Preventive Medicine Lecture Series
Past lectures
Special thanks to our co-host The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education.
Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr., MD
The inaugural Preventive Medicine lecture - “The Nutritional Reversal of Cardiovascular Disease: Fact or Fiction?” - was held on April 20, 2016, with Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr., MD, author and advocate of a whole-foods, plant-based diet. Watch Dr. Esselstyn's lecture online.
Dr. T. Colin Campbell
Dr. T. Colin Campbell presented “Why is Nutrition Ignored in Medicine?” at Geisinger Commonwealth on November 30, 2016. Dr. Campbell is the coauthor of the best-selling book The China Study: Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health, and author of the New York Times bestseller Whole, and The Low-Carb Fraud. He is the founder of the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and the online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate in partnership with eCornell. Watch Dr. Campbell's lecture online.
Doug Lisle, PhD
Doug Lisle, PhD, renewed evolutionary psychology, presented “The Psychology of Healthy Eating and the Pleasure Trap” on April 26, 2017. Dr. Lisle shared his experience and insights into behavior change, specifically how certain factors can affect your desires and behaviors. He is the founder of a new method of approaching human psychology and wellbeing. He describes this approach as Esteem Dynamics, whose core insights are adapted from a revolutionary biological approach to psychology. Watch Dr. Lisle's lecture online.
Kim Williams, MD
Kim Williams, MD, is the chief of cardiology at Rush University Medical Center and past president of the American College of Cardiology. Dr. Williams presented his lecture – “Taking the Die out of Diet” – on Oct. 5, 2017 at Geisinger Commonwealth. Watch Dr. Williams' lecture online.
Gail A. Cresci, PhD
Gail A. Cresci, PhD, Pediatric Institute & Lerner Research Institute, Departments of Gastroenterology & Pathobiology, Cleveland Clinic, presented "The Gut Microbiome and Health: How Tending to the Health of Your Gut Microbiota Improves Overall Health" on April 18, 2018. Watch Dr. Cresci's lecture online.
Michael Baime, MD
Michael Baime, MD, director of Penn Program for Mindfulness, University of Pennsylvania Health System, presented “Mindfulness for Life” on Oct. 3, 2018. Watch Dr. Baime's lecture online.
Robert J. Ostfeld, MD
Robert J. Ostfeld, MD, director of preventive cardiology and associate professor of medicine at Montefiore Health System, presented "Confessions of a Reformed Cardiologist: A Plant-Based Diet and Your Heart" on April 18, 2019. Dr. Ostfeld discussed the impact of a plant-based diet on cardiovascular health and how it compares to other dietary patterns. Watch Dr. Ostfeld's lecture online.
Petros Levounis, MD
Petros Levounis, MD, MA, professor and chair, Department of Psychiatry, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and chief of service, University Hospital, presented “The New Neurobiology of Addiction” on Oct. 8, 2019. According to Dr. Levounis, "From a neurobiological perspective, addiction can be seen as the hijacking of the pleasure-reward pathways of the brain with a concomitant weakening of its executive function. In 2019, the fundamental model has been expanded to include newer concepts such as motivational circuitry and anti-reward pathways. These 21st century discoveries inform clinical innovations that are now changing the landscape of addiction and its treatment." Watch Dr. Levounis' lecture online.
David H. Ledbetter, PhD, FACMG, and Christa Lese Martin, PhD, FACMG
On Oct. 7, 2020, David H. Ledbetter, PhD, FACMG, former executive vice president and chief scientific officer, Geisinger, and Christa Lese Martin, PhD, FACMG, associate chief scientific officer, Geisinger, and professor and director, Autism & Developmental Medicine Institute, presented “Using DNA to Guide the Health of Individuals and Communities.” Watch this lecture online.
Future lectures
Our Preventive Medicine Lecture Series is meant to improve your well-being. If you have suggestions for future topics, email us at development@som.geisinger.edu.