The speakers at the Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives conference are an impressive group. I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with many of them. One of these was Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA, the Surgeon General of the United States. I had the good fortune of meeting Dr Benjamin formally at a press conference and informally at the San Francisco airport. It's easy to see why she was selected to be the person to provide the best scientic information available on how to improve our health and the health of the nation. Besides her many distinguised qualifications, she's a very charming person.
Dr Benjamin at the press conference
Other presenters at the conference were Helen Delichatsios, MD, SM, a Clinician-Educator at Massachusetts General Hospital. One of her important roles is teaching nutrition to medical students for all four years of medical school.
David Eisenberg, MD, is the Bernard Osher Distinguished Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is the engine behind the scientific parts of the conference. His credits are far too long to list but suffice it to say, Dr. Eisenberg puts on a mean cooking demonstration! He walks the talk.
Kathy McManus, MS, RD, LDN who is Director of the Department of Nutrition at Brigham and Woman's Hospital is a dietitian's dietitian. She has presented her research nationally and internationally. I always learn from her presentations.
If Dr Eisenberg is the engine, Amy Myrdal Miller, MS, RD, is the oil that keeps the engine running smoothly. No doubt that she faces many challenges in putting this incredible conference together. She does it in a cool, calm and collected way.
Then, last but certainly not least, is Walter Willett, MD, DrPH, Chairman of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Just to mention a few accomplishments, Dr. Willett has published more that 1200 scientific articles, a textbook and three books for consumers. Besides all of his many accomplishemnts, he's a really nice guy. Rumor has it that he even eats one doughnut a year.
The CIA hosted cookbook and scientific book authors at a book signing where Dr Willet and I shared a table. To show what a good sport he is, we swapped our books for a photograph at the book signing. (He sold more books than I did at the conference! I'm trying to get over that.)
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