Dean Ornish, MD
Keynote speech: "The Power of the Vegetarian Diet"

Dr. Ornish is president and director of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California. He is assistant clinical professor of medicine at the School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, and an attending physican at California Pacific Medical Center. Dr. Ornish received an M.D. from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, was a clinical fellow in medicine at Harvard Medical School, and completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

For the past 20 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. He is the author of four bestselling books, including New York Times' bestsellers Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease and Eat More, Weigh Less. His new book, Everyday Cooking with Dr. Dean Ornish, was published in February.

His research and writings have been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, The Lancet, Circulation, The New England Journal of Medicine, the American Journal of Cardiology and elsewhere. A one-hour documentary of his work was broadcast on "NOVA", the PBS science series, and was featured on Bill Moyers' PBS series, "Healing & The Mind". His work has been featured in virtually all major media, including cover stories in Newsweek, Time, and U.S. News & World Report.

Website: www.pmri.org

Michael Klaper, MD
"Reporting on The Vegan Health Study"

Dr. Michael Klaper graduated from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago in 1972. He Served his medical internship at Vancouver General Hospital in British Columbia, Canada and took under took additional training in surgery, anesthesiology, orthopedics and obstetrics at the University of California Hospitals in San Francisco.

As Dr. Klaper's medical Career progressed, he began to realize that many of the diseases his patients brought to his office - clogged arteries (atherosclerosis) high blood pressure (hypertension), obesity, adult onset diabetes, and even some forms of arthritis, asthma, and other significant illnesses - were made worse, or actually caused, by the high-fat, overly processed Standard American Diet.

This prompted him to undertake a serious study of the link between diet and disease, eventually leading him to implement nutritionally-based therapies in his practice - with remarkably successful results.

Dr. Klaper has undertaken an extensive study of the health of individuals who eat a vegan diet. Conference guests are invited and encouraged to assist Dr. Klaper in his research by signing up for his study. Look for details and a sign-up sheet at the VegSource table outside in the lobby outside the main ballroom.

Website: www.vegsource.com/klaper

William Castelli MD
"New Issues in the Cholesterol Campaign"

William P. Castelli, MD, received the degree of Doctor of Medicine, Surgery and Obstetrics from the University of Louvain in Belgium. He completed his internship at the King County Hospital Center associated with the Downstate Medical School of New York. Dr. Castelli completed his residency in medicine at the Lernuel Shattuck Hospital in Jamaica Plain (Boston). He received a post-doctoral fellowship at the Department of Preventative Medicine at the Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Castelli currently is the Medical Director at the Framingham Cardiovascular Institute and is Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine. He is a member of many professional societies including the American Medical Association, American College of Epidemiology, and The Council on Epidemiology and Prevention, American Heart Association.

Associations with three medical schools have led to his teaching epidemiology and prevention of artherosclerotic cardiovascular disease for 34 years at the Harvard Medical School, 22 years atthe Boston University School of Medicine and 15 years a t the University of Massachusetts Medical School. In addition to his other professional duties, he is also currently the medical director of a new wellness program at the Columbia Metro West Medical Center which specializes in the aggressive management of risk factors.

Dr. William Castelli became the third director of the now famous Framingham Heart Study in 1979, having served there since 1965. The well-known study began in 1948, when the federal government wondered what was killing scores of seemingly healthy men in their 50's and 60's. Now, more than 50 years, 1,000 research papers and $43 million later, the long-running study has shed much light on the risk factors that cause heart disease. In fact, scientists at the heart study coined the phrase "risk factor." Today we're all aware of them: obesity, smoking, high fat diet, high blood pressure, and diabetes to name a few.

Website: www.framingham.com/heart/

Marion Nestle PhD.
"Food Politics"

Marion Nestle has been Professor and Chair of the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies at New York University since Fall 1988. Her degrees include a Ph.D. in molecular biology and an M.P.H. in public health nutrition, both from the University of California, Berkeley. Her first faculty position was in the Department of Biology at Brandeis University. From 1976-86 she was Associate Dean of the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine, where she directed a nutrition education center sponsored by the American Cancer Society, and taught nutrition to medical students, residents, and practicing physicians. From 1986-88, she was senior nutrition policy advisor in the Department of Health and Human Services, with principal responsibility as managing editor of the 1988 Surgeon General's Report on Nutrition and Health.

She has been a member of the FDA Food Advisory Committee and the USDA/DHHS 1995 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, and chaired the American Cancer Society committee that issued dietary guidelines for cancer prevention in 1996.

Currently, she is a member of the Science Board to the FDA. Her research focuses on analysis of the scientific, social, cultural, and economic factors that influence the development, implementation, and acceptance of federal dietary guidance policies. She is the author of Nutrition in Clinical Practice (Jones Medical Publications, 1985). She also is the author of Food Politics, and The Politics of Food Safety and Biotechnology to be published in 2003, both by University of California Press.

Website: www.foodpolitics.com

T. Colin Campbell PhD.
"Where is the Science in Government Science Policy?"

His principal scientific interests, which began with his graduate training in the late 1950's, has been on the effects of nutritional status on long term health, particularly on the causation of cancer. He has conducted original research both in laboratory experiments and in large-scale human studies; in addition, he has participated in multiple deliberations on state, national and international policy matters, has lectured extensively, and has authored over 300 research papers. In addition, he a) has coordinated a USAID-supported technical assistance program for a national nutrition program for malnourished pre-school age children in the Philippines (1966-74), b) currently is Director of a multinational project responsible for nationwide surveys of diet, lifestyle and mortality in the People's Republic of China (1983-present), c) was a co-author and member of National Academy of Science's expert panels on Diet, Nutrition and Cancer (1981-83); Saccharin and Food Safety Policy (1978-79); and Food Labeling and Nutrition Components of Food Labeling (1989-1990), d) was the principal witness for the National Academy of Sciences in two Federal Trade Commission hearings on issues concerning product-specific health claims (1984-1986), e) was Visiting Scholar at the Radcliffe Infirmary, University of Oxford/England (1985-1986), f) has been the Senior Science Advisor for the American Institute for Cancer Research/World Cancer Research Fund (1983-1987, 1992-1998), and g) presently holds an Honorary Professorship at the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine. He is also the recipient of several awards, both in research and citizenship, and is a Co-Founder of three biotechnology companies, two of which are public traded.

Dr. Campbell also served on three successive National Academy of Sciences' panels that formed the early work of nutritional policy in the United States over a 20 year period.

Website: www.newcenturynutrition.com

Panel: John & Ocean Robbins and Frances Moore and Anna Lappe
"Diet for a New America and Diet for a Small Planet: The Next Generation"

Frances Moore Lappé and John Robbins are the authors of the landmark books Diet For A Small Planet and Diet for a New America. These two books greatly altered the way Americans think about food, and changed an incredible number of lives for the better. Through these books and their other works, these two towering figures have been instrumental in moving our society in the direction of health, sustainability and compassion.

In recent months they have each brought forth the long-awaited sequels to their seminal works, titled Hope's Edge and The Food Revolution. In this extraordinary historical event, they will join forces to bring their wisdom and hope to current events, and will be joined by their literal next generation -- John's 28-year-old son Ocean Robbins, and Frances' 28-year-old daughter Anna Lappé. Ocean and Anna are not only carrying on the legacy and work of their parents, but also have accomplished remarkable things on their own.

The Robbins/Lappé team is a fantastic foursome that brings together two food legends along with the perspectives of the next generation.

Frances Moore Lappé is author of Diet for a Small Planet, a visiting scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a senior fellow at Second Nature in Boston, and founder of Food First.

Website: www.dietforasmallplanet.com

Anna Blythe Lappé holds a Masters from Columbia University and is co-author with Frances of Hope's Edge.

Website: www.annalappe.org

John Robbins is author of several bestsellers including Diet for a New America and Food Revolution, and is the founder of EarthSave International.

Website: www.foodrevolution.org

Ocean Robbins is founder and president of Youth for Environmental Sanity (YES!).

Website: www.yesworld.org

Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr. MD
"Becoming Heart Attack Proof"

Eighteen years ago, while chairman of the Cleveland Clinic's Breast Cancer Task Force, general surgeon Caldwell B. Esseistyn, Jr., M.D., grew disappointed in the way he and his colleagues were treating cancer and heart disease. Relying on pills and procedures despite their side effects and risks, Dr. Esselstyn says he and his peers were doing "nothing to prevent disease in the next unsuspecting victim." This was particularly frustrating given that research studies had already suggested an obvious culprit. The fatty American diet was, in all likelihood, responsible for heart disease and many Western cancers, which are infrequently seen in parts of the world where much less fat is consumed.

Targeting heart disease, Dr. Esselstyn's experiment started at home. He and his wife adopted a plant-based diet, cutting out oil, meat, fish and fowl and all but a few nonfat dairy products. "It means a lot to patients to know their doctor is making the same changes they are," he says. Since studies show a craving for fat diminishes the less fat one eats, and since patients have more than 3,000 recipes from which to choose, the physician and his heart patients have grown comfortable with their routine over time. "If I take away something delicious, I replace it with something delicious," Dr. Esselstyn says about the diet. "I may, for example, take away a hot fudge sundae but in its place, I'll tell you how to make a mean Baked Alaska."

Cleveland nutrition consultant Kris Napier attributes some of the success of Dr. Esselystyn' s research study to the time and personal attention the surgeon devotes to the patients. He met with each patient every other week for the first five years of the study, every month thereafter. The surgeon, his wife, the patients and their families still gather several times a year for picnics at which they share favorite low-fat, plant-based dishes.

Having published more than 150 scientific articles, Dr. Esselstyn is Head of the Section of Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic and Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery at the Ohio State University School of Medicine. He received his A.B. degree from Yale University and his M.D.from Western Reserve University. Born in New York City, he grew up on a cattle farm in Upper State New York. In 1956, he won an Olympic gold medal as a member of the U.S. 8-oared rowing team.

Website: www.HeartAttackProof.com

John McDougall MD
"The Healthiest Diet"

John A. McDougall, MD. has been studying, writing and "speaking out" about the effects of nutrition on disease for over 20 years. Dr. McDougall believes that people should look, feel great and enjoy optimal health for a lifetime. Unfortunately, many people compromise their health unknowingly through poor dietary habits.

Dr. McDougall is the founder and medical director of the nationally renowned McDougall Program, a twelve day, live-in plan located at the McDougall Health Center in Santa Rosa, California. Based on several years of private practice with thousands of patients and extensive medical research, Dr. McDougall has developed a nourishing , low-fat, starch-based diet that not only promotes a broad range of dramatic and lasting health benefits such as weight (fat) loss, but most importantly can also reverse serious illness, such as heart disease, without drugs.

As with many leaders of public opinion, he often finds it necessary to challenge the accepted wisdom of the time, and was one of the first traditional physicians of the medical "establishment" to assert that adoption of a vegetarian diet can reverse unfavorable medical conditions such as heart disease. Medical research is now confirming this assertion. And slowly but surely, medical practitioners are accepting it.

Dr. McDougall is the author of several national bestsellers including: The McDougall Plan: 12 Days to Dynamic Health, The New McDougall Cookbook, The McDougall Program for Women, and his latest ground breaking book, The McDougall Program for a Healthy Heart.

A graduate of Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine, he performed his internship at Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, and his medical residency at the University of Hawaii. He is certified as an internist by the Board of Internal Medicine and the National Board of Medical Examiners.

Website: www.drmcdougall.com

U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich
"Feeding the World Safely and Fairly"

US Representative Dennis J. Kucinich, a Democrat of Ohio, is a dynamic, visionary leader of the Progressive Caucus of the congressional Democrats who combines a powerful activism with a spiritual sense of the essential interconnectedness of all living things. His holistic worldview carries with it a passionate commitment to public service, peace, human rights, workers rights, and the environment. His advocacy of a Department of Peace seeks not only to make nonviolence an organizing principle in our society, but to make war archaic. His is a powerful, ethical voice for nuclear disarmament, preservation of the ABM treaty, banning weapons in outer space, and a halt to the development of a 'Star Wars' - type missile defense technology.

Congressman Kucinich acts upon his belief that protection of the global environment is fundamental to preserving the life of all species. He has been honored by Public Citizen, the Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth and the League of Conservation Voters as a champion of clean air, clean water and an unspoiled earth. He was an early critic of nuclear power as being risky economically, and environmentally, raising questions about nuclear wasted byproducts. As a state senator he raised so many questions about a planned siting of a nuclear waste dump in Ohio that the idea was eventually scrapped. Early in his first term in Congress he thwarted an effort to repeal a provision of the Clean Air Act. As a congressional representative to the global climate treaty talks, Congressman Kucinich encouraged America to lead the way toward a sustainable, shared stewardship of the planet through carbon reduction, and investment in alternative energy technologies.

Congressman Kucinich is one of the few vegans in Congress, a dietary decision he credits not only with improving his health, but in deepening his belief in the sacredness of all species. In the 106th Congress, his call for labeling and safety testing of all genetically engineered foods provoked a $50 million advertising campaign by the biotech industry. Kucinich hosted an international parliamentary session, attended by officials of 18 countries, on the social, economic, political and health impact of genetic food technologies. More recently he was one of the principal speakers at an international conference on water rights, where he called for governments to reserve public ownership of water resources.

Kucinich was born in Cleveland, Ohio on October 8, 1946. He is the eldest of 7 children of Frank and Virginia Kucinich. He and he family lived in twenty-one places, including a couple of cars, by the time Kucinich was 17 years old. "I live each day with a grateful heart and a desire to be of service to humanity," he says.

Website: www.house.gov/kucinich

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