INTELLIHEALTH - Key Persons

Amy Laktash has been in healthcare for 14 years and a nurse practitioner for 6 years. Her experience in weight management includes specializing in bariatric surgery, as well as leading a patient safety and quality improvement program for metabolic and bariatric surgery patients. She currently serves as an executive officer and Integrated Health Chair for the Ohio/Kentucky state chapter of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Amy earned a bachelor's degree in nursing from Miami University and Master in Nursing from The University of Akron. She is certified as an Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.

Job Titles:

• Executive Vice President, Clinical Operations

Job Titles:

• Registered Dietitian

Dana Cizinski is a registered dietitian and nutrition professional specialist with more than 14 years of experience. She uses her background in evidenced-based clinical dietetics and sound understanding of wellness coaching to help people make healthy lifestyle changes. After a dietetic internship with the Cleveland Department of Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Dana earned a masters degree in nutrition from Case Western Reserve University.

Job Titles:

• Chief Operations Officer
• Operating Executive

Education Back to All Leadership David Bass is an entrepreneur and operating executive with over 25 years of experience within the health software, enterprise software, and digital media marketplaces. Mr. Bass started his software career by founding Dynamic Health Concepts, one of the first interactive health and fitness software companies, which was acquired by Ziff Davis in 1996. During his career, Mr. Bass has held executive management positions in product management, marketing, sales, and corporate development. Some of Mr. Bass' career highlights include running corporate development in education and media at Macromedia (acquired by Adobe for $1.5B); building ebrary as SVP of Sales and Marketing (acquired by Cambridge Scientific for $225M; turning around Rand McNally as SVP of Strategy and Marketing for Patriarch Partners, generating $38M in EBITDA after 12 months of operations; and running The Learning Company/Broderbund Software as GM and Division President for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (Broderbund acquired by Navarre for $60M). Prior to Intellihealth, Mr. Bass worked with private equity firms and venture

Dr. Velazquez is the Director of Obesity Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Dr. Velazquez worked at Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles as an Obesity Medicine Specialist in the bariatric medicine department and as a primary care physician with a focus on lifestyle/preventive medicine in the internal medicine department. In 2022, Dr. Velazquez left Kaiser Permanente and joined Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, CA as the Director of Obesity Medicine. Dr. Velazquez's professional focus is to help improve clinicians' knowledge of obesity as a chronic, relapsing disease and how to apply bias-free best practices in caring for patients. Dr. Velazquez has published/co-published multiple articles and research on topics ranging from weight recidivism after bariatric surgery to the training of medical residents and fellow on obesity and its treatment. Dr. Velazquez completed her internal medicine residency in 2016 at Indiana University. After receiving her medical degree, Dr. Velazquez pursued a specialty fellowship, training in nutrition and obesity medicine at Boston University / Boston Medical Center under the guidance of Dr. Caroline Apovian.

Job Titles:

• Education

Dr. Freilich is a board-certified, fellowship-trained gastroenterologist with a special emphasis on hepatology, liver disease, and weight management. Dr. Freilich leads the Kansas City Research Institute, a leading site in liver disease and digestive disease states. He is a well-known academic and researcher credited with numerous articles, presentations, talks, and research projects on various aspects of liver disease. This distinction ensures that the patients under his care have access to the latest treatments and technologies to treat liver disease. In addition to his practice, Dr. Freilich serves as the medical director of the Liver & Pancreas Institute at Research Medical Center. He is a diplomat of the American Boards of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology and a member of American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, and the American Gastroenterology Association. Dr. Freilich earned his medical degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine. He completed his internal medicine residency at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago. Dr. Freilich then completed two fellowships at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center, one in gastroenterology and the other in hepatology.

Job Titles:

• Education

Dr. Goldin is a board-certified internal medicine physician.

Job Titles:

• Director of Heartwise Cardiology
• Education

Dr. Harnick is the Director of Heartwise Cardiology in Manhattan and an attending Cardiologist at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan, New York. He specializes in cardiovascular disease and remote patient monitoring. Dr. Harnick's publications include "Reverse electrical remodeling of the atria post cardioversion in patients who remain in sinus rhythm assessed by signal averaging of the P-wave" in Pacing and Clinical Electrophysiology, among others. Dr. Harnick received his medical degree from CUNY Mt. Sinai School of Medicine and his fellowship in cardiology at Mt. Sinai Hospital.

Job Titles:

• Education
• Physician - Investigator

Dr. Aleman is trained as a physician-investigator who uses his background as a biomedical engineer who trained at MIT to assess substrate metabolism using state-of- the-art methods that followed tracers as they moved into various cellular compartments in his approach to treating his patients. Dr. Aleman's recent publications include "Obesity And Ethnicity Alter Gene Expression In Skin" in Scientific Reports, among others. Dr. Aleman was part of a program at Harvard Medical School that led to him obtaining combined M.D. and Ph.D. degrees. He completed his clinical training in internal medicine and then endocrinology at the Weill Cornell Medical Center. During his final years of this training, Dr. Aleman entered the Clinical Scholars Program and initiated a research program with Jan Breslow at Rockefeller University.

Job Titles:

• Physician
• That Doctor

Dr. Katherine H. Saunders is a physician entrepreneur and a leading expert in Obesity Medicine. She is on the cutting edge of effective and compassionate obesity treatment. Dr. Saunders is on faculty at Weill Cornell Medicine, where she teaches and precepts. Dr. Saunders received her undergraduate degree Phi Beta Kappa/Summa Cum Laude from Dartmouth College and her medical degree from Weill Cornell Medical College, where she became a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. She completed her internship and residency training in Internal Medicine (Primary Care) at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine, where she served as ambulatory chief resident. Dr. Saunders was the first clinical fellow in Obesity Medicine at the Comprehensive Weight Control Center at Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Saunders is a diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Obesity Medicine. She hosts the Weight Matters podcast with Dr. Louis Aronne, she regularly speaks at international conferences, and she publishes extensively on Obesity Medicine and weight management. She has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. Additionally, she has been featured in multiple national media outlets, including Women's Health, USA Today, Medical News Today, and NY Post. Dr. Saunders also makes frequent guest appearances on a variety of podcasts and radio shows. Dr. Saunders' recent awards and recognition include the Women at Weill Investment Competition, Brown Brothers Harriman 22 Women to Watch in 2022 and Medika Life Top 30 Influencers Transforming Wellness in 2023. , would become Dr. Aronne's first fellow in obesity medicine at Weill Cornell, and she has been helping patients with obesity lead healthier lives ever since. But even as Dr. Saunders' expertise and experience grew (along with the roster of providers at the CWCC), the number of patients in need of obesity treatment continued to exceed the ability to deliver it to them all. Patients often had to wait months to get an appointment. This chasm between supply and demand isn't unique to the CWCC. Frustrated with long wait times and an inability to help more patients get the care they need, Drs. Aronne and Saunders teamed up with Sloan Saunders (Katherine's husband) to create a company that would combine their clinical expertise with tech-enabled tools to scale obesity treatment beyond their clinic. That company became Intellihealth.

Job Titles:

• Chairman of the Obesity
• Education

Dr. Kaplan is the former Director of the Obesity, Metabolism and Nutrition Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital Associate Professor of Medicine. He is one of the founding members of the American Board of Obesity Medicine. Dr. Kaplan currently serves as chair of the Obesity, Metabolism and Nutrition Section of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), chair of the Bariatric Surgery Section and chair of the Clinical Committee of the Obesity Society, and is the Director of the Blackburn Course in Obesity. Dr. Kaplan's clinical expertise is in the areas of obesity medicine, gastroenterology and liver disease. The author of more than 150 medical and scientific papers, he has a special interest in the causes and complications of obesity and the development of new and more effective preventive strategies and therapies for this problem. His clinical research is focused on identifying clinically relevant subtypes of obesity, identifying predictors of outcome of obesity therapies, and exploring novel, combination therapies for obesity and its complications. His basic research is focused on the physiological and molecular mechanisms of gastrointestinal regulation of body weight and metabolic function, and his group has pioneered the development and use of rodent models of weight loss surgery and gastrointestinal devices to explore these mechanisms. Dr. Kaplan graduated from Harvard University and received his medical degree and doctorate in molecular biology from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University. Dr. Kaplan completed an internship and residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in gastroenterology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and a fellowship in genetics at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Job Titles:

• Founder

As a founding executive, Lupe Minero has worked alongside Intellihealth's founder Dr. Louis J. Aronne, for over 16 years. She brings extensive experience in developing, implementing, and managing a wide range of programs and services rooted in an evidence-based approach to medical weight management. Ms. Minero is a graduate of Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health with a Master's of Public Health, specializing in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. She also holds a Bachelor's from the University of California, San Diego, in Human Development, with a minor in Chemistry.

Job Titles:

• Columnist for the Huffington Post
• Director of the National Center for Weight
• Education

Dr. Scott Kahan is the Director of the National Center for Weight and Wellness. He is a physician trained in both clinical medicine and public health. He serves on the faculties of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the George Washington University School of Medicine, and the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. Dr. Kahan has advised the White House, several Surgeons General, members of the U.S. Congress, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and numerous governmental agencies, national and local advocacy groups and public health initiatives pertaining to obesity, nutrition, and chronic disease prevention. Dr. Kahan is a columnist for The Huffington Post and has written articles in numerous newspapers and scientific journals. He has written 14 books and often speaks at professional and public conferences and events. Dr. Kahan received his medical degree from the Medical College of Pennsylvania, and his Master's of Public Health degree from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. He trained in Internal Medicine and completed a residency in Preventive Medicine at Johns Hopkins University, where he served as Chief Resident. He is also certified as a nutritionist by the National Board of Physician Nutrition Specialists.

Job Titles:

• Columnist for the Huffington Post

Dr. Ilana Redmond specializes in the care of patients with obesity and weight-related complications. Her areas of expertise include medical weight management and the primary care of patients with obesity. Dr. Redmond received her undergraduate degree from Middlebury College and her medical degree from Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College. She completed her internship and residency in Internal Medicine (Primary Care) at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine. She subsequently completed a fellowship in Obesity Medicine at the Comprehensive Weight Control Center at Weill Cornell Medicine. She is a diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Obesity Medicine. Dr. Redmond lives in New Jersey with her husband, two children, and dog, Bowie.

Over her 25-year career as a registered dietitian, Julie has worked in a variety of settings, including bariatric centers, outpatient clinics, a military clinic, worksite wellness, school nutrition, and private practice. Julie holds an MS in Sports Nutrition from Georgia State University and a Bachelor of Science in Health Education/ Health Promotion from the University of Florida. As an active member leader in the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics serving on several committees, Julie was integral in the development and continues to serve as a subject matter expert for the Commission on Dietetic Registrations Certified Specialist in Obesity and Weight Management, an interdisciplinary credential to support the physician ABOM credential. Julie lives in the Tampa Bay area of Florida with her husband and their black lab Milo. She has two grown children, Stephen and Alexis.

Dr. Leon Igel specializes in the care of patients with obesity and a broad spectrum of associated endocrine conditions. His primary areas of expertise include: weight management, post-bariatric surgery care (including treatment of inadequate weight loss or weight regain after surgery), type 2 diabetes, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), and disorders of the thyroid (hypothyroidism). Dr. Igel received his medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine with special distinction in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism. He completed his internship and residency training in Internal Medicine (Primary Care) at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine, where he served as ambulatory chief resident. He subsequently completed a combined Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism fellowship at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and the Hospital for Special Surgery. He has lectured and published broadly on the topics of obesity medicine, pharmacotherapy for the treatment of obesity, and obesity-associated endocrine conditions. He is a fellow of The Obesity Society (FTOS), and a fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP). Dr. Igel lives in New York City with his wife, who is a high-risk obstetrician at Montefiore Medical Center, their son, and their Havanese dogs.

Job Titles:

• Vice President of Customer Success

Education Back to All Leadership Ms. Minero was the Director of Products and Programs for BMIQ, the predecessor of Intellihealth, where she was head of program planning, development, and operations for several non-clinical treatment and research programs and projects. She has also been involved in the planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of several health-related treatment programs, research studies, and educational projects funded by private, commercial, and government grants such as the NIH, NHLBI, HRSA, PCORI, and the CDC, which have led to several publications.

Nathan Lesch has been practicing in healthcare for 14 years. For the past seven years, he has worked in private practice in Texas. He is a certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, board certified in Advanced Diabetes Management, and a certified Obesity Specialist by the World Obesity Federation. He is passionate about preventing disease and reversing existing health conditions by utilizing evidence-based practices and partnering with patients to assist in medically managed weight loss. Prior to becoming a nurse practitioner, Nathan worked as a registered nurse in the Transplant Medical/Surgical units at the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin; the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, Colorado; and the Transplant and Cardiovascular/Thoracic surgery ICUs at the University Hospital in San Antonio, TX. He has a Master of Science in Nursing from The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio. Nathan lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife Annie and their dog Blanca.

Paul has been an LPN for over 13 years, working in urgent care, neurology, neurosurgery, primary care, endocrinology, and presurgical screening department. He was in the U.S. Army for 13 years where he first trained for computer systems. He spent the last five years of his service as an LPN. At Flyte, his focus is pre-authorizations, pre-visit chart preparation, coordination with providers and patients, remote patient monitoring, as well as training and managing other nurses in these areas.

Job Titles:

• Chief Executive Officer
• Co - Founder

Education Back to All Leadership

Job Titles:

• Practice Specialist

Tara has 17 years of experience working in medical practices, including at the Comprehensive Weight Control Center at Weill Cornell Medical. She received a bachelor of arts in Psychology and English from Baruch College. At Flyte, Tara's focus is on making each individual's care experience seamless. Her team facilitates patient onboarding and clinical care coordination, making healthcare headacheless.