Harvard Health Experts and Contributors

Daniel Pendick

Former Executive Editor, Harvard Men's Health Watch

Daniel Pendick is a former executive editor of Harvard Men’s Health Watch. He previously served as editor and chief writer for the Cleveland Clinic Men’s Health Advisor and Mt. Sinai School of Medicine’s Focus On Healthy Aging. Dan earned a master of arts degree in the history of science and medicine from the University of Wisconsin in 1992, and was a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT in 1998–99. He is also a lecturer in the Professional Writing Program at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he teaches the next generation of physicians and biomedical researchers how to communicate more effectively with each other and the general public.

Numa Perez, MD

Contributor

Dr. Perez is a general surgery resident at Massachusetts General Hospital, and one of the 2018–20 Healthcare Innovation Research Fellows at the MGH Healthcare Transformation Lab. His research lies at the intersection of healthcare outcomes and disparities, and the use of mobile healthcare technology to improve patient experience while upholding equity. After completing his surgery residency, Dr. Perez hopes to pursue a career in pediatric surgery.

Edward Phillips, MD

Contributor

Dr. Edward M. Phillips is an assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School, and the founder and director of the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston. He’d like to see you end your war with food by tuning into the new WBUR podcast “Food, We Need to Talk,” an Apple Podcasts favorite. He is also co-host of the award-winning WBUR podcast “The Magic Pill.” Connect with him on Twitter @EddiePhillipsMD.

Shiv Pillai, PhD, MBBS

Contributor

Shiv Pillai, PhD, MBBS, is a professor of medicine and health sciences and technology at Harvard Medical School, director of the Harvard immunology PhD and master’s in medical sciences programs, director of MD student research for the Harvard-MIT health sciences and technology program, and program director of an NIH-funded autoimmune center of excellence at Massachusetts General Hospital, based at the Ragon Institute.

Srini Pillay, MD

Contributor

Srini Pillay, M.D. (www.drsrinipillay.com) is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry (Part-Time) at Harvard Medical School. After graduating as the overall top medical student in South Africa, he completed his residency in psychiatry at McLean Hospital—Harvard’s largest freestanding psychiatric hospital. There, he won more national awards than any resident in his class, and was one of the top three award winners in the US. Srini has completed fellowships in Psychopharmacology, Structural Brain Imaging and Functional Brain Imaging. In addition, he was Director of the Outpatient Anxiety Disorders Program at McLean Hospital. Srini was nationally funded by NIDA and was a co-investigator on many NIMH grants during his seventeen years of studying functional brain imaging at McLean Hospital, where he was Director of the Panic Disorders Research Program in the Brain Imaging Center. During this time he maintained an active clinical practice and still does. Srini is invested in translating research findings in psychiatry for the general public. A keen but non-nihilistic critic of certainty in any realm, he is invested in honoring qualitative and evidenced-based approaches from thoughtful examinations of psychological vulnerabilities. Srini received the “Books for a Better Life” award for his book, “Life Unlocked: 7 Revolutionary Lessons to Overcome Fear (Rodale, 2010). As an expert in brain-based leadership development and CEO of NeuroBusiness Group (www.neurobusinessgroup.com), he has also written “Your Brain and Business: The Neuroscience of Great Leaders (FT Press, 2011.)” Srini is also a LinkedIn educator who teaches people how to manage their depression in the workplace: (https://www.lynda.com/search?q=srini+pillay) Srini has contributed to developing leaders at The World Bank, IMF, United Nations, Fortune 500 Food and Beverage Companies, Lockheed Martin and many others. He is internationally recognized as an expert in applied brain science and human behavior, having been invited to speak throughout the US, London, Greece, Paris, Switzerland, Romania, Bulgaria, Brazil and India. His expertise has also frequently been sought out by the media having been featured on CNN, Fox, NPR, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Forbes, Fortune, Business Insider and various other outlets. His upcoming book, a deeper examination of focus, distraction and human complexity will be published by Random House (Ballantine) in the Spring of 2017. Srini is also a musician and poet.

Jorge Plutzky, MD

Contributor

Dr. Jorge Plutzky is director of preventive cardiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and is on the Harvard Medical School faculty. In his position within preventive cardiology, Dr. Plutzky directs the BWH Lipid Clinic and the BWH Pollin Center for Women’s Cardiovascular Health. Dr. Plutzky is a recognized expert on preventive cardiology issues, with a particular focus on how metabolic abnormalities like diabetes, obesity, and dyslipidemia impact atherosclerosis. Dr. Plutzky received his BA, with highest distinction as an Echols Scholar, from the University of Virginia, and his MD from the University of North Carolina, with distinction for research accomplishments during medical school through an NIH fellowship. Internal medicine residency and cardiology fellowship were completed at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, which included a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Melanie Pogach, MD

Contributor

Dr. Melanie Pogach is a critical care and sleep medicine physician, the associate director of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Sleep Center, and an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. She is committed to clinical care, education, innovation, and research as they apply to respiratory and sleep health. Her clinical passion lies in understanding and treating complicated sleep-breathing disorders, circadian dysregulation, and chronic respiratory failure. She has developed a chronic respiratory failure management program, and is conducting clinical research on noninvasive ventilation in patients with advanced COPD.

Rani Polak, MD, Chef, MBA

Contributor

Dr. Rani Polak is the founding director of both the Culinary Healthcare Education Fundamentals (CHEF) Coaching program at the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, and the Center of Lifestyle Medicine at Sheba Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel; as well as a Research Associate at the Department of PM & R, Harvard Medical School. Prior to this position he completed a Research Fellowship in Lifestyle Medicine at Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School, and a residency in Family Medicine at the Hebrew University Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel. Rani had the good fortune to be the founder of the Hadassah Healthy Cooking and Lifestyle Center and the Israeli Society of Lifestyle Medicine. His first lifestyle intervention won the Hebrew University’s Kaye Award Prize for innovation and his book, Delicious Diabetic Recipes, is a gold best seller. Dr. Polak’s focus, along with clinical care, is on nutrition education, and on clinical and translational research relating to culinary medicine and medical education. His current work is concentrated on the Culinary Coaching approach, which aims to improve nutrition through culinary training combined with health coaching principles. This approach was used through: 1) Patients CHEF Coaching telemedicine program, aimed at improving eating behavior of patients with cardio-metabolic risk factors. This was implemented at HomeBase, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and at dozens of practices nationwide, and 2) Clinician CHEF Coaching tele-training program, aimed at training clinicians in how to provide effective Culinary Healthcare Education. This was implemented in the Yale Preventive Medicine/Internal Medicine residency program, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, and was recently approved by Harvard Medical School for Continuing Medical Education credits. Dr. Polak’s work has been featured in many media outlets including Scientific American, Herald Tribute, Jerusalem Post, and USA Today.

Heather Potts, PhD

Contributor

Heather Potts, PhD, is a licensed psychologist who earned her doctorate in school psychology at Syracuse University. She completed her internship at Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine's department of pediatrics and at Springfield Public Schools, and her postdoctoral fellowship at SIU. Prior to her graduate studies, she earned a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling from The George Washington University, and provided counseling and transition services to high school students with disabilities. She joined the outpatient psychiatry services team at Boston Children's Hospital in January 2020 to deliver clinical psychological services and specialty care for children and adolescents with ADHD.

Anthony Prince, MD

Contributor

Dr. Anthony Prince is an associate surgeon in the division of otolaryngology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and serves as an instructor in the department of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at Harvard Medical School. He completed residency training in the department of otolaryngology–head and neck at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. His clinical practice focuses on the surgical management of obstructive sleep apnea, sino-nasal disorders, as well as head and neck surgical pathology. He currently leads a multidisciplinary program focusing on nerve stimulation as treatment for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in people not successful with other therapies.

Mark Proctor, MD

Contributing Editor

Mark Proctor, M.D. is the Director of the Brain Injury Center and Interim Neurosurgeon in Chief at Boston Children’s Hospital. He is past-Chairman of the Board of the Thinkfirst National Injury Prevention Foundation, and continues to serves on the Board. He has major clinical interest in brain and spine injury, congenital spinal disorders and craniofacial malformations. He is Chairman-elect of the Pediatric Section of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, and incoming President of the New England Neurosurgical Society.

Stuart Quan, MD

Contributing Editor

Dr. Quan is a graduate of the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. He did residency training in Internal Medicine at the University of Wisconsin, and fellowships in Critical Care Medicine and Pulmonary Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco and University of Arizona respectively. He moved to Havard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in 2007 where he currently is the Gerald E. McGinnis Professor of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Senior Physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. In addition, he is Professor Emeritus of Medicine at the University of Arizona where he was Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Associate Head of the Department of Medicine, Program Director of the GCRC and Director of the Sleep Disorders Center. He was the founding editor-in-chief of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (2004-2014) and is the initial recipient of an award for editorial excellence named in his honor. Dr. Quan also has served as the president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (1999-2000), been on the board of directors of the American Board of Sleep Medicine (1990-1996). a member of the Residency Review Committee for Internal Medicine of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education; and chair of the Sleep Medicine examination committee for the American Board of Internal Medicine. Recently, he was a member of the Steering Committee that developed the new sleep scoring manual for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and is currently the Editor of the Sleep and Health Education Program at Harvard Medical School’s Division of Sleep Medicine, Associate Editor of the Southwest Journal of Pulmonary and Critical Care and Deputy Editor of Sleep. He also is the Clinical Director of the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He is the recipient of the Nathaniel Kleitman Distinguished Service and William C. Dement Academic Achievement Awards, both conferred by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Dr. Quan’s current research activities focus on the epidemiology of sleep and sleep disorders, particularly sleep disordered breathing.

Loren Rabinowitz, MD

Contributor

Dr. Loren Rabinowitz is an instructor in medicine Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, and an attending physician in the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at BIDMC. Her clinical research is focused on the intersection of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and women’s health. She is passionate about achieving gender equity in medicine and gastroenterology, and has led multicenter national studies on gender dynamics in medical education, mentorship, and parental leave policies. Her work has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet GI & Hepatology, Academic Medicine, American Journal of Gastroenterology, Gastroenterology, and Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, among others.

David Ramsey, MD, PhD, MPH

Contributor

David J. Ramsey, MD, PhD, MPH, is currently the Director of Ophthalmic Research at the Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, a part of Beth Israel Lahey Health. As a specialist in retinal disease, he performs surgery and sees patients in Peabody and Burlington, MA. Dr. Ramsey received his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine in 2008. He completed his residency in Ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (2009-2012) and afterwards a combined medical/surgical fellowship in vitreoretinal diseases at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (2012-2014). His research focuses on the prevention and detection of retinal diseases such as diabetes, macular degeneration, and glaucoma.

Vikram Rangan, MD

Contributor

Dr. Vikram Rangan is a gastroenterologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and is an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School. He joined the faculty in 2018, and is part of the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and motility team at BIDMC, which specializes in the diagnosis and management of GI motility disorders, as well as clinical research into novel treatment approaches for these conditions. Dr Rangan’s clinical and research interests include acid reflux, disorders of the stomach, and IBS.

John J. Ratey, MD

Contributor

John J. Ratey MD, is an associate clinical professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and an internationally recognized expert in Neuropsychiatry. He has published over 60 peer reviewed articles and 11 books, including the groundbreaking ADHD “Driven to Distraction” series, and “Spark, The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain.” Honored by the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society for Advancing the Profession, Ratey lectures around the world in additional to maintaining a private practice in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Los Angeles, California. He enjoys running, weight training and hiking with his wife. Web site: Johnratey.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnRateyMD/ Twitter: @jratey

Niyoti Reddy, MD

Contributor

Dr. Niyoti Reddy is currently an advanced fellow of obesity medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. She is a board-certified internist and has completed a fellowship in endocrinology and diabetes. She is also pursuing a fellowship in contemplative medicine, an innovative 12-month program to cultivate leaders committed to addressing challenges in the healthcare system. The core training is based on the teachings of the historical Buddha. Dr. Reddy has been practicing yoga and meditation for several years, and has chosen to be an obesity medicine specialist because it is the most impactful way for her to help people.

Emily Reiff, MD

Contributor

Dr. Emily Reiff is a maternal fetal medicine physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), specializing in high-risk obstetrics, and a clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Reiff completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at BWH and Massachusetts General Hospital, and a fellowship in maternal fetal medicine at Duke University. She currently sees pregnant patients in the maternal fetal medicine offices at BWH in Boston and Foxboro, and performs consultations in the Center for Fetal Medicine. Academically, she is interested in care redesign through quality improvement initiatives. She lives in Wellesley with her husband and daughter.

William Renthal, MD, PhD

Contributor

William Renthal, MD, PhD, is the director of molecular genetics at the John R. Graham Headache Center. Dr. Renthal completed his MD, PhD and neurology residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and joined Brigham and Women’s Hospital for his final year of residency and postgraduate training in headache medicine. He is board certified in neurology and provides patients with comprehensive headache care including advanced diagnostics and personalized treatment plans, which may include behavioral/complementary therapy, medication and/or procedures (e.g. nerve blocks, Botox). In addition to clinical care, Dr. Renthal conducts neuroscience and genetics research at Harvard Medical School where he is interested in the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms underlying migraine. He has published over 30 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on his research.

Jenette Restivo

Health Writer; Assistant Director for Digital Content Creation and Engagement, Harvard Health Publishing

Jenette Restivo is a Health Content Writer and Assistant Director for Digital Content Creation and Engagement at Harvard Health Publishing. Jenette is a media professional with a 15+ year-career creating strategic content for broadcast, nonprofits, and websites. Jenette started her career in health editing at About.com. She reported for the medical unit of ABC News, and was a producer/writer of health, science and other documentaries for television channels such as PBS, the Discovery Channel, and National Geographic. Jenette led communications efforts for a healthcare nonprofit called Primary Care Progress, and directed content strategy for the Children and Nature Network.

Kathryn Rexrode, MD, MPH

Contributor

Dr. Kathryn Rexrode is the Chief of the Division of Women’s Health in the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Rexrode has broad and deep research experience in women’s health, with particular expertise in cardiovascular disease in women. She leads multiple grants from the National institute of Health and is the author of more than 250 research publications. Dr. Rexrode also leads the Office of Women’s Careers in the Center for Diversity and Inclusion at BWH where she works to advance gender equity, diversity and inclusion. Dr. Rexrode practices as primary care physician at the Gretchen and Edward Fish Center for Women’s Health at BWH.

Kathryn Rexrode, MD, MPH

Contributor

Dr. Kathryn Rexrode is the Chief of the Division of Women’s Health in the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Rexrode has broad and deep research experience in women’s health, with particular expertise in cardiovascular disease in women. She leads multiple grants from the National institute of Health and is the author of more than 250 research publications. Dr. Rexrode also leads the Office of Women’s Careers in the Center for Diversity and Inclusion at BWH where she works to advance gender equity, diversity and inclusion. Dr. Rexrode practices as primary care physician at the Gretchen and Edward Fish Center for Women’s Health at BWH.

Hope Ricciotti, MD

Editor at Large, Harvard Women's Health Watch

Dr. Hope A. Ricciotti is Editor at Large of Harvard Women’s Health Watch. She is an associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School, and leads the department of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Shauna Rice, BS

Contributor

Shauna Rice, BS, is a clinical research fellow in Dermatology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. She is also an MD candidate at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and will be graduating in 2022.

James Richter, MD

Contributor

James Michael Richter, MD, is a Physician at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. He received his undergraduate degree from The University of Texas at Austin and Medical and Masters Degree from the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical School. He completed a residency in Internal Medicine and later a clinical and research fellowship in gastroenterology at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians. Dr. Richter practices consultative and endoscopic gastroenterology. Dr. Richter has an established interest in healthcare systems development and quality management, infectious, and inflammatory enteric diseases. He served as a Trustee of the Partners Community Healthcare; the community network that is a part of the Partners HealthCare System and Trustee of the Massachusetts General Hospital. He was Medical Director of the Massachusetts General Physicians Corporation and its successor, the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization between 1992 and 2002. There he chaired the Managed Care, Medical Management, Medical Policy Committees and Clinical Performance Management Task Force. He was Chief Medical Officer of the Caritas Christi Health Care System from 2002 through 2004. Dr. Richter served as a member of the Baldrige National Quality Award Board of Examiners and the Massachusetts Medical Society Information Technology and Quality of Care Committees. He is recently the chair of the Society for General Internal Medicine National Clinical Practice Committee which is responsible for quality of care, practice management, and applications of clinical information technology. He currently serves on the advisory committee to CMS developing the criteria for episodes of care for MIPS and MACRA. He continues to have an active leadership role in medical management, safety and quality of care improvement at the Massachusetts General Hospital. His research interests include the effectiveness of care of the adult patient with digestive disease, screening for colorectal cancer, quality management in healthcare and healthcare systems development and improvement. He has contributed over 180 original papers and chapters to the medical literature.

Harvard Health Experts and Contributors

List of Experts

Daniel Pendick

Numa Perez, MD

Edward Phillips, MD

Shiv Pillai, PhD, MBBS

Srini Pillay, MD

Jorge Plutzky, MD

Melanie Pogach, MD

Rani Polak, MD, Chef, MBA

Heather Potts, PhD

Anthony Prince, MD

Mark Proctor, MD

Stuart Quan, MD

Loren Rabinowitz, MD

David Ramsey, MD, PhD, MPH

Vikram Rangan, MD

John J. Ratey, MD

Niyoti Reddy, MD

Emily Reiff, MD

William Renthal, MD, PhD

Jenette Restivo

Kathryn Rexrode, MD, MPH

Kathryn Rexrode, MD, MPH

Hope Ricciotti, MD

Shauna Rice, BS

James Richter, MD