist to offer nutrition-based approaches as an alternative to conventional care for students, faculty and staff. Dr. Ede writes about food and the brain for Psychology Today, DietDoctor.com, and her own website DiagnosisDiet.com. Through her virtual Massachusetts-based private practice, she consults with people locally and around the world to address root causes of mental health disorders and reduce need for psychiatric medications using personalized nutrition and metabolic interventions.
Jeffry Gerber, M.D.
FAAFP, “Denver’s Low-Carb Diet Doctor” and owner, South Suburban Family Medicine
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Nutrition and its effects on health are areas of interest for Dr. Gerber. Frustrated with spiraling healthcare costs related to the treatment of conditions like overweight, obesity, diabetes, atherosclerosis and heart disease just to name a few, Dr. Gerber has been focusing on prevention and treatment programs using low-carb high fat (LCHF), Ancestral, Paleo and Primal diets to treat and prevent these chronic conditions. He maintains a database of patients, looking at weight loss and improved cardio-metabolic markers, demonstrating the benefits of these types of diets. Redefining healthy nutrition is a goal. Dr. Gerber speaks frequently about these important issues to patients, the community and other health care professionals.
Jeffry Gerber, M.D.
Dr. Jeffry N. Gerber, MD, FAAFP is a board certified family physician and owner of South Suburban Family Medicine in Littleton, Colorado, where he is known as “Denver’s Diet Doctor”. He has been providing personalized healthcare to the local community since 1993 and continues that tradition with an emphasis on longevity, wellness and prevention.Nutrition and its effects on health are areas of interest for Dr. Gerber. Frustrated with spiraling healthcare costs related to the treatment of conditions like overweight, obesity, diabetes, atherosclerosis and heart disease just to name a few, Dr. Gerber has been focusing on prevention and treatment programs using low-carb high fat (LCHF), Ancestral, Paleo and Primal diets to treat and prevent these chronic conditions. He maintains a database of patients, looking at weight loss and improved cardio-metabolic markers, demonstrating the benefits of these types of diets. Redefining healthy nutrition is a goal. Dr. Gerber speaks frequently about these important issues to patients, the community and other health care professionals.
Antonio Martinez II, J.D.
Attorney at Law, Businessman and Advocate
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Through a diverse professional background and career with stints in government, the corporate world, the political and public interest arenas, Mr. Martinez is able to bring a diverse set of skills to bear for the Firm’s clients. His practice areas include general practice areas of Immigration, Wills & Trusts, Civil Disputes, Commercial and Corporate Law, Compliance, Real Estate, Contract Negotiations and Drafting. He also handles Federal & State Government Relations, Food & Drug Law – U.S. Food & Drug Administration Compliance – Food, Drug, Dietary Supplement, and Cosmetic Product Development & Marketing, U.S. Federal Trade Commission Matters – Product Advertising, Health Insurance and Professional Licensing Board Matters, Entertainment Law, and Not-For-Profit Organizations.
Antonio Martinez II, J.D.
Antonio C. Martinez II is a native New Yorker, and the son of immigrants from the Dominican Republic. He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University in 1985 and a Juris Doctorate Degree from Brooklyn Law School in 1990. He attended the United States Capitol Page School and is a graduate of New York Military Academy, Class of 1981. His father, the late Antonio C. Martinez, Esq., was the first Dominican American member of the New York State Bar licensed to practice law in the State of New York.Through a diverse professional background and career with stints in government, the corporate world, the political and public interest arenas, Mr. Martinez is able to bring a diverse set of skills to bear for the Firm’s clients. His practice areas include general practice areas of Immigration, Wills & Trusts, Civil Disputes, Commercial and Corporate Law, Compliance, Real Estate, Contract Negotiations and Drafting. He also handles Federal & State Government Relations, Food & Drug Law – U.S. Food & Drug Administration Compliance – Food, Drug, Dietary Supplement, and Cosmetic Product Development & Marketing, U.S. Federal Trade Commission Matters – Product Advertising, Health Insurance and Professional Licensing Board Matters, Entertainment Law, and Not-For-Profit Organizations.
Mr. Martinez has traveled extensively and has visited 45 of the 50 states and 26 foreign countries including Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Mr. Martinez is a prolific public speaker and regularly appears in print and broadcast media. He is a member of the State and Federal Bars of New Jersey, New York, and the District of Columbia.
Doug Reynolds
CEO, Low Carb USA
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When he was first introduced to the concept of the Low Carb / Ketogenic diet, he could not believe that an athlete could function without carbohydrates. However, being an engineer at heart, he started reading all the research and found it all made total sense. It explained all the issues he was having, including the things he struggled with back when he was running well.
Doug Reynolds
By his early 30’s, Doug had run almost a hundred marathons and ultras and could eat pretty much anything he liked. As he approached 40, however, he noticed he was putting on a little weight each year and, no matter how hard he trained, he was not able to get the weight off again. In the end he was constantly injured and hating running, and life itself.When he was first introduced to the concept of the Low Carb / Ketogenic diet, he could not believe that an athlete could function without carbohydrates. However, being an engineer at heart, he started reading all the research and found it all made total sense. It explained all the issues he was having, including the things he struggled with back when he was running well.
So he decided to give it a go and, after an adaptation period of about 10 days, the results were spectacular. His weight started coming down and running became easier and more enjoyable each day.
He am back down to the weight he was when he was 30, his recovery after training is better than it has ever been, his sore knees and other aches and pains have cleared up and he am no longer experiencing any respiratory issues.
He is now committed to helping to reverse the current consensus on diet here in the US and around the world. The consequences of the governmental dietary policies introduced in 1977 have been catastrophic and he believes it’s time we all took a stand!
Eric Westman, M.D.
Associate Professor of Medicine, Duke University
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Eric Westman, M.D.
Dr. Westman’s research interest is disease prevention. Because smoking and obesity are the major causes of morbidity and mortality in modern society, his research involves clinical trials examining new therapies for smoking cessation and obesity.He serves as Medical Director of the Duke Center for Nicotine and Smoking Cessation Research, in collaboration with Jed Rose in the Department of Psychiatry. He is a course coordinator for a Fourth-Year Medical Student Elective on the Medical Management of Obesity, and is a faculty member of the Duke Clinical Research Training Program.
He also belongs to the Society of General Internal Medicine, the Society for Nicotine and Smoking Cessation Research, NAASO: The Obesity Society, and the American Society of Bariatric Physicians. He is also on the Editorial Board of Nutrition & Metabolism.
Board of Directors
Mark Cucuzzella, M.D.
FAAFP, Professor, West Virginia University School of Medicine
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www.drmarksdesk.com
Mark Cucuzzella, M.D.
Mark Cucuzzella MD, FAAFP is a professor of Family Medicine at West Virginia University School of Medicine and a practitioner at the WVU Center for Diabetes and Metabolic Health. Dr. Mark is an author, avid runner, race director for Freedoms Run series, owns a small community running store (which is trying to survive COVID), and advocate for prevention and healthy living in the health care setting and his community.www.drmarksdesk.com
See Dr. Cucuzzella’s most recent articles here:
Charlie Cavo, D.O.
Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder, Pounds Transformation and a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
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As a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine and former OB/GYN, he brings his caring nature to treating obesity and obesity related illnesses using a medically progressive approach. Dr. Cavo is Board certified in Bariatric Medicine and Obstetrics & Gynecology and is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. He earned his medical degree at Nova Southeastern University School of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his Obstetrics and Gynecology residency at the University of Connecticut.
Charlie Cavo, D.O.
Dr. Cavo is Chief Medical Officer and Pounds Transformation Co-Founder, with his wife, Michelle Cavo, PA-C. As an OB/GYN at The Hospital of Central Connecticut, Dr. Cavo became increasingly concerned with how the obesity epidemic was negatively affecting his patients and decided to make finding a solution his life’s work. The business was founded to help patients successfully achieve their weight loss and health related goals through a combination of lifestyle, nutrition and medical interventions.As a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine and former OB/GYN, he brings his caring nature to treating obesity and obesity related illnesses using a medically progressive approach. Dr. Cavo is Board certified in Bariatric Medicine and Obstetrics & Gynecology and is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. He earned his medical degree at Nova Southeastern University School of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his Obstetrics and Gynecology residency at the University of Connecticut.
Staff
Jessica Wharton
Coordinator
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Jessica Wharton
Jessica brings a background in strategic policy communications to the Low-Carb Action Network. She previously worked for the American Farm Bureau Federation, American Soybean Association, and most recently the Farm Journal Foundation, where she led both internal and advocacy communications efforts.Jessica is an Ohio-native, and a graduate of Palm Beach Atlantic University where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Public Relations.