Dean Ornish, MD
Best-selling Author and Renowned Health, Diet and Nutrition Expert
Biography
Dean Ornish, M.D., is the founder and president of the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California. He is Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Ornish received his medical training in internal medicine from the Baylor College of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and the Massachusetts General Hospital. He received a B.A. in Humanities summa cum laude from the University of Texas in Austin, where he gave the baccalaureate address. For over 33 years, Dr. Ornish 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. Recently, Medicare agreed to provide coverage for this program, the first time that Medicare has covered a program of comprehensive lifestyle changes. He directed the first randomized controlled trial demonstrating that comprehensive lifestyle changes may stop or reverse the progression of early-stage prostate cancer. His current 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 increasing telomerase, an enzyme that lengthens telomeres, the ends of our chromosomes which control aging (in collaboration with Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2009). He is the author of six best-selling books, including four New York Times' bestsellers: Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease; Eat More, Weigh Less; Love & Survival; and his most recent book, The Spectrum. 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, The New 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". Their work has been featured in all major media, including cover stories in Newsweek, Time, and U.S. News & World Report. He has written a monthly column for Newsweek and Reader's Digest magazines and is currently Medical Editor of The Huffington Post, which has 245 million unique readers per month. Dr. Ornish is a member of the boards of directors of the San Francisco Food Bank and the J. Craig Venter Institute. He was appointed to the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy and elected to the California Academy of Medicine. He chaired the Google Health Advisory Council 2007-9. He has received several awards, including 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 Presidential Citation from the American Psychological Association; 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 Lectureship Award from the American College of Nutrition; the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement; a U.S. Army Surgeon General Medal; the Linus Pauling Award from the Institute for Functional Medicine; the Glenn Foundation Award for Research; the Bravewell Collaborative Pioneer of Integrative Medicine award; and the Sheila Kar Health Foundation Humanitarian Award from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles). Dr. Ornish has been a physician consultant to President Clinton since 1993 and to several bipartisan members of the U.S. Congress, and he consulted with the chefs at The White House, Camp David, and Air Force One to cook more healthfully (1993-2000). He gave a keynote speech reviewing the science of integrative medicine at the Institute of Medicine's first Summit on Integrative Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Ornish was recognized as "one of the most interesting people of 1996" by People magazine; selected as one of the "TIME 100" in integrative medicine; honored as "one of the 125 most extraordinary University of Texas alumni in the past 125 years;" chosen by LIFE magazine as "one of the fifty most influential members of his generation;" and by Forbes magazine as "one of the seven most powerful teachers in the world."
Speech Topics
The Power of Lifestyle Change
Dr. Ornish masterfully explains the future of preventative medicine, analyzing the spectrum of choices available to reverse and prevent life threatening conditions. His inspiring stories encourage audiences to embrace a healthier life.
What is the Optimal Diet?
Arguing that it's not just how much you eat, it's primarily what you eat, Dr. Ornish explains how an diet abundant in plant-based foods can help audiences trim waistlines and gain health.
Videos
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Speakers Like Dean Ornish, MD
David Nash, MD
David B. Nash, MD MBA, is a board certified internist who is internationally recognized for his work in public accountability for outcomes, physician leadership development, and quality-of-care improvement. He is the Founding Dean Emeritus of the Jefferson College of Population Health and now serves as the Dr. Raymond C. and Doris N. Grandon Professor of Health Policy. Dr. Nash is regularly on Modern Healthcare's list of Most Powerful Persons in Healthcare and is a principal faculty member for quality of care programming for the American Association of Physician Leaders. Dr. Nash has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and edited 23 books, including Connecting with the New Healthcare Consumer, The Quality Solution, Demand Better, and most recently Population Health: Creating a Culture of Wellness (3rd edition).
Fee Range: $10,000–$20,000
Travels From: PA
Jeff Goldsmith
Jeff Goldsmith is President of Health Futures, Inc and former National Advisor, Navigant Healthcare. He is also Associate Professor of Public Health Sciences at the University of Virginia. For eleven years ending in 1990, Jeff Goldsmith was a lecturer in the Graduate School of Business at the University of Chicago, on health services management and policy. He has also lectured on these topics at the Wharton School of Finance, Johns Hopkins, Washington University and the University of California at Berkeley. Jeff Goldsmith's interests include: biotechnology, health policy, international health systems, and the future of health services. Jeff was the recipient of the Corning Award for excellence in health planning from the American Hospital Association's Society for Healthcare Planning, and has received the Dean Conley Award for best healthcare article three times from the American College of Healthcare Executives. He is also Director of Essent Healthcare, a hospital management firm.
Fee Range: $7,000–$19,000
Travels From: VA
Stephen Klasko, MD
• Executive in Residence, General Catalyst • Global Innovation Ambassador, Sheba Medical Center, Israel • Distinguished Fellow, World Economic Forum • Former President and CEO, Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health •Appointed by President Biden with senate confirmation to the National Board of Education Sciences. •Started his career as DJ “Stevie Kent”
Fee Range: $14,000–$25,000
Travels From: FL
Daniel Kraft, MD
Daniel Kraft is a Stanford and Harvard trained physician, scientist, entrepreneur, inventor and innovator who speaks on how rapidly developing technologies are and will impact the future of healthcare and medicine.
Fee Range: $21,000–$30,000
Travels From: CA
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