Research Academy

The purpose of the Research Academy is to support SMHP Members who desire to learn more about conducting research studies, provide training on the steps and processes involved, coordinate with the SMHP on future educational talks or training videos to serve as resources to expand research knowledge and opportunities for SMHP members, and connect members with potential Research Mentors to assist in creating, conducting and publishing research literature. If you are an SMHP member and would like to volunteer to help this committee, please fill out the form at the bottom of the page.

Melanie Tidman

Melanie Tidman DHSc, M.A., OTR/L, MHP

Academy Chair

Dr. Melanie Tidman completed a Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy, a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology, and a Doctorate in Health Science. Dr. Tidman has 44 years of experience in pediatrics, intensive care, and adult physical rehabilitation, emphasizing neurology, neurodegenerative diseases, and neurosurgery rehabilitation. She received certification from the Society of Metabolic Health Practitioners as a Metabolic Health Practitioner with specialties in Telehealth applications in Parkinson’s Disease, Metabolic Health, and Diabetes.

During her professional experience, Dr. Tidman has published over 20  articles about telehealth, healthcare reform,  Parkinson’s Disease, and Public Health applications to chronic disease management in developing countries. She is a contributing chapter author for an Occupational Therapy textbook. Her book “Families in ICU: A Survival Guide” was published in October 2015 and is the first book in a series of educational guides for families of patients with neurological conditions. Her second book “Families in the Rehabilitation Center and Beyond”  was published in February 2017. Dr. Tidman is an Adjunct Professor for  4 Universities and has expertise in healthcare delivery, healthcare administration,  patient-centered care, and professional writing. She is also the Director of Clinical Research for the Colorado Parkinson Foundation. She has conducted and published clinical research on Parkinson’s Disease using both low-carb approaches and the Ketogenic diet since 2019.

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Prof. Adrian Soto-Mota MD, PhD, FACP

Data Analysis Mentor

I obtained my MD in Mexico and specialized as an internist at Mexico's National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition.
Afterwards, I trained as a Data scientist at Harvard and obtained my PhD in Physiology at Oxford.
My research has focused on the clinical applications and prescription of ketogenic interventions.
However, most of my collaborations have involved advanced Statistical Analysis and Clinical Prediction Tools.
Currently, I am a tax-funded clinical researcher and Internal Medicine consultant at Mexico's National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition.
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Kelley Sauber

Research  Mentorship Program Coordinator

Kelley is a highly experienced wellness professional with an impressive track record spanning over three decades. With a deep understanding of individual needs and a unique ability to connect with her clients, she consistently achieves positive and transformative results.

Kelley holds a Bachelor's degree in Health & Physical Education, which has provided her with a solid foundation in the principles of health and wellness. She obtained a  Master's degree in Exercise Science & Health Promotion, further augmenting her knowledge and expertise in the field.

She holds several notable certifications, including being a Certified Nutrition Network Coach Practitioner, a certification that showcases her expertise in low carbohydrate nutrition and its impact on overall health. Complimentary, she is an ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist, demonstrating her knowledge and proficiency in exercise science and physiology. Being a WellCoaches certified wellness coach rounds out her knowledge and skills in being flexible to tailor a program to the individual.

Kelley's dedication to her clients' well-being is evident in her extensive education, certifications, and decades of experience. She combines her wealth of knowledge with a compassionate and personalized approach.

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Dawn White, Ph.D., DHSc, MS, RT(R)

Qualitative Mentor

Born and raised in the most southeastern corner of Virginia, Dr. White received a Doctor of Health Science (DHSc) with a Global Health concentration at A.T. Still University and is an alumnus of Walden University, holding a Ph.D. in Psychology with a specialization in Teaching. Dr. White has a Master of Science in Psychology and received her bachelor’s in psychology from Old Dominion University and an associate degree in Radiology from Tidewater Community College. She is currently in a Post-Doctoral Fellowship with the Institute of Research Theory and Methodologies (RTM), working with classic grounded theory research. 

In her professional life, she has been in Radiology at Sentara Leigh Hospital for over 36 years. Dr. White is a part-time assistance professor at National University teaching healthcare informatics, a visiting assisting professor at the University of the Pacific teaching courses in health science, and an adjunct professor at Centura College teaching health management and psychology. She serves as a subject matter expert creating courses at several colleges and universities and recently completed a course for a new post-graduate certificate program at Claremont Lincoln University. 

Dr. White, a qualitative researcher, collaborates with the Colorado Parkinson Foundation (CPF), closely assisting Parkinson's disease patients and their spouse caregivers. She is currently immersed in a research study delving into the grief experiences of wife caregivers following the loss of their spouses due to Parkinson's disease. In addition, she is involved in a research study investigating the utilization of healthy oils and the Ketogenic diet among Parkinson's patients. Concurrently, she participates in post-doctoral research alongside her cohort from A.T. Still University, exploring aspects of professional fulfillment.

In her personal life, Dr. White and her husband, Dr. Tim White, have been married for 17 years. Their close-knit family includes two children, six grandchildren, and a spoiled English Lab. Her family is important to her, and they gather for family dinner each Tuesday. Her hobbies include making vanilla extract, researching, traveling, going to Disney, and enjoying her grandchildren.

 

Melanie Tidman

Melanie Tidman DHSc, M.A., OTR/L, MHP

Quantitative Mentor

Dr. Melanie Tidman completed a Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy, a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology, and a Doctorate in Health Science. Dr. Tidman has 44 years of experience in pediatrics, intensive care, and adult physical rehabilitation, emphasizing neurology, neurodegenerative diseases, and neurosurgery rehabilitation. She received certification from the Society of Metabolic Health Practitioners as a Metabolic Health Practitioner with specialties in Telehealth applications in Parkinson’s Disease, Metabolic Health, and Diabetes.

During her professional experience, Dr. Tidman has published over 20  articles about telehealth, healthcare reform,  Parkinson’s Disease, and Public Health applications to chronic disease management in developing countries. She is a contributing chapter author for an Occupational Therapy textbook. Her book “Families in ICU: A Survival Guide” was published in October 2015 and is the first book in a series of educational guides for families of patients with neurological conditions. Her second book “Families in the Rehabilitation Center and Beyond”  was published in February 2017. Dr. Tidman is an Adjunct Professor for  4 Universities and has expertise in healthcare delivery, healthcare administration,  patient-centered care, and professional writing. She is also the Director of Clinical Research for the Colorado Parkinson Foundation. She has conducted and published clinical research on Parkinson’s Disease using both low-carb approaches and the Ketogenic diet since 2019.

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David Jehring

REDCap Database Manager

As a former NHS family doctor, Dr. David Jehring has transitioned to specialising in nutritional and environmental medicine, exploring the intricate connections between diet, lifestyle, and health. His approach combines comprehensive medical knowledge with a keen focus on how nutrition and environmental factors influence overall well-being. This year, he is organising a conference on Mental Health in London, bringing together leading researchers from the universities of Cambridge, Harvard, Edinburgh, and Washington to look at recent advances in nutritional interventions on brain health.

In addition to his medical practice, Dr. Jehring has made significant contributions to healthcare technology. As the CEO of Black Pear Software, he has been instrumental in developing systems that facilitate crucial health data sharing across the healthcare community. His expertise in patient care informed the creation of the UK’s first Windows-based GP clinical system and the first national primary care data analytics platform in 2000, which played a vital role in national research projects like the RCGP research unit.

Dr. Jehring’s work extends beyond the clinic and into the public health arena as Chair of Trustees for the Public Health Collaboration, a charity promoting metabolic health to reverse chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes. Through his interest in regenerative agriculture at his Worcestershire smallholding, he has developed an interest in the impact of soil health on human health and now runs an annual conference bringing together leading healthcare practitioners and regenerative farmers.

Other Members

Tro Kalayjian, DO

Dr. Tro Kalayjian, is a board-certified physician in both Internal Medicine and Obesity Medicine.  He lost 150lbs to reclaim his health for himself and his family.  He did it by ignoring much of the conventional medical advice he had been told.  His life's goal is to get his patients healthy, prevent disease, and get them OFF their medications.  He completed medical school at TouroCOM in New York.  He completed his internal medicine residency and chief residency within the Yale system at Greenwich Hospital.  He has been practicing medicine for 8 years, the last 3 in private practice.  His practice focuses on tracking patients seamlessly and remotely with smart-devices, including scales, blood pressure cuffs, wearable technology and continuous glucose monitors.  His practice focuses on de-prescribing medications and using lifestyle, diet and exercise to improve the course of disease.

His personal weight loss story begins at childhood.  He grew up obese, in an obese family.  He has personally dealt with the deep emotions and feelings involved with being overweight for most of his life.  He has dealt with the same issues that many of his patients face, which affords him the capacity to empathize with them and guide them in a special way.  This connection is why his patients are successful in their wellness journey, because he is not preaching from some Ivory Tower.  He lived through what his patients live through, and he has experienced what they are experiencing.  In order to heal himself, he studied for countless hours through medical literature, researched thousands of papers, read hundreds of books in order to find the answer, for himself, to the ever important question: Why are we fat?

And what he found during his journey and research was in such stark contrast to what we have all been told.  Eating multiple small meals DOES NOT speed up your metabolism.  Fruit Juices ARE NOT healthy.  Red Meat, Fish & Full-Fat Yogurt ARE healthy.  If most physicians and nutritionists can't get it right, why do we expect anything different from our patients?  Are we surprised that obesity epidemic has exploded?  What patients may not realize is that most physicians DO NOT have sufficient training in nutrition and can't help you lose weight or reverse disease.  Furthermore the food industry and special interests have made it so hard to understand what a healthy lifestyle really is.

Ultimately, he finds he is best able to serve his patients because he understands what it is like, He has been through it, and he helps his patients every step of the way.  He succeeds when they succeed.

Tro Kalayjian, DO

Doug Reynolds, BSc (Elec Eng), MHP

Doug Reynolds is the Founder and CEO of LowCarbUSA®.  The original organization was founded in the beginning of 2016 with the initial  intention of providing  a platform, through an annual conference, for internationally renowned scientists and medical practitioners to present the ever-increasing body of evidence on the benefits of reducing carbohydrates in the diet (and adding in healthy fats).  He felt that education about the power of the low carb/ketogenic diet for the individual who may not get the information from their medical team or from mainstream nutrition advice, and for practitioners who may then be able to prescribe it in their practice was critical.

However, his mission quickly evolved when he realized how important this was to the medical professional community.  Valuable tools are needed, not only to provide hope to their patients to reverse and prevent disease but restore hope to that very practitioner. This is why they went to medical school and got professional training, to help people heal and not just put Band-Aids on and never address the root cause of the problem.  Too many practitioners are being taught that the many chronic diseases our communities are facing are just chronic and progressive.  With effective tools and supportive information, complications can be stopped in their tracks and further complications reduced and the disease process may even be reversed.

The tools and resources Low Carb USA has been providing,  not only includes the live conferences, but also  includes a huge library of educational videos, a growing database of practitioners, and nutritionists and sports trainers who are open to  the carb restriction conversation as well as a searchable database for papers and articles covering the research into the evidence supporting this lifestyle.

Most importantly, though, he has coordinated the establishment of a panel of advisors to oversee the creation and maintenance of a set of 'Clinical Guidelines for Therapeutic Carbohydrate Restriction' which was first published in May, 2019.

He has worked tirelessly over this period during the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown to now establish this nonprofit, the Society of Metabolic Health Practitioners, and this organization will now house most of the above body of work as education and training of Metabolic Health Practitioners and the entire community interested in making a difference in worldwide metabolic health.  The aim is to stall and reverse the increasing prevalence of noncommunicable, lifestyle related diseases, influenced by metabolic dysfunction and insulin resistance.  Accreditation pathways have even been established for practitioners within this society to introduce credibility to the practice of therapeutic carbohydrate restriction and to help establish alternative Standard of Care for those whose metabolisms are different because they don’t eat excessive carbohydrates.

Doug Reynolds, BSc (Elec Eng), MHP