Resources Committee
The Resources Committee functions to curate resources on nutrition and metabolic health, and then work with medical students, residencies, and clinicians to integrate them into their educational programs and daily practices.
Jodi Nishida, PharmD
Committee Chair
Dr. Jodi has been living a well-formulated ketogenic lifestyle for over 4 years. By eliminating carbs and sugar, the autoimmune condition that she suffered with for 13 years went into remission. She no longer had to inject herself in the abdomen weekly. After both researching and personally realizing the numerous benefits of low carb, she opened a private practice in Honolulu, HI based in ketogenic nutrition and cardiometabolic health. She has helped thousands of patients with their medical conditions from head to toe and works tirelessly to make keto a sustainable lifestyle in Hawaii.
Partnered with a Cardiologist, The Keto Prescription Clinic accepts 90% of insurance plans to be able to help all socioeconomic groups including Medicare and Medicaid. Dr. Jodi also holds unique menu collaborations with food companies such as Zippy's Restaurants, 7-Eleven Hawaii, Big City Diner, Via Gelato, Feast, and others. She has been featured on the radio, numerous podcasts, and TV shows in Hawaii where she advocates for a low carb lifestyle through education and showing the fun, delicious side of being healthy. You can find her on Facebook @Jodi.Nishida or Instagram @theketoprescription.
Committee Leadership (click on images to see bios)
Kendrick Murphy
Kendrick Murphy, PharmD, BCACP, MHP is a primary care clinical pharmacist practitioner currently practicing at the Western North Carolina VA Health Care System. Kendrick received his PharmD from Northeastern University and completed a PGY1 pharmacy practice residency at the Gulf Coast VA. Kendrick has practiced for over a decade, and has spent the 2nd half of his career dedicated to the study and implementation of lifestyle interventions to help address metabolic disease. He has a passion for helping patients deescalate their medications by emphasizing evidence-based therapeutic lifestyle interventions and the importance of healthy living. He has successfully guided numerous patients off medications for diabetes and hypertension. Kendrick also focuses his time teaching pharmacy students and pharmacy residents safe lifestyle interventions to improve the life of his patients.
Kendrick Murphy, PharmD, BCACP, MHP
Tia Reid, CDM, CFPP, MHP
Tia is the Director of Nutritional Services, Certified Dietary Manager and Food Protection Professional at our local Critical Access Hospital. Having been diagnosed with T2D, Metabolic Syndrome, Hypertension, Obesity, Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver, Sleep Apnea as well as Adrenal Insufficiency and carbohydrate addiction, she realized it was high time she engaged in Self-Management of her chronic illnesses. She needed to, in effect, take action to improve her health to save her own life.
She adopted the mindset, through the guidance of Dr. Robert Cywes, that carbohydrates are an addiction in order to treat her T2D and metabolic syndrome. This is what saved her life. It was abundantly clear that she is a carbohydrate/sugar addict. Under the care of Dr. Cywes and support from everyone in the LowCarb Community, she has eliminated over 20 medications. She now has a passion for life and a desire to help others.
Tia has over 35 years of experience in service based environments., from owning a restaurant and Motel to currently working in a hospital setting as the Director of Nutritional Services.
Because of her firsthand knowledge of how a LCHF lifestyle can help and even reverse NAFL, T2D, Obesity, Hypertension, Adrenal Insufficiency, Sleep Apnea and Gout, she is enthusiastic to give others the therapeutic option of LCHF Nutrition on their individual journeys to wellness, as a Nutrition Network Coach accredited by the Society of Metabolic Practitioners and Certified and Licensed SUGAR Addiction Specialist
Tia Reid, CDM, CFPP, MHP
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Karen Jerome–Zapadka MD, DABOM
Dr. Jerome–Zapadka is a native of Ellwood City, Pennsylvania. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Pittsburgh School of Health Related Professions with a BS in Physical Therapy. She received her Medical Degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, graduating with Honors, and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. She performed her Internal Medicine residency and subspecialty fellowship in Gastroenterology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, maintaining board certification in Gastroenterology. She has been practicing Gastroenterology since 1993, joining Valley Gastroenterology Associates in 2000. She is currently serving as President of the organization. She maintains ties with her mentors at UPMC to bring their knowledge to her community setting.
She has always had a special interest in metabolic health, obesity, and the medical complications associated with these entities, particularly Non–Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). But it was after her own brush with Insulin Resistance, and her patient with end stage fatty liver disease and liver cancer asking her: “Dr., did I eat myself to death?”, that she knew she needed more answers than her training had provided. She then achieved board certification in Obesity Medicine, but it was attending her first LowCarb USA meeting in 2019, as well as reading the book. “The Big Fat Surprise” by Nina Teicholz that truly changed the trajectory of her career. She is now actively pursuing certification through the Society of Metabolic Health Practitioners, (SMHP) where she is a founding member.
Aligned with these interests, Dr. Jerome–Zapadka developed and co-chairs the Metabolic Task Force at the Heritage Valley Health System. This task force has brought together a diverse group of physicians, nurses, nutrition specialists, education specialists, medical residents, and pharmacist. Several short and long term goals have been developed related to education regarding metabolic health and therapeutic carbohydrate reduction(TCR), and to change the paradigm on how we view chronic disease, with an emphasis on disease reversal and drug de-escalation. A Metabolic Order Set is in development and now offers in-patients a low carbohydrate meal plan, that will be transitioned to the out-patient setting. It is hoped that the task force may serve as a model for other institutions interested in change.
With the support from HVHS, and Joni Current from VGA, she developed the area’s first Pediatric Symposium, “All Hands On Deck,” a morning devoted to pediatric health. There was a special emphasis on pediatric fatty liver disease and the role of the ultra-processed food diet. It was attended by staff from nearly every school district in the area.
She serves as a co-chair of the Fatty Liver Coalition of the Community Liver Alliance (formerly the American Liver Foundation), serves on the Board of Directors of NASH kNOWledge, and has recently aligned with the Global Liver Institute, all organizations devoted to raising awareness about NAFLD. She speaks at numerous events for these organizations. Dr. Adele Hite joined Dr. Jerome- Zapadka on the Fatty Liver Coalition prior to her passing.
She is the Medical Director of the VGA Center for Obesity Medicine, where patients enroll in a structured, comprehensive program to improve metabolic disease, obesity and NAFLD, utilizing Therapeutic Carbohydrate Reduction, appropriate physical activity and behavioral changes. Using FibroScan technology, progress can be tracked to document complete reversal of fatty liver. The organization is active with teaching of medical students and Family Medicine residents where they learn about metabolic health, insulin resistance and NAFLD. She recently teamed up with Dr. Mark Cucuzella to give a joint talk to the Family Medicine Residents. Two PCOM medical students have developed a pilot project for their research requirement that involves screening self-perceived healthy patients for metabolic disfunction, then attempting to reverse this in a cost- effective setting with group teaching visits about metabolic dysfunction, TCR, physical activity and behavioral changes. A quarter of the subjects screened had evidence of moderate to severe fatty liver.
She also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Heritage Valley Health System and recently presented at the Board Retreat, a talk entitled “Insulin Resistance/Metabolic Dysfunction: A Root Cause Analysis”, educating Board members about metabolic disease and laying out the case that hospital nutrition is a Quality issue .
She is a member of the Pennsylvania Medical Society, the Beaver County Medical Society, the American Gastroenterology Association, and the American College of Gastroenterology with membership in process to the AASLD. She is also a member of the Obesity Medicine Association and the SMHP as noted. She maintains certification in Advanced Cardiac Life Support. She has been voted a Top Doctor by Pittsburgh Magazine in 2021 and 2022.
Dr. Jerome–Zapadka's personal interests include fitness, baking, tennis, and especially time spent traveling with family and friends,
Karen Jerome-Zapadka, MD
Tia Reid, CDM, CFPP, MHP
Tia is the Director of Nutritional Services, Certified Dietary Manager and Food Protection Professional at our local Critical Access Hospital. Having been diagnosed with T2D, Metabolic Syndrome, Hypertension, Obesity, Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver, Sleep Apnea as well as Adrenal Insufficiency and carbohydrate addiction, she realized it was high time she engaged in Self-Management of her chronic illnesses. She needed to, in effect, take action to improve her health to save her own life.
She adopted the mindset, through the guidance of Dr. Robert Cywes, that carbohydrates are an addiction in order to treat her T2D and metabolic syndrome. This is what saved her life. It was abundantly clear that she is a carbohydrate/sugar addict. Under the care of Dr. Cywes and support from everyone in the LowCarb Community, she has eliminated over 20 medications. She now has a passion for life and a desire to help others.
Tia has over 35 years of experience in service based environments., from owning a restaurant and Motel to currently working in a hospital setting as the Director of Nutritional Services.
Because of her firsthand knowledge of how a LCHF lifestyle can help and even reverse NAFL, T2D, Obesity, Hypertension, Adrenal Insufficiency, Sleep Apnea and Gout, she is enthusiastic to give others the therapeutic option of LCHF Nutrition on their individual journeys to wellness, as a Nutrition Network Coach accredited by the Society of Metabolic Practitioners and Certified and Licensed SUGAR Addiction Specialist
Dr. Steven Croft
Sarah Rice, BSc. (Hons), MCOptom (UK), MHP
Sarah qualified in the U.K. as an optometrist and worked in private practice and NHS hospital eye services. Now living in Cape Town, South Africa, she is passionate about the science behind therapeutic carbohydrate restriction (TCR), researching and curating references that support clinicians' use of therapeutic carbohydrate restriction to help improve metabolic health as an adjunct to disease management. Her passion comes from witnessing the devastating effects of diabetic eye disease on her patients and the possibility of prevention or remission of type 2 diabetes that TCR can offer.
Sarah is a certified Nutrition Network Medical Practitioner, an accredited founding member of the SMHP, and an editor and contributor to Ketogenic: The Science of Therapeutic Carbohydrate Restriction in Human Health. Sarah researched and continues to update and develop the Nutrition Network References Resource - Therapeutic Carbohydrate Restriction, produced reference handouts, and publishes monthly research roundups. Most recently, she co-authored (with Doug Reynolds) a booklet for Low Carb USA, The Ketogenic Diet: Addressing Concerns and Considering Benefits.
Having spent many hours immersed in the literature, she has an excellent knowledge of general TCR and ketogenic applications and is able to use this experience to generate resources and provide medical editing, reviewing, writing, and research overviews.
Sarah Rice, BSc. (Hons), MCOptom (UK), MHP
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.