Medical Advisory Board

Meet our board of trusted medical professionals.

DR. THOMAS A. BURDON

Stanford Health Care

Thomas A. Burdon, MD, is a Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Stanford University and Chief of Surgery at the VA Palo Alto in California. He is an active surgeon and also supervises more than 150 staff that perform 6,000 surgical cases a year. Dr. Burdon’s commitment to improving the quality of life for his patients encompasses corrective and palliative surgical techniques, as well as providing dietary information and other methods to ameliorate and improve lifestyle habits. He is known by his colleagues for creating the “Dr. Burdon Diet” which has helped patients lose from 50-100lbs and nurses lose 20-30lbs just by following a plant-based diet. As a cardiothoracic surgeon, if you’re seeing Dr. Burdon, it means that you’re having heart surgery, and he wanted to help people before reaching that state. Having seen the obesity epidemic in North America get out of hand, and noticing how much it’s attributed to vascular disease, he decided to petition the hospital to provide more plant-based options and make more common-sense meal decisions. He sees plant-based living as an “anti inflammatory” way of life that will help people reduce the occurrence of morbidity and disease. PlantX is honored to have Dr. Burdon on the Medical Advisory Board.

DR. EVA WEINLANDER

Stanford Health Care

Eva Weinlander, MD, is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Primary Care and Population Health at Stanford Health Care. She is a seasoned family medicine physician with a passion for high-quality primary care, medical education, primary care research and healthcare professional wellness. As a family medicine physician, Dr. Weinlander sees firsthand the rise in youth making the decision to switch to a plant-based lifestyle, and the positive impact that it’s having on their health. Having had a high cholesterol issue herself, she switched to a plant-based diet and reduced her cholesterol levels by over 20% making her a true believer. With a research-based background, Dr. Weinlander has seen firsthand the positive impact that plant-based eating has on dementia, diabetes and heart disease. PlantX is honored to have Dr. Weinlander on the Medical Advisory Board.

DR. PAUL GROSS

Spectrum Health

Paul Gross, MD, is a family physician working in downtown Vancouver. He completed medical school at McGill University and residency at St. Paul’s Hospital. Most of his clinical practice is concentrated at Spectrum Health, a multidisciplinary primary care clinic in downtown Vancouver that provides full-service care with an emphasis on the LGBTQ community.

DR. ED TAM

Bloombox Club

Edward Tam, MD, FRCPC, is a clinical hepatologist. His full time clinical practice is in Vancouver, BC, where he is also active in clinical research, teaching, education, and community outreach. He has a focused interest in the area of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, including the intersection of how lifestyle and pharmacotherapeutic interventions may address this growing epidemic.

AMY GENSEL RD

CSNC

Amy Gensel RD, CSNC, is a registered dietitian that specializes in nutrition support at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Palo Alto, CA. She has a passion for wellness and is also a group fitness instructor. She has 15 years of experience as a registered dietitian and believes nutrition plays a crucial role in disease treatment and prevention.

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