Dr. Barnard is the president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and an adjunct professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. He has led numerous research studies investigating the effects of diet on diabetes, body weight, and chronic pain, including a groundbreaking study of dietary interventions in type 2 diabetes patients, funded by the National Institutes of Health. He has authored more than 80 scientific publications, as well as a number of books, including Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes.

Lee is a dietitian with expertise in plant-based nutrition, women's health, and nutrition communications. She received her bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Virginia, took graduate courses in nutrition at the University of North Carolina’s Gillings School of Public Health, and finished her nutrition coursework at the University of Maryland-College Park. She completed her dietetic internship with Virginia Tech in the Washington area.

Stephanie Goettge, of Morgantown, W.Va., was a self-proclaimed “junk food queen” when she was diagnosed in October 2023 with type 2 diabetes, a disease she had watched her mother suffer from for decades. She was also obese, at 225 pounds. Six months after changing her diet, she had reversed her diabetes.

When Donna was feeling sick, had low energy, and was always thirsty, tests revealed that she had type 2 diabetes. Before starting medication, Donna, who lives in Macomb, Mich., asked her physician if she could first try dietary changes, which she shares in the film. Donna successfully reversed her diabetes, and her husband, Zavorio, also experienced health improvements following the same diet.

Dr. Kahleova is director of clinical research for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. She is an endocrinologist with a doctorate in human physiology and pathophysiology. She has conducted several studies showing that a low-fat plant-based diet improves metabolic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. One of the studies found that a plant-based diet reduces muscle fat more than a conventional diet that restricts calories in people with type 2 diabetes. This reduction in muscle fat was also associated with improvements in glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity.

Dr. Kirtley is an internal medicine and pediatric specialist in Rochester Hills, Mich., with expertise in treating diabetes, high blood pressure, and other conditions. She received her medical degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine and has been in practice for more than 20 years. Dr. Kirtley is a member of the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Medical Association.

Dr. Lim is a board-certified family medicine and lifestyle medicine physician who has practiced for more than 15 years in Northern California. Dr. Lim specializes in lifestyle-based approaches to chronic disease prevention and reversal, including weight management, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and autoimmune conditions.

David, of Phoenix, Ariz., had been taking insulin for type 1 diabetes for more than 30 years when he was diagnosed with stage 3 kidney disease, a complication of diabetes. He was told he would need dialysis for the rest of his life. His wife, Karen, suggested he enroll in a clinical trial using the dietary intervention described in the film, which improved his kidney function and reduced the amount of insulin he needed.

Dr. Neabore, a diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, helps patients achieve optimal health through diet, exercise, and stress reduction. Based in South Dakota, Dr. Neabore completed his training in New York City and then practiced in Washington, D.C., and Maryland. He enjoys promoting health in his community and living an active lifestyle himself, competing in marathons, ultra-marathons, and long-distance bicycle riding.

Dr. Ornish is the founder and president of the nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute and clinical professor of medicine at University of California, San Francisco. For more than 44 years, Dr. Ornish has directed randomized trials demonstrating, for the first time, that comprehensive lifestyle changes may begin to reverse even severe coronary heart disease, without drugs or surgery. He has also shown that comprehensive lifestyle changes affect gene expression, “turning on” disease-preventing genes and “turning off” genes that promote cancer and heart disease.

Dr. Petersen is professor of internal medicine in the section of endocrinology at Yale University School of Medicine and deputy director of the metabolic imaging and liver metabolism section at the Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Copenhagen University, Denmark. Dr. Petersen’s research using magnetic resonance spectroscopy has found that a low-fat vegan diet reduces fat inside the liver and muscle cells. Fat stored in these cells has been linked to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Rahman is the clinic director at the Barnard Medical Center and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, where she conducts clinical research, leads nutrition education programs, and provides patient care with an emphasis on nutrition. Dr. Rahman’s recent research has investigated the role of online nutrition education in diabetes reversal. She is also a clinical instructor in medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and frequently speaks at international conferences about the role of nutrition in chronic disease. Dr. Rahman is a board-certified internal medicine and lifestyle medicine physician, certified nutritionist, and personal trainer.

Dr. Ostfeld is the director of preventive cardiology and the founder and director of the Cardiac Wellness Program at Montefiore Health System and a professor of medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. His research focus is on cardiovascular disease prevention through lifestyle modification.

Marc Ramirez was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2002 and thought his genes were the cause; his mother, two brothers, and sister also suffered from the disease. After years of taking medication, restricting carbohydrates, and cutting calories, he was still sick—until making the dietary changes he shares in Reversing Diabetes. Ramirez and his wife, Kim, are now local Food for Life nutrition and cooking class instructors and run the organization Chickpea and Bean. Marc is a graduate of the University of Michigan and earned a degree in sports management and communications.

Karen is a dietitian board-certified in lifestyle medicine and a health and wellness coach. In 2014, Karen began researching plant-based nutrition and adopted a fully plant-based diet. She has been a certified diabetes care and education specialist since 2017, is a member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, is a licensed Food for Life instructor, and is passionate about providing evidence-based nutrition and lifestyle education and resources to help individuals prevent and reverse chronic disease.

Andrew, a retired firefighter and paramedic, and his wife, Jamie, live in Sonoma, Calif. Following his type 2 diabetes diagnosis, Andrew went to see Anthony Lim, MD, who recommended the dietary changes he shares in Reversing Diabetes, helping Andrew to improve his diabetes, along with other health conditions.

Dr. Williams is the chair of medicine at the University of Louisville. He specializes in general cardiology, preventive cardiology, and cardiovascular radiology. He is a past president of the American College of Cardiology and the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology and former chair of the board of the Association of Black Cardiologists. As chief of cardiology at Wayne State University, he founded the Urban Cardiology Initiative, and at Rush University he founded the H.E.A.R.T. program (Helping Everyone Assess Risk Today), screening for heart disease and intervening with education, nutrition, and lifestyle improvement.

Interested in covering Reversing Diabetes or interviewing on of the cast members? We’d love to hear from you. 

Physicians Committee Media Contact
Michael Keevican
202-527-7367
mkeevican [at] pcrm.org