Conference Addresses Plant-Based Health and Nutrition, Dietary Changes, and Social Determinants of Health
By Office of Communications & Marketing | May 16, 2022
The School of Public Health and the College of Medicine, in collaboration with the Brooklyn Health Disparities Center and Plant-Powered Metro New York, hosted the 2nd Annual Conference on Plant-Based Health and Nutrition on May 6.
The one-day conference, attended by 160 clinicians and community members, included presentations from national and local experts on the scientific evidence supporting plant-based nutrition for disease prevention and treatment, strategies for shifting to a plant-predominant diet, and using whole food, plant-based nutrition for athletic performance and endurance. The conference also addressed barriers to dietary change, with a focus on social determinants of health. The meeting was chaired by Elizabeth Helzner, Ph.D., MS, DipACLM, interim chair and associate professor from the School of Public Health, and co-chaired by Richard Rosenfeld, M.D., MPH, MBA, DipABLM, distinguished professor, and program director of Otolaryngology.
After welcome messages from Keydron K. Guinn, Ph.D., MA, MBA, senior vice president and chief of staff, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, conference speakers provided compelling information with a keynote message from Columbus Batiste, M.D,. FACC, FSCAI, an Interventional Cardiologist with the Southern California Permanente Medical Group who established the Integrative Cardiovascular Disease Program at Kaiser Permanente.
Dr. Batiste’s presentation, “Unraveling the Black Health Paradox,” examined reasons for the race-related health disparities seen in the U.S., focusing on the unique stressor of racism and its relationship to chronic disease. He highlighted the shift to food and habits to handle stress and how foods high in salt, sugar, and fat can create additional stress in our bodies. Dr, Batiste also discussed building cardiovascular resilience through dietary and lifestyle changes to foster “Black Blue Zones” – areas of optimal health and longevity in black and urban communities.
Dr. Rosenfeld, who also serves as Chief Medical Officer for the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine, presented a consensus statement that he co-wrote, “Dietary Interventions to Treat Type 2 Diabetes in Adults with a Goal of Remission: An Expert Consensus Statement from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.”
The morning session ended with testimonials from people who used plant-based nutrition to reverse disease and an update on student engagement in nutrition and lifestyle medicine initiatives at Downstate presented by College of Medicine student Lora Stoianova.
The afternoon session included a presentation by Rachel Atcheson from the New York City Mayor’s office, who discussed health policy initiatives in the city around lifestyle medicine and plant-based nutrition; Michelle McMacken, M.D., FACP, DipABLM, who discussed Health + Hospitals Plant-Based Lifestyle Medicine Program, and Robert Ostfeld, M.D., MSc, FACC, who presented on Montefiore’s Cardiac Prevention Program.
Read the press release here.