The Washtenaw Optimal Wellness (W.O.W.) Executive Committee is comprised of a coalition of medical and business professionals that are passionate about helping our community be healthy, feel their best, and live longer.
W.O.W. is working diligently to implement a Blue Zone Project in Washtenaw County. Blue Zone® Projects help citizens make the healthy choice, the easy choice™. Our executive committee has grown steadily over the last year, and we continue to add committee members and gain momentum.
Gaia Kile, DipACLM – Certified Lifestyle Medicine Practitioner – Gaia Kile is a family nurse practitioner practicing lifestyle Medicine. For the past 10 years he has worked at an integrative medicine clinic in Ann Arbor, prior to this he founded and ran the Shelter Association Health Clinic. He has worked on several environmental, social justice and community building projects, sits on the board of People’s Food Coop, runs a peer based support organization, and is writing a book about plant based nutrition.
Jeff Tritten – Jeff Tritten is a long time restaurateur. He owned a restaurant in downtown Saline for many years and is deeply connected to the community. After his health failed in 2015-2016, Jeff found healing, good health and 168lb. weight loss by applying Blue Zones principals to his life. Jeff is a nutrition coach, restaurant consultant, and a director with the Plant Based Nutrition Support Group.
Dr. Robert Breakey, DipABLM/DipIBLM – Certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician – Dr. Bob Breakey has practiced Lifestyle Family Medicine in Ann Arbor for 34 years; he is Chairman of the Board and Head of the Family Medicine Division for his medical group: IHA. He has followed a Plant-based lifestyle himself since 1977 and has a passion for supporting patients and communities in improving their health and vitality with straightforward Lifestyle approaches.
Dr. Mira Agrawal, DipABLM/DipIBLM – Certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician – Mira Agrawal has been a practicing Internist in Michigan for the last 23 years. She also sits on the Board of Directors for the Epilepsy Foundation of Michigan and their Professional Advisory Committee. She is very passionate about health and wellness through natural foods, stress relief and finding happiness in life.
Jennifer Moore – In 1985, Jennifer Moore, along with her husband Frank, co-founded their Ann Arbor based wealth management firm, Vintage Financial Services. Jennifer currently sits on the board of the Michigan Theater Foundation and enthusiastically embraces an active plant-based lifestyle, cooking and travel.
Dr. J Fintan Cooper – Dr. Cooper, MD, FACS, is a General Surgeon at St. Joseph Mercy who has been in practice for 20 years. He is a runner and works to incorporate healthy lifestyle practice into his own life and into education of patients aiming for overall better disease management and improved surgical outcomes.
Lisa McDowell, MS, RD, CSSD – Lisa is the Director of Clinical Nutrition and Wellness at St. Joseph Mercy Health System in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and is the team dietitian for the Detroit Red Wings, Grand Rapids Griffins and Team USA Olympic National Development Program. She is always looking for ways to fuel health and sports performance with delicious plants.
Tom Jackson – Tom Jackson has a vast amount of experience bringing Foodservice products to market nationwide, and packaged food products to market on a regional basis as a business owner for a total of over a 40 years. He is an avid bicyclist, and is passionate about sharing his Whole Food Plant based life style with others.
Dr. Ann Poznanski – Dr. Ann Poznanski is a board certified Pathologist with a career in teaching and medical school administration and is currently a medical education consultant. She serves on the Board of Directors for the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) and on the leadership team for Aquifer Science, a collaboration between Aquifer and IAMSE, building a national curriculum of virtual patient cases to promote the effective integration of basic sciences into the clinical training. She has followed a plant-based lifestyle for the past 10 years and is pursuing Forks Over Knives Cooking certification and board certification in Lifestyle Medicine.
Honorable Judge Patrick J. Conlin – Pat Conlin is a Circuit Court Judge in Washtenaw County. He is a lifelong student of health and wellness, also serving on the boards of St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea Hospital and the 5 Healthy Towns Foundation.
Dr. Paul Berkowitz, DipABLM/DipIBLM – Certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician – Paul Berkowitz, MD has been practicing nephrology for over 20 years. He incorporates whole food, plant based nutrition and the principles of lifestyle medicine in the prevention and treatment of diseases of the kidney.
Mona S. Ottum MS, RDN, IFMCP, CLT, CD – Mona is a chemical engineer and registered dietitian with a MS in Human Nutrition, a board certification in functional medicine, and advanced certificates of training in weight management, adverse food reactions and Alzheimer’s reversal (Bredesen). Mona has a private practice in Saline, MI where she employs functional medicine nutrition and lifestyle therapies to restore health.
Christine Stead – Christine Stead is the owner and principal at Headlamp Advisors, a strategic advisory firm for healthcare institutions from local FQHCs, Michigan Medicine, and the Cleveland Clinic (planned and launched their Center for Functional Medicine: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/departments/functional-medicine). Christine is Adjunct Faculty, University of Michigan School of Public Health. She is an involved community member with 9 years on the Ann Arbor Public Schools Board of Education; The Sierra Club; Huron Waterloo Pathways Initiative Executive Board; and is the Washtenaw County Democratic Party Fundraising Co-Chair.
Dr. Melissa Sundermann, DO, DipABLM/DipIBLM – Certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician – Melissa Sundermann has been practicing Internal Medicine utilizing lifestyle tools for the past 20 years. She has also received training in Integrative Medicine and Mind Body Medicine and is a Board Member of Huron Waterloo Pathways Initiative. She is an avid runner/triathlete and loves to spend time outdoors with her family and dog.
Howard Scheps – Howard Scheps worked for the City of Ann Arbor for 20 years where he served as the City’s Election Specialist. Prior to that, he worked as an economist in the federal government and in the private sector for General Motors as well as on Wall Street. Howard has long been active in the plant-based lifestyle community and has followed a vegan diet since 1988. He co-owned a vegan catering company, co-founded the Vegetarian Information Network and Exchange (VINE) and has given numerous lectures and demonstrations on vegan topics, including veganic gardening presentations at the North American Vegetarian Society’s Summerfest.
Michelle Elder, EMT-P – Michelle has worked in the field of emergency medicine as a Paramedic and EMS/Wellness educator for 27 years with the last 15 years working in a local emergency department. She is also the founder of Thrive Nutritional Wellness, LLC. Who’s mission is helping people obtain their optimal wellness through lifestyle and nutritional wellness coaching.
Eva Solomon – Eva Solomon is a University of Michigan Alumni and the Founder and CEO of Epic Races, an endurance race management company. Epic Races organizes endurance race events for people of all abilities, inspiring them to reach new heights of health, and set new fitness goals by training for and completing an endurance event. Eva is also an endurance athlete and lives by the mantra “Be fit, be well, and keep smiling!”
Dr. Harry Anderson, III – Dr. Anderson is a trauma surgeon who is Board Certified in Surgery, Surgical Critical Care and Hospice and Palliative Medicine. While a relative newcomer to a plant-based lifestyle, he has been active with physician wellness initiatives for nearly a decade at St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor.
Suzanne Paisley – Susie Paisley works as a financial executive at startup companies in the Ann Arbor area. She is treasurer and secretary of the board of directors for the Huron Waterloo Pathway Initiative, and serves on the board of directors for the Dispute Resolution Center of Washtenaw County. She is an outdoor activity enthusiast, avid gardener and has an overall healthy approach to her lifestyle through proper nutrition and exercise habits.
Dr. Theresa Poppe, DipABLM/DipIBLM – Certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician – Dr. Theresa Poppe has practiced Lifestyle Internal Medicine in Plymouth/Canton for the last several years. She is the Internal Medicine Division Head for her medical group: IHA. She has adopted a Plant-based lifestyle herself since 2017, and has a passion for empowering her patients to make healthy changes in their lives through Lifestyle approaches.
Alexandra Babcock, MPH, RDN – Alexandra is the Lifestyle & Culinary Medicine Coordinator at St. Joseph Mercy Health System in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She is interested in combining physiology and the science of food to tackle chronic disease and help others reach optimal health and personal wellness.
Emily Haller, MS, RDN – Emily works in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Michigan Medicine where she provides individualized nutrition counseling and medical nutrition therapy to patients with a variety of gastrointestinal disorders. Additionally, Emily works with clients through her private practice, Haller Health and Wellness, LLC where specializes in nutrition services for digestive health, plant-based diets, and sports nutrition. Emily is passionate about helping others achieve a nutritionally balanced diet that supports their specific goals and wellness. She is an avid cyclist, triathlete, and has been fueling her active lifestyle with a plant-based diet since 2013.
Dr. Frank Pelosi – Frank Pelosi, MD is a practicing Cardiologist (Heart Specialist) in Ann Arbor, MI. at Michigan Medicine Cardiology Clinic., and has been in practice for 26 years. Dr. Pelosi also specializes in Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology, is currently director of the Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship Program at the University of Michigan Health System, and is an Associate Professor of Medicine at University of Michigan Medical School .
