WONDR HEALTH - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Professor and Director of the Ingestive Behavior
Corby K. Martin is a Professor and Director of the Ingestive Behavior, Weight Management & Health Promotion Laboratory at Pennington Biomedical Research Center. Dr. Martin also Directs the Human Phenotyping Core of the Center's NIH-funded Nutrition Obesity Research Center. Dr. Martin has received various awards during his training, and he was the recipient of the Lilly Scientific Achievement Award in 2013 and became a Fellow of The Obesity Society in 2015. The overarching goal of Dr. Martin's research is to develop tools and interventions to help people live healthier lives through diet and exercise.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Health Behavior and Nutrition at the University of North Carolina
Deborah F. Tate, Ph.D., is a Professor of Health Behavior and Nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is director of the UNC Weight Research Program, the Connected Health Applications and Interventions (CHAI) Core, and the UNC Nutrition Obesity Research Center's (NORC) Behavioral Core. Dr. Tate has been conducting research on the behavioral prevention and treatment of obesity with a particular emphasis on digital health since 2000 and has published over 150 peer-reviewed scientific articles and chapters.
Donna H. Ryan, MD is Professor Emerita at Pennington Biomedical in Baton Rouge, LA, and currently serves as Past President of the World Obesity Federation. She is Associate Editor-in-Chief of the journal Obesity and has authored more than 200 publications. Dr. Ryan's research focuses on nutrition, obesity, and weight management. She has been an investigator for various US National Institutes of Health-sponsored studies, including Pounds Lost, DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), DPP (Diabetes Prevention Program), and the Look AHEAD study. Dr. Ryan's continuing interests focus on translation of effective weight management into primary care practices.
Dr. Dana Labat is a clinical psychologist licensed in both Louisiana and Texas. Dr. Labat earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Texas Southwestern (UTSW) and runs her own private practice in Louisiana. Dr. Labat utilizes her extensive experience to teach Wondr participants the relationship between mind and body by sharing the science of how to eat the foods you love so you can lose weight, feel better, and live stronger. Dr. Labat knows that mental wellbeing is equally important as physical health, and focuses many of her teachings on the power of mindfulness in living a healthy life. She also has experience treating clinically-diagnosed eating disorders.
Job Titles:
- Researcher
- Exercise Expert
Dr. Renee Rogers is a researcher and practitioner known for developing innovative interventions that engage people in physical activity. She is an expert on the integration of exercise, technology, and weight loss, and loves working with technology to bring weight loss programs to the palm of your hand. Her expertise comes from a solid academic foundation in exercise physiology, behavior change, and weight management, plus years of experience performing professionally in theatre, dance, and working in production design and media. Combined with her unique experience teaching many movement disciplines for the last 25 years, she gives Wondr Health a competitive edge with her experience in designing engaging wellness programming. Dr. Rogers has been published in a variety of outlets, including the American College of Sports Medicine and The Conversation.
Gary G. Bennett, Ph.D., is the Bishop-MacDermott Family Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience, Global Health and Medicine, and vice provost for undergraduate education at Duke University. He is the founding director of Duke's Digital Health Science Center. Dr. Bennett's research program designs, tests, and disseminates digital therapeutics for obesity. His recent work demonstrates the effectiveness of coach-led, digital obesity treatments-delivered via app, texting, and interactive voice response-in preventing obesity and improving cardiometabolic functioning. He has authored more than 150 scientific papers, and his research program has been continuously supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Job Titles:
- Master
- Registered Dietitian
Jae Berman is a master's level Registered Dietitian with over 15 years of specialized experience in weight loss, sports nutrition, digestive disorders and overall wellness. Her professional background spans nutrition research at Stanford University, clinical care, tech-delivered personalized nutrition and frequent appearances on TV and in the print media. Jae's nutrition philosophy centers on whole foods and practical skills that empower her clients to achieve long-term lifestyle change.
John M. Jakicic, PhD has a national and international reputation as a leading scholar in the area of physical activity, and this builds on a line of research to determine the appropriate dose of physical activity for long-term body weight regulation and related chronic diseases across the lifespan. Within this line of research, Dr. Jakicic studies the interaction between energy expenditure and energy intake, the influence of these factors on body weight regulation, and the biological and behavioral pathways by which physical activity impacts health-related outcomes. Specifically, Dr. Jakicic's research has been key to the public health recommendation regarding physical activity for weight control, and he is an expert in the implementation of strategies to improve long-term adherence to physical activity.
Kevin Gilliland is a clinical psychologist with over 20 years of healthcare experience including business, treatment, and research. He's the author of Struggle Well, Live Well and Progress, not Perfection. He has presented to a diverse group of corporations-multiple Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, Google, AT&T, United Airlines, as well as a diverse group of professionals-physician groups, school superintendents, and keynote presentations for annual conferences. Kevin has a unique ability to break down complex research topics in a way that resonates with the broader public, and he does just that as part of the People magazine Health Squad, Men's Health Advisory Group, and frequent guest on local and national television, radio, and in-print publications. After working more than two decades in healthcare, Gilliland started an outpatient healthcare treatment company, Innovation 360, that specializes in mood disorders, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and addiction.
Meridan Zerner is a national award-winning registered dietitian nutritionist with 30 years of experience in the field of health and wellness. She's spent the last 20 years working directly with patients, as well as sharing her passion for nutrition through media segments and lectures across the country. An advocate for preventive and cardiovascular health and nutrition, she uses a practical approach and understands overall health means so much more than weight loss. She leverages her Wellness Coach certification to champion behavioral change skills that support a sustainable lifestyle.
Job Titles:
- Obesity and Lifestyle Medicine Physician
Dr, Richa Mittal is a practicing internal medicine physician who provides weight management and preventive health care. Dr. Mittal uses an integrative approach to treat the whole person, combining evidence-based medical care with customized nutrition, lifestyle, and culinary coaching. She's a diplomate of the Boards of Obesity and Lifestyle Medicine, and also a founding member and current Vice President of the Dallas Obesity Society, where she supports education of health care providers on the evidence-based treatment of obesity.
Dr. Church is one of the country's leading clinical thought leaders in exercise and obesity research. As the author of more than 300 published clinical articles, Dr. Church has received numerous awards for his research in preventive health. He helps lead the development of the Wondr Health curriculum, which is inspired by his medical expertise. Specializing in business-to-business strategies, Dr. Church is an advocate for the employer and has a proven track record of empowering organizations through disease prevention to decrease healthcare costs and inspire employees to be their best selves.
Twice nominated for the James Beard Foundation's Rising Star Chef of the Year Award (in 2005 and 2006, when he was Chef de Cuisine at Abacus), Chef Tre was also named one of the Best in DFW Chefs in 2010 by The Dallas Morning News. Kitchen success led to TV stardom, as Chef Tre thrilled viewers on Bravo Television's "Top Chef" season three and "Top Chef All-Stars". In 2014, Chef Tre founded Tre Wilcox Cooking Concepts, a culinary space hosting cooking classes, events, and team-building experiences. Chef Tre knows you don't have to give up eating well to live well. He teaches Wondr Health participants how to maximize flavors in cooking while also supporting healthy lifestyles.