Planning and Advisory Committees

The Planning and Advisory Committees—composed of culinary, healthcare, nutrition, and sustainability leaders from the Culinary Institute of America, Stanford Medicine, and external organizations—provide guidance to help advance Food is Life, Food is Health’s mission. Both committees provide input on key questions to keep the program aligned with current science, themes, and community needs, while the Planning Committee also meets regularly to translate this mission into a coherent agenda and immersive learning experiences.

Planning Committee Members

  • Christopher Gardner, PhD (Co-Chair)

    Rehnborg Farquhar Professor of Medicine, Stanford Medicine; Director, Stanford Prevention Research Center’s Nutrition Studies Group

    Read Bio

  • Robert Jones ’20, MA, MS (Co-Chair)

    Vice President, Center for Food and Beverage Leadership, The Culinary Institute of America

    Read Bio
  • A woman with shoulder-length wavy brown hair, wearing a black collared shirt, standing outdoors on a sunny day with a colorful residential street in the background.

    Kristen Rasmussen, MS, RDN (Program Director)

    Assistant Director of Health & Sustainability Programs, Center for Food and Beverage Leadership, the Culinary Institute of America

    Read Bio

  • Tim Bouley, MD, MSc, MA

    Managing Director for Biological Sciences, Food, and Agriculture, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability/Food Accelerator

    Read Bio
  • A woman with shoulder-length dark hair and bangs, wearing a black lace top, smiling against a pink background.

    Jennifer Breckner

    Director of Programs and Special Projects, Center for Food and Beverage Leadership, the Culinary Institute of America

    Read Bio
  • A smiling woman holding a small orange tangerine in front of a basket filled with tangerines, standing in front of a stone wall.

    Lauren Chandler, MSW

    Chef Educator, Lauren Chandler Cooks; Professional Group Lead, the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative

    Read Bio
  • A middle-aged man with glasses, light-colored hair, in a dark suit, white shirt, and gold patterned tie, standing in a grand hallway with arched windows and brick walls.

    Greg Drescher

    Senior Advisor for Strategic Partnerships, Industry Leadership and Impact, the Culinary Institute of America

    Read Bio
  • Close-up of a woman with long, curly brown hair, blue eyes, and a bright smile, wearing a black top and a blue sweater indoors.

    Abby Fammartino, MSFS, MBA

    Director of Health & Sustainability Programs and Research, Center for Food and Beverage Leadership, the Culinary Institute of America

    Read Bio
  • A smiling man in a red plaid shirt standing in an office or conference room with a window and framed picture in the background.

    Christopher Golden, MD

    Associate Professor of Planetary Health and Nutrition, Harvard TH Chan School, Department of Nutrition

    Read Bio
  • A smiling woman with glasses and long brown hair outdoors, wearing a striped sleeveless top and earrings.

    Lisa Goldman Rosas, PhD

    Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Population Health and the Department of Medicine, Division of Primary Care and Population Health, Stanford Medicine

    Read Bio
  • Smiling female chef with brown hair and red bandana in a kitchen

    Skyler Hanka, '12, MS, NBC-HWC

    Consulting Chef & Conference Operations, Center for Food and Beverage Leadership, the Culinary Institute of America

    Read Bio
  • A woman in a red shirt stands in a modern kitchen with a bowl of salad, a plate of breaded chicken cutlets with tomato sauce, and a blender on the countertop.

    Breana Lai Killeen, MPH, RDN

    Chef, Farmer, Writer, Recipe Developer, Eating Well and Senior Food Editor, Food & Wine

    Read Bio
  • Portrait of a smiling woman with long, wavy dark hair wearing a purple top.

    Tamiko Katsumoto, MD, DipABLM

    Clinical Associate Professor in the Division of Immunology and Rheumatology, Stanford Medicine

    Read Bio
  • A woman with curly hair tied up, wearing a white chef's coat and a dark apron with her name on it, standing outdoors with green foliage in the background

    Rebecca Peizer, CEC, CHE

    Professor, Digital Media, Consulting Partner and Demonstration Chef, the Culinary Institute of America

    Read Bio
  • Chef smiling and wearing a tall white chef's hat and white uniform, in front of a stone wall.

    Toni Sakaguchi, CEC, CHE

    Executive Chef, Center for Food and Beverage Leadership, the Culinary Institute of America

    Read Bio
  • A smiling middle-aged woman with blonde hair, blue eyes, wearing a lace-patterned jacket and jewelry, outdoors with a blurred green background.

    Jen Stack, MS, RDN

    Culinary Science, Health & Nutrition School Faculty, the Culinary Institute of America

    Read Bio

Advisory Committee Members

  • A woman with shoulder-length reddish-brown hair, wearing a blue top and small hoop earrings, smiling against a dark grey background.

    Deanne Brandsetter, MBA, RDN, CDN, FAND

    President, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

    Read Bio
  • A smiling woman with short blonde hair, blue eyes, wearing a purple top and small earrings, against a gray background.

    Jen Clarke

    Dean of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies, the Culinary Institute of America

    Read Bio
  • Close-up photo of a smiling man with a bald head and light skin, outdoors with blurred fall foliage in the background.

    Markus Covert, PhD

    Professor of Bioengineering, Stanford

    Read Bio
  • Headshot of a smiling middle-aged man with gray hair and beard, wearing a navy suit, light blue shirt, and striped red, black, and white tie, against a dark gray background.

    David Eisenberg, MD

    Director of Culinary Nutrition and Adjunct Associate Professor of Nutrition, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health

    Read Bio
  • A smiling blonde woman with wavy hair wearing a sleeveless black top against a dark background.

    Nira Goren, MD

    Head of Health Information Quality and Food is Medicine, Google

    Read Bio
  • Portrait of a middle-aged man with short light brown hair, smiling, wearing a dark collared shirt, outdoors with blurred greenery background.

    Rob Jackson, PhD

    Michelle and Kevin Douglas Provostial Professor and Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment and at the Precourt Institute for Energy, Doerr School of Sustainability, Stanford

    Read Bio
  • A man with gray hair, glasses, and a blue collared shirt smiling outdoors with a blurred background of trees and sunlight.

    Jim Leape, MD

    Co-Director, Researcher, Center for Ocean Solutions/Doerr School of Sustainability, Stanford

    Read Bio
  • A smiling man with short light brown hair and blue eyes, wearing a navy blue collared shirt, outdoors with green trees in the background.

    David Lobell, PhD

    Professor of Earth Systems Science, Center for Food Security and the Environment, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability

    Read Bio
  • A man with short brown hair, glasses, and a light blue shirt, wearing a dark blazer, smiling outdoors with green foliage in the background.

    Thom Pastor, CDM, CFPP

    Director of Food and Nutrition Services, Alaska Native Medical Center

    Read Bio
  • A man smiling, wearing a black collared shirt, standing against a wooden wall.

    Phil Saneski

    Executive Chef, Good Eating Company

    Read Bio
  • A man with short dark hair and glasses, wearing a light blue button-up shirt, standing outdoors next to a large tree with a blurred green forest background.

    Justin Sonnenburg, PhD

    Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford Medicine

    Read Bio
  • A professional headshot of a middle-aged man with a bald head, light skin, a goatee, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and patterned tie, smiling against a light gray background.

    Michael Sperling, PhD

     Vice President—Academic Affairs, the Culinary Institute of America

    Read Bio
  • Smiling woman with long wavy brown hair, wearing a white shirt, outdoors with green foliage in the background.

    Sun Kim, MD

    Associate Professor of Medicine (Endocrinology), Stanford Medicine

    Read Bio
  • A smiling man, wearing glasses and a white chef's uniform, is surrounded by multiple hands in white gloves reaching toward him, forming a heart shape around his face.

    Jonathan Zearfoss, MA, CEC, CCE, CCP, CHE

    Professor of Culinary Science, the Culinary Institute of America

    Read Bio