Looking for a vegan doctor near you? Here is our 2023 list of 90+ Plant-Based Doctors!

We’ve profiled an extensive number of exceptional plant-based doctors practicing across the country. Many vegan doctors offer telehealth services that allow them to serve you, regardless of where you live!

 

“There are two kinds of cardiologists: vegans and those who haven’t read the data.”  — Dr. Kim Williams, MD, FACC, FASNC, FAHA

We understand why you’re looking for a vegan doctor.

You want someone who understands you, won’t judge your plant-based lifestyle, and won’t tell you that you need meat for protein or milk for calcium. It’s hard to believe that these outdated ideas still make the rounds of medical offices and clinics, but they do!

Did you know that nutrition is barely taught in medical school? Most doctors receive only a few hours in nutrition education. Unless doctors pursue further nutritional training on their own, we cannot expect them to know any more about nutrition than our friends or neighbors. This fact is well-established, supported by research studies published in 2017, 2015, 2014, 2014, 2014, 2010, and dating all the way back to 1985. “Big Medicine,” as a system, profits from animal agriculture. Hospitals are in the business of treating sick people with expensive drugs and surgery after symptoms appear. They don’t profit by preventing them through lifestyle changes.

A vegan doctor knows that the Standard American Diet (ironically abbreviated as “SAD”) is a huge contributing factor to lifestyle diseases. According to the World Health Organization, 80% of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes and 40% of cancer could be prevented, primarily with improvements to diet and lifestyle. Diet even contributes to conditions like dementia, kidney disease, multiple sclerosis, and arthritis.

Vegan doctors know that it’s not just clinical evidence supporting the link between diet and disease. Geographical rates of disease also show a strong connection. Countries that consume high levels of animal proteins have high levels of cancer. Those that consume mostly plants have low levels. When people migrate from one country to another and adopt the typical diet, they then adopt that country’s disease risk.

All that to say – a plant-based doctor knows about the power of plants because they have an in-depth knowledge of nutrition.

Plants are just what the doctor ordered!

Check Vkind for a full list of vegan doctors:

Discover Vegan Doctors

Looking for a Vegan Doctor who can see you via telehealth? Be sure to check out our Online Services option!

Many of the vegan doctors here can help you, no matter your location! 

Alabama

Dr. Noah Gudel, DO, Birmingham, Alabama

Dr. Noah Gudel, DO is an internist and lifestyle medicine physician who is inspired by the power of plant based nutrition to stop and reverse disease thought to be irreversible, like diabetes and heart disease. She finds it refreshing to treat the root causes of disease rather than simply managing the symptoms with medications. Dr. Gudel acknowledges that lifestyle changes can be hard but advocates that they are worth it. She runs Alabama Lifestyle Medicine, LLC in Birmingham, Alabama and offers telehealth in all U.S. states. 

Alaska

Dr. Cameron O’Connell, Anchorage, Alaska

Based in Anchorage, Alaska, Dr. Cameron O’Connell is a naturopathic primary care doctor interested in patient-driven preventative medicine. 

Arizona

Dr. Aye Thandar Win, Phoenix, Arizona

Dr. Aye Thandar Win, MD is board certified in cardiovascular disease and internal medicine and a former President of the Phoenix Board of the American Heart Association. Having completed advanced studies at Cornell related to the strong link between diet and heart disease, Dr. Thandar provides sound counseling to patients on the benefits of a whole food plant based diet. As a runner and dancer, she aims to inspire patients to achieve a high level of health and fitness. She practices in Phoenix, Arizona.

Dr. Chad Cherington, Mesa, Arizona

Dr. Chad Cherington, MD works as a medical oncologist and hematologist in Mesa, Arizona. He promotes a whole food plant-based diet to his patients both for health prevention and as a form of treatment. 

Dr. Deborah Wilson, Scottsdale, Arizona

Dr. Deborah Wilson is an accomplished gynecologist in Scottsdale, Arizona. She has a demonstrable history of animal rights activism, as a member of the Arizona State Council for Humane Society of the United States and an author, having published a number of animal rights editorials.

Dr. Deborah Dykema, Phoenix, Arizona

Dr. Deborah Dykema, DO, runs The Wellness Center in Phoenix, Arizona. This clinic integrates traditional and naturopathic medicine and promotes an organic, non-GMO, plant-based lifestyle. Online services offered. 

Dr. Michela Nelson, Chandler, Arizona

Dr. Michela Nelson is a naturopathic doctor and advocate for a whole-foods plant-based diet. She specializes in healthy lifestyle coaching and works in Chandler, Arizona. 

Dr. Lisa Maturo, Tempe, Arizona

Dr. Lisa Maturo is a naturopathic physician in Tempe, Arizona who focuses on plant-based diet guidance and support, weight management, thyroid treatment and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT).

Dr. Maryrose Young, Scottsdale, Arizona

Dr. Maryrose Young, DO is a lifestyle medicine specialist who provides primary care at Sozo Lifestyle Medicine. She is passionate about helping patients prevent diseases that could lead them to the emergency department, where she worked for years as an emergency medicine physician. She works in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Dr. Peter Raisanen, Paradise Valley, Arizona

Dr. Peter Raisanen is a naturopathic medical doctor and wellness expert who focuses on helping clients fix low testosterone, thyroid issues, slow metabolism, reverse type 2 diabetes and achieve lasting weight loss. He runs a podcast called The Rise Again Podcast, where he interviews patients who have overcome challenges and experts in health and wellness. According to Dr. Raisanen, “I treat the root cause of the issue, which treats the symptoms too.” He practices in Paradise Valley, Arizona, and also offers telehealth.  

Arkansas

Dr. Cynthia Morgan, MD, Fayetteville, Arkansas

Dr. Cynthia Morgan, MD is the founding director of the nonprofit Ozark Center for Lifestyle Medicine. Through one-on-one lifestyle medicine counseling, in-person and virtual small group counseling, and community seminars and workshops, she aims to empower the community to prevent, treat and reverse disease. Prior to working here, she practiced preventative medicine and public health in Bangladesh for thirty years. She is based in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and provides in-office services and telehealth for Arkansas and Louisiana-based patients. 

California

Dr. John McDougall, Santa Rosa, California

One of the biggest names in plant-based nutrition, Dr. John McDougall, MD is an internist who has been educating others about the effects of nutrition on disease for over half a century. He is the founder and director of the nationally recognized McDougall Program: a ten-day residential program. His program has been shown to reverse serious conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and others using nutrition, not drugs. He and his wife have authored several best sellers and founded Dr. McDougall’s Right Foods, designed to help make eating vegan on the go easier. Online services are offered. He practices in Santa Rosa, California, where he runs The McDougall Program.

Dr. Danielle Belardo, Newport Beach California

Dr. Danielle Belardo is a cardiologist who combines medical care with a focus on nutrition, exercise, and stress management. She recommends a “plant-forward” approach to optimal health that encourages her heart patients to adopt a plant-based diet and make positive lifestyle changes. 

Disease prevention is also a focus of her work, by helping patients learn how they can prevent heart disease altogether and enjoy optimal health. 

Dr. Angie Sadeghi, Newport Beach, California

Dr. Angie Sadeghi is a gastroenterologist and bariatric physician practicing in Newport Beach, California. She focuses on disorders such as Gastroesophageal REflux Disease (GERD), IBD, IBS, fatty liver, swallowing difficulty, and more. She is passionate about evidence-based medicine and disease prevention. She has been featured on vegan podcasts like Switch4Good, Generation V and Veggie Doctor Radio.

Dr. Allie McLane, El Segundo, California

Dr. Allie McLane is a naturopathic doctor based in El Segundo, California who promotes a whole foods plant-based diet. She is passionate about getting to the root cause of her patients’ symptoms. Her emphasis is on treating mental health and neuropsychiatric conditions in children and adults, as well as optimizing cognitive performance. Online services are provided.

Dr. Anne Pugh McKeirnan, San Diego, California

Dr. Anne Pugh McKeirnan, MD believes it is important for physicians to take care of themselves to avoid burnout and provide high-quality care. She does this by eating a plant-based diet and staying physically, mentally and spiritually active. Dr. McKeirnan practices in San Diego, California. 

Dr. Amita Kalra, Newport Beach, California

Dr. Amita Kalra is a gastroenterologist, internal medicine doctor and board certified in obesity medicine. She emphasizes mindfulness, healthy living and evidence-based medicine to optimize overall well-being. She practices in Newport Beach, California. 

Dr. Brooke Goldner, California, Hawaii, and Texas

Dr. Brooke Goldner is the bestselling author of Goodbye Autoimmune Disease and Goodbye Lupis and is internationally recognized as an expert in healing chronic disease. She is certified in plant-based nutrition and has been featured on TV, radio, magazine covers, documentaries and podcasts. She practices in California, Hawaii, and Texas. Online services offered.

Colorado

Dr. Andrew M. Freeman, Denver, Colorado

Dr. Andrew M. Freeman, MD, is a cardiologist at National Jewish Health in Denver, Colorado. He is in the Division of Cardiology and Department of Medicine and has presented at the Plant-Based Prevention of Disease Conference through the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. 

Florida

Dr. Scott Harrington, Pinellas Park, Florida

After adopting a plant-based diet almost 10 years ago, Dr. Scott Harrington changed his approach to family medicine. He watched his own weight, blood pressure, blood sugar and hormone levels stabilize, and applied what he learned to his patients. Once he did, he found that his chronically ill patients experienced a drastic improvement in health, and some no longer needed medication.

He offers telehealth visits in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Learn more on his website, Vegan Primary Care.

Dr. Monica Aggarwal, MD, Orlando, Florida

Dr. Monica Aggarwal, MD is a cardiologist who began learning about the power of plant-based nutrition following her experience developing rheumatoid arthritis after childbirth. While medications gave her severe side effects, switching to a plant-based diet allowed her to heal. She now runs a clinic offering integrative cardiology focused on nutrition and lifestyle, including yoga and meditation. She has been involved in numerous initiatives to develop 100% plant-based menus for cardiac and vascular patients. 

Dr. Aggarwal has many accolades to her name, as she was named a “Next Generation Innovator” by Cardiology Today, has been featured in VegNews, Naked Magazine, and Forks Over Knives, authored articles in major medical journals and has given talks around the country. She authored the book Body on Fire: How Inflammation Triggers Chronic Illness and the Tools We Have to Fight It. She currently sees patients in Orlando, Florida and provides telehealth to Florida residents. 

Dr. Christina Cherian, MD, St. Petersburg, Florida

Dr. Christina Cherian, MD is a family medicine physician in St. Petersburg, Florida. She is passionate about lifestyle medicine and evidence-based nutrition. She finds it rewarding to take patients off their medications after they have reversed their chronic conditions through a whole-food plant-based diet. She offered telehealth in Florida, New York and Texas.

Dr. Vanessa Mendez, MD, Miami, Florida

Dr. Vanessa Mendez, MD is a gastroenterologist and internist who specializes in digestive disorders, such as liver disease, IBD, and nutrition based disorders like obesity and constipation. She aims to treat the root cause of the ailment through evidence-based methods and lifestyle changes. She is trained in Plant-Based Nutrition through Cornell University. Dr. Mendez owns a practice called Planted Forward and sees patients via telehealth in California, Florida, Indiana and Maine.

Dr. John Paul Sosa, MD, Tampa, Florida

Dr. John Paul Sosa, MD is a family medicine physician and lifestyle medicine physician. He owns Botaniq Health,, a direct primary care lifestyle medicine clinic focused on health, optimizing longevity and aesthetics. He sees patients in his office in Tampa, Florida, and offers telehealth to patients in Florida.

Dr. Banji Awosika, MD, Winter Garden, Florida

Dr. Banji Awosika, MD is a nephrologist who runs West Orange Nephrology, LLC. He specializes in nephrology, hypertension and chronic kidney disease and emphasizes disease prevention and reversal through plant-based diets, exercise, sleep, mindset and loving relationships. He is licensed to practice telehealth in all U.S. states. 

Dr. Joel Ying, MD, Naples, Florida

Dr. Joel Ying, MD is an internist and holistic physician who integrates lifestyle changes like plant-based diets and exercise into wellness programs for patients. He works with herbals and supplements and prescribes medications when necessary. In his practice, Joy Health & Wellness, LLC, he focuses on treating high blood pressure, diabetes, mental health and obesity. Dr. Ying sees patients in his office in Naples, Florida and offers telehealth to patients in Florida. 

Dr. Laurie Marbas, MD, Miami-Dade County, Florida

Dr. Laurie Marbas, MD is a family medicine and lifestyle medicine physician, co-founder of Mora Medical, former co-founder of Plant-Based TeleHealth and the first Managing Editor for the Plantrician Project’s International Journal of Disease Reversal and Prevention. She initiated a successful lifestyle medicine program centered around a WFPB diet at a large hospital in Colorado. Dr. Marbas has also spoken publicly about the impacts of WFPB diets at the Golden VegFest in Colorado, the International Plant-based Nutrition Healthcare Conference, and other venues. She practices in Miami-Dade County in Florida and is licensed to practice telehealth in all U.S. states. 

Dr. Deb Harrell, Jacksonville, Florida

Dr. Deb Harrell is a naturopathic doctor who has been plant-based for over four decades and is passionate about using food as medicine and ending human and animal suffering. She works in Jacksonville, Florida.  

Dr. Daniel Thomas, Mt. Dora, Florida

With 35 years of personal experience on a vegan diet, Dr. Daniel Thomas, DO prides himself on targeting the root cause of disease rather than masking the symptoms. Through prescribing whole foods, and plant-based diets, he has helped thousands of patients prevent and reverse disease, improve their health, slow aging and increase their longevity. He works in Mt Dora, Florida. 

Dr. Miguel Rivera, Sarasota, Florida

Dr. Miguel Rivera practices adult psychiatry in Sarasota, Florida. He focuses on the evaluation and management of neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and dementia, as well as cognitive decline. He promotes lifestyle-based changes, including a plant-based diet, to optimize cognition, mood, sleep and stress management.

Georgia

Dr. Kimberly Works, Atlanta, Georgia

Dr. Kimberly Works is a plant-based pediatrician in the Atlanta area who incorporates preventative medicine and a whole-food plant-based lifestyle into her practice.

Dr. Lauren Randall, MD, Sandy Springs, Georgia

Dr. Lauren Randall, MD is an internist in Sandy Springs, Georgia who runs Ravry Medical Group. She is passionate about empowering patients to live a healthy lifestyle and providing evidence-based care. She sees patients in Georgia in office and via telehealth.

Dr. Shayna Smith, Sandy Springs, Georgia

Dr. Shayna Smith is a lifestyle medicine physician and pediatrician who works right outside of Atlanta in Sandy Springs, Georgia. She uses lifestyle medicine principles in her everyday practice, Flourish Pediatrics, which focuses on pediatric care from birth through college. She offers telehealth to patients in Georgia.

Illinois

Dr. Kim A Williams, Chicago, Illinois

A former president of the American College of Cardiology, Dr. Kim A. Williams, MD is famous for saying, “There are two kinds of cardiologists: vegans, and those who haven’t read the data.” In a famous 2014 New York Times piece titled “Advice from a Vegan Cardiologist,” Dr. Williams testifies to how switching to a low fat vegan diet drastically improved his cholesterol. He also points to extensive medical literature that indicates vegans and vegetarians tend to live longer than meat eaters and have lower rates of heart disease, diabetes and kidney problems. 

He currently serves as head of the cardiology department at Rush University in Chicago, Illinois.

Dr. Malik Abraham, Arlington Heights, Illinois

Dr. Malik Abraham is a pediatric foot and ankle surgeon in Arlington Heights, Illinois. According to Dr. Abraham, “There is evidence that plant-based diets largely contribute—in addition to overall general well-health—to the condition of your feet. Plant-based lifestyles have been known to reverse diabetes, a crippling disease causing damaged blood vessels and peripheral nerves and can lead to amputation of feet and legs. 

The antioxidants and anti-inflammation compounds found in vegan diets are key to a healthy, mobile lifestyle, with a multitude of additional benefits such as maintaining proper body weight, being less disease-prone, achieving heart health (coupled with exercise), and boosting confidence and mental health. By getting your diet under sensible control, you’ll always be one step ahead.”

Dr. Ashwani Garg, Barrington, Illinois

Dr. Ashwani Garg practices in Barrington, Illinois and focuses on prevention, lifestyle and integrative medicine for all ages. He is licensed to practice telehealth in Illinois.

Iowa

Dr. Matthew Abendroth, DO, Des Moines, Iowa

Dr. Matthew Abendroth, DO is board certified in family medicine and lifestyle medicine, as well as a member of the American Nutrition Association and the Institute for Functional Medicine. He runs Sana Vita Health, a functional medicine clinic focused on nutrition and longevity. Insurance is not accepted. He offers telehealth to patients in Iowa and practices in Des Moines, Iowa. 

Maryland

Dr. Michael Greger, Rockville, Maryland

Renowned physician, author, speaker, co-founding member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, and founder of the non-profit science-based site NutritionFacts.org, Dr. Michael Greger is still a practicing physician in Rockville, Maryland.  Dr. Greger authored the New York Times bestseller How Not to Die, outlining foods to avoid and foods to eat scientifically proven to prevent and reverse disease. Online services are offered. 

Dr. Milton Mills, Washington, DC

Dr. Milton Mills is an urgent care physician in Washington, DC who has been a major contributor to position papers presented by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine to the USDA regarding Dietary Guidelines for Americans. He has also published several research journal articles dealing with racial bias in federal nutrition policy. He was featured in the film “What the Health” and “The Silent Vegan.”

“Plant-based/vegan is the best diet humans can consume,” declares the vegan doctor, Dr. Milton Mills, on his website. 

A medical expert in urgent care medicine, Dr. Mills is an advocate for plant-based diets for optimal health. While working with HIV-positive and AIDS patients, he saw the positive effects first-hand: those who switched their diet experienced higher T-cell counts and a boost in energy.

Dr. Kristen Gialo, DO, Easton, Maryland

Dr. Kristen Gialo, DO runs a lifestyle medicine and mental health clinic called Be Medicine to prevent, treat and reverse chronic disease through nutrition, physical activity and mental health. She is board-certified in psychiatry and lifestyle medicine. Dr. Gialo works in Easton, Maryland, and offers telehealth to patients in Maryland. 

Massachusetts

Dr. Lisa McGonigal, MD, Somerville, Massachusetts

Dr. Lisa McGonigal, MD is a family medicine and lifestyle medicine physician who guides patients in adopting a plant-predominant eating pattern, optimizing physical activity, improving sleep, managing stress and eliminating risky substances. She has expertise in culinary medicine, clinical nutrition, and advanced diabetes management. Dr. McGonigal offers in-office services in Somerville, Massachusetts, and telehealth to patients in the state.

Dr. Alon Sitzer, Essex County, Massachusetts

Dr. Alon Sitzer, MD is a family medicine physician and member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine who offers primary care in the home or via telehealth. Patients can become a member of his practice to participate in various health programming. He sees patients in Essex County, Massachusetts, and is licensed to provide telehealth to patients in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Dr. Maryam Salehpour, MD, Burlington, Massachusetts

Dr. Maryam Salehpour, MD is a family medicine physician and obesity medicine physician who offers consultations, one on one coaching, support groups and education, online health cooking courses, all with an emphasis on healthy lifestyle changes to prevent and reverse chronic disease and the need for medication. She owns Clarity Health and Wellness, LLC, sees patients in Burlington, Massachusetts and offers telehealth to patients in Massachusetts.

Dr. Paulina Fernandes, MD, Westford, Massachusetts

Dr. Paulina Fernandes, MD is a family medicine physician who offers online individual and group health coaching focused on improving the microbiome, improving gut health and mental health, and decreasing inflammation using plant-based nutrition and lifestyle medicine. She is certified as an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and has taken courses through the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Dr. Fernandes sees patients in Westford, Massachusetts and offers telehealth to patients in Massachusetts. 

Michigan

Dr. Elizabeth Swenor, DO, Detroit, Michigan

Dr. Elizabeth Swenor, DO is the lead physician of the Functional and Lifestyle Medicine Department in Detroit, Michigan. There she focuses on lifestyle modification, nutritional education, patient education, and guidance on transitioning to a sustainable plant-based diet. She practices in Oakland County, Michigan, and offers telehealth to patients in Arizona, Florida, and Michigan. 

Dr. Joel Kahn, MD, Bingham Farms, Michigan

Dr. Joel Kahn, MD is a cardiologist and lifestyle medicine physician who has been promoting whole food plant-based diets to patients since 1990. At the Kahn Center for Cardiac Longevity, he focuses on preventative cardiology, reversal of heart disease and plant-based counseling. He has authored six books (including The Plant Based Solution) and hundreds of articles in publications like the Huffington Post. He practices in Bingham Farms, Michigan, and offers telehealth to patients in Massachusetts. 

Missouri

Dr. Eric Flug, MD, St. Louis, Missouri

Dr. Eric Flug, MD is a St. Louis, Missouri based lifestyle medicine physician and pediatrician who holds a Certification in Clinical Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Foundation through eCornell University. He is passionate about the power of whole food plant-based diets to control the growing rates of obesity, heart disease and diabetes.  He sees patients via telehealth in Missouri.

Nevada

Dr. Shiven Chaudhry, MD, Las Vegas, Nevada

As an internist and integrative medicine specialist, Dr. Shiven Chaudhry, MD uses evidence-based integrative medicine and a holistic approach to optimize gut and brain health. He practices in Las Vegas, Nevada. Telehealth is available.

Dr. Tanya Phares, DO, Reno, Nevada

Dr. Tanya Phares, DO is a board-certified specialist in Preventative Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine, with expertise in nutrition and women’s health. She is a diplomate of a number of boards, including the American Board of Preventive Medicine and the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine. She has authored numerous research papers and helped develop national guidelines for clinical preventive services. She sees patients in her office in Reno, Nevada and via telehealth in California and Nevada.

Dr. Madelin Hardache, Sparks, Nevada

Dr. Madelin Hardache is a gynecologist and lifestyle medicine physician who aims to help patients improve their health by addressing the foundations of a healthy life. She offers health coaching in person and online through her practice, Women’s Health Elevated in Sparks, Nevada. She is licensed to provide telehealth in Alabama, Florida and Nevada.

Dr. Sabreen Boone, DO, Las Vegas, Nevada

Dr. Sabreen Boone, DO is a family medicine physician who has attended the International Plant-Based Nutrition Healthcare Conference. She offers telehealth to patients in Arizona, Nevada and Utah. Her practice is located in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

New York

Dr. Cecilia Basbus, New York, New York

Dr. Cecilia Basbus is a medical doctor who has experienced the benefits of plant-based nutrition first-hand. This led her to apply the approach of preventive medicine to tackle common health issues. As a plant-based doctor, she helps her patients reverse type 2 diabetes and heart disease through nutrition instead of the conventional approach of medication and surgery. 

After realizing that many of her patients needed support to switch to a plant-based diet, she added cooking classes to her list of services, which also includes exercise programs and reiki. 

Dr. Jessica Krant, MD, Manhattan, New York City

Dr. Jessica Krant, MD is a dermatologist and lifestyle medicine physician certified in Integrative Dermatology and practicing in Manhattan, New York City. She offers cosmetic dermatology, medical dermatology, lifestyle medicine dermatology and life coaching. Dr. Krant spoke at the American College of Lifestyle Medicine conference in 2021. Learn more at artofdermatology.com. She is licensed to provide telehealth to patients in New York.

New Mexico

Dr. Sharada Hall, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Dr. Sharada Hall is a vegan doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine as well as an Ayurvedic practitioner in her 19th year of practice. She follows the premise of Ayurveda that says “the key to preventing illness and treating imbalance lies in harmonizing the internal five elements within you.” 

The approach of Ayurveda also empowers us to take charge of our healing process. She believes that balance can be achieved through herbal medicine combined with dietary and lifestyle changes.

New Jersey

Dr. Evan Queler, MD, Park Ridge, New Jersey

Dr. Evan Queler, MD is a lifestyle medicine physician certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Additionally, he is licensed in medical acupuncture and is a certified instructor of power yoga. He offers a Lifestyle Medicine Prescription Program. His practice is located in Park Ridge, New Jersey and he offers telehealth in Florida, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. 

Dr. Ron Weiss, MD, Long Valley, New Jersey

Dr. Ron Weiss, MD is the founder of Ethos Primary Care, a farm-based healthcare system in Long Valley, New Jersey that connects human health to the natural world and emphasizes the fundamental connections between all living things. He offers whole food plant-based programs to prevent and reverse chronic disease. He provides telehealth in New Jersey and New York.  

North Carolina

Dr. Judy Brangman, Raleigh, NC

Dr. Judy Brangman, MD is an internist and lifestyle medicine physician who advocates for a whole food plant-based diets through her work, social media and public speaking. Through her lifestyle medicine company in Raleigh, NC, Newell Health, Dr. Judy helps individuals make lifestyle changes to prevent and reverse chronic disease. Additionally, she is open to natural modalities, such as alternative medicine, integrative medicine and herbal medicine. While a native of Bermuda, she has lived in North Carolina for many years, as she graduated from Wake Forest School of Medicine and completed her residency at East Carolina University. She holds a Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies. She practices at WakeMed in Raleigh, North Carolina. 

Dr. Robert Smithson, MD, Raleigh, North Carolina

Dr. Robert Smithson, MD practices internal medicine and advocates for whole food plant-based diets and improved exercise habits. After his wife had a health crisis, he and his family shifted to a plant-based diet and saw firsthand what a difference it made in his health. He emphasizes “produce over pills” in his practice. He works at Boylan Clinic in Raleigh, North Carolina and offers telehealth in North Carolina. 

Dr. Richard Gelber, MD, Cary, North Carolina

Dr. Richard Gelber, MD is a pediatrician passionate about incorporating plant-based and lifestyle medicine principles into preventive and acute care. He completed continuing education in plant-based medicine through T. Colin Campbell’s eCornell plant-based nutrition course in 2016. He has attended many plant-based nutrition events, such as the American College of Lifestyle Medicine conference and the International Plant-Based Nutrition Healthcare Conference. He works at Cornerstone Pediatrics in Cary, North Carolina and also offers telehealth visits in North Carolina. 

Dr. Jonathan Sheline, MD, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Dr. Jonathan Sheline, MD is a family physician based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. After 30 years of writing prescriptions, he now offers only lifestyle medicine consultations. He recommends whole-food plant-based diets to all his patients and provides resources for a sustainable transition. Through lifestyle medicine, he has guided his patients in successfully treating problems like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and pre-diabetes, obesity, reflux, kidney stones, coronary artery disease, and even depression and anxiety. 

He has attended the Plant-Based Prevention of Disease conferences, the International Conference for Nutrition in Medicine conferences and the American College of Lifestyle Medicine conference. In his Physician Assisted Wellness practice, he sees patients both in the office and via telehealth for patients in North Carolina.

Dr. Sonia Rapaport, MD, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Dr. Sonia Rapaport, MD is an expert in diagnosing and treating complex disease, such as Lyme disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, PANS/PANDAS, early to mid stage neurodegenerative diseases, and more. She is passionate about empowering patients by working with them to review the diagnosis together and both contribute to the treatment plan. She works at Haven Medical in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and offers telehealth visits in North Carolina. 

Dr. Garth Davis, Asheville, NC

Dr. Garth Davis, who starred on the hit TLC show Big Medicine, is the medical director of weight management at Mission hospital in Asheville, North Carolina. He is the author of Proteinaholic and The Expert’s Guide to Weight Loss Surgery. He is recognized in bariatric procedures. As a self-described “recovered protein-aholic,” Dr. Davis is dedicated to helping people adopt healthy lifestyle behaviors.

Ohio

Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Lyndhurst, Ohio

Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, one of the original leaders of the plant-based nutrition movement, is a surgeon and fellow of the American College of Cardiology. He has many notable awards to his name, one of which is the American College of Lifestyle Medicine 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award. He is best known for his groundbreaking longitudinal research on the power of plant-based nutrition to prevent and reverse heart disease. He leads a cardiovascular prevention and reversal program at The Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute in Lyndhurst, Ohio.

Dr. Theresa Sheridan, Ravenna, Ohio

Dr. Theresa Sheridan, DO is a certified Family Medicine physician with a background in functional medicine and knowledge of a plant-based diet. She practices in Ravenna, Ohio. 

Oregon

Dr. Daniel Chong, Portland, Oregon

Dr. Daniel Chong, ND specializes in cardiovascular disease and diabetes prevention, as well as healthy aging in general. With mentoring from big names like Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, training from the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, and experience lecturing around the country on nutrition and cardiovascular disease, Dr. Chong has many plant-based accolades to his name. 

In addition to his passion for the power of plants to prevent and treat disease, Dr. Chong co-founded the Climate Healers Health Conference to promote plant-based diets for the planet. Online services are provided. He practices in Portland, Oregon.

Dr. Joanna May, Portland, Oregon

Dr. Joanna May is a naturopathic doctor practicing in Portland, Oregon. She offers naturopathic therapists. Online services are provided.  

Dr. Kessa Mauras, Hood River, Oregon

Dr. Kessa Mauras is a board certified foot and ankle doctor in Hood River, Oregon. She focuses on wound healing and limb salvage. 

Dr. Jennifer Lyons, MD, Portland and Seaside Oregon

Dr. Jennifer Lyons, MD is an ophthalmologist who provides services in Portland and Seaside Oregon. She has been vegan for over ten years. Her practice in Portland and Seaside, Oregon is named Lyons Eye LLC and offers telehealth as well.

Dr. Joshua Mador, DO, Keizer, Oregon

Dr, Joshua Mador, DO offers services in Keizer, Oregon and telehealth in Oregon and Washington. He uses whole-food plant-based diets to reverse chronic disease and finds it rewarding to see the transformation in patients willing to adopt the lifestyle. 

Pennsylvania

Dr. Kristann Heinz, MD, Township, Pennsylvania

Dr. Kristann Heinz, MD is a family physician and board certified in integrative medicine and functional medicine, as well as a registered dietician and physician acupuncturist. She established her own practice, Red Hill Medical + Wellness in Township, Pennsylvania, where she provides nutritional counseling, functional medicine, integrative medicine and herbal medicine. She provides telehealth in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. 

Dr. Scott Stoll, MD, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Dr. Scott Stoll, MD is the co-founder of The Plantrician Project, The International Plant Based Nutrition Healthcare Conference, The International Journal of Disease Reversal and Prevention and the Regenerative Health Institute. If that isn’t enough accolades to his name, he also served as a member of the Whole Foods Scientific and Medical Advisory Board and has authored several books and national articles. Additionally, he has appeared on national TV shows, including Dr. Oz and a PBS special Food As Medicine, as well as numerous documentaries, including Eating You Alive, Wait till it’s Free and The Game Changers. He practices in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. 

South Carolina

Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

For Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, health is “a gut feeling.” 

“Dr. B” is a gastroenterologist passionate about the power of plants to help people heal our gut, optimize our microbiome, take back control of our health and feel better. Our gut microbiomes affect every system in our body. What we feed them is the best way to prevent chronic disease and achieve optimal health. 

Through his digital and published works, he helps people apply breakthrough research in gut health science to their lives. His New York Times bestseller, Fiber Fueled, shows how to eat to optimize the gut microbiome. In his masterclass The Plant Fed Gut, he teaches participants how to use plant-based nutrition to reverse digestive disorders and accomplish weight goals without restricting yourself. 

He shares research that shows how going plant-based can transform bloat and fatigue to energy and vigor! You can also learn more by following him @theguthealthMD on Instagram.

His office currently accepts patients in person and via telehealth at Roper St. Francis Mount Pleasant Hospital in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. He is also affiliated with East Cooper Medical Center.

Tennessee

Dr. Suzannah Bozzone, MD, Chattanooga, Tennessee

Dr. Suzannah Bozzone, MD is a family medicine physician and lifestyle medicine physician practicing in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Before discovering lifestyle medicine, she felt discouraged by simply prescribing medicines to treat deadly and costly chronic diseases. 

She appreciates that lifestyle medicine also empowers patients to take control of their own health rather than being dictated by the pharmaceutically-driven medical system. She offers individual services, group support, lectures and seminars, and employee wellness webinars. She runs her own practice called True Health Journey and offers telehealth services.

Dr. Shayla Toombs-Withers, DO, Chattanooga, Tennessee

Dr. Shayla Toombs-Withers, DO is certified in family medicine and obesity medicine and Plant Based Nutrition. She founded the Essence of Health Wellness Clinic in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 2019 in order to combine her knowledge of medicine, plant-based nutrition, and athletic training to provide a comprehensive primary case, using a Direct Primary Care Model. She is licensed to provide telehealth in Georgia and Tennessee.

Dr. Deepak Kotecha, Houston, Texas

Dr. Deepak Kotecha is an optometrist in Houston, Texas with a keen interest in the role of plant-based nutrition in chronic disease prevention, as well as alternative and integrative medicine. 

Dr. Timothy Henderson, Gainesville, Texas

Dr. Timothy Henderson is a Gainesville-Texas based doctor who focuses on using whole-foods plant-based diets, physical rehab and chiropractic care to help patients overcome chronic pain and mobility issues. 

Dr. Natalie Crawford, Austin, Texas

Dr. Natalie Crawford, MD is certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology, as well as Reproductive Endocrinology. She is the co-founder of a fertility practice in Austin, Texas, where she currently practices. She holds an undergraduate degree in Nutrition Science. Through her Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube channel and podcast (“As a Woman”), she advocates for preventative care, plant based medicine and fertility awareness to educate and empower women. Online services available. 

Dr. Felice Howard, MD, Austin, Texas

Dr. Felice Howard, MD is an internist, pediatrician, and lifestyle medicine doctor. She is a diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and passionate about helping patients take charge of their wellness by embracing a whole food plant based diet. She offers primary care with a focus on prevention and wellness, using both lifestyle modification and traditional medicine. She sees patients in her office in Austin, Texas and via telehealth in Texas. 

Dr. Mary Washington, MD, Houston, Texas

Dr. Mary Washington, MD is a Houston-based internist and nephrologist. Prior to founding a lifestyle medicine based practice, she worked for 25 years as what she terms a “legalized drug pusher.” Tired of “placing people on dialysis machines,”she developed the Reversing Medical Disease (RMD) Clinic in 2016. Through RMD, she has helped clients improve kidney function, control blood pressure without medications and even cure some of their diabetes. She sees patients in Houston, Texas and offers telehealth in Louisiana and Texas.

Dr. Sidney Ontai, MD, Victoria, Texas 

Dr. Sidney Ontai, MD is a family medicine doctor who has followed a whole-food, plant-based diet for the past two decades. Through promoting a  WFPB diet, he has helped many patients improve and reverse chronic diseases like diabetes, atherosclerosis, cancers and mood disorders. He sees patients in the office in Victoria, Texas and offers telehealth in Texas. 

Dr. Dorothy Serna, MD, Harris County, Texas

Dr. Dorothy Serna, MD is an internist who founded North Cypress Internal Medicine and Wellness in 1998. She is a diplomate of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine and has been named to the Texas Super Doctors list every year since 2018. She sees patients in Harris County, Texas and offers telehealth in Texas. 

Dr. Bhoja Katipally, San Antonio, Texas

Dr. Bhoja Katipally is a family doctor and lifestyle medicine physician. Following his certification with the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine and certification in Plant-based Nutrition from Dr. T. Colin Campbell’s Center for Nutrition Studies at Cornell, he founded the New ME Health Center for Lifestyle Medicine. His aim is to help patients stop and reverse their diabetes and other lifestyle-related diseases using Intensive Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (iTLC). Telehealth offered. He practices in San Antonio, Texas. 

Vermont

Dr. Whitney Calkins, MD, Burlington, Vermont

Dr. Whitney Calkins, MD is a family medicine and lifestyle medicine doctor who uses the pillars of lifestyle medicine to treat chronic disease. She leads a group medical appointment called Skills Before Pills to treat patients with metabolic disease and chronic pain. She works in Burlington, Vermont and offers telehealth as well.

Virginia

Dr. Pam Popper, Richmond, Virginia

Richmond, Virginia-based Dr. Pam Popper is the founder and president of Wellness Forum Health, which offers educational programs to promote informed medical decision making and diet and lifestyle interventions. 

She serves on the President’s Board for the Physicians’ Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington, DC.  She was involved in the Sacramento Food Bank Project, which taught people of low socioeconomic status how to reverse chronic disease and eliminate medications with diet. 

She also taught part of a certification course on plant-based nutrition with Dr. T Colin Cambell. She has been featured in many documentaries, including Processed People, Making a Killing and Forks Over Knives. She helped produce the film Food Choices and The Yoyo Effect and wrote the book Food Over Medicine: The Conversation That Can Save Your Life. 

Unafraid to speak the truth, Dr. Popper has testified twice to the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee and openly criticizes national health organizations, government agencies, pharmaceutical companies, and agricultural organizations whose agendas obscure the truth about nutrition and disease. A superstar in the plant-based prevention of disease world. Online services offered. 

Dr. Jeff Askew, MD, Fredericksburg, Virginia

Dr. Jeff Askew, MD is a Fredericksburg, Virginia based cardiologist who was inspired by the research of the leading names in plant-based nutrition – Drs Campbell, Esselstyn, Greger, Barnard, and Ornish – who changed the face of cardiology. He is inspired by the many real-life examples of his patients who have adopted whole food plant-based diets to recover their health. He offers telehealth to patients in Virginia.  

Washington State

Dr. Gina Johnson, Belleuve, Washington

Based in Bellevue, WA, Dr. Gina Johnson, ND offers functional-regenerative telemedicine for optimal aging, hormone health and cognitive wellness. She is certified in Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell University and has over 20 years of experience in functional and integrative medicine. 

Dr. Thomas Griffith, Olympia, Washington

As a survivor of stage III colon cancer, Dr. Thomas Griffith, ND knows firsthand the curative power of plant-based nutrition. Dr. Griffith operates out of Olympia, Washington. 

Dr. Neena Gabrielle, Kirkland, Washington

Dr. Neena Gabrielle is a Kirkland, Washington-based optometrist who is committed to a healthy lifestyle and a vegan diet. 

Wisconsin

Dr. Thomas Steigerwald, MD, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Dr. Thomas Steigerwald, MD is a family medicine physician who works in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with patients of all ages. He promotes a whole-food plant-based diet as a key to long-term health, in addition to pharmaceuticals. He enjoys seeing patients retake control of their health. He offers telehealth in Wisconsin. 

Dr. Aimee Welsh, MD, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Dr. Aimee Welsh, MD is a non-invasive cardiologist certified in plant-based nutrition through the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and a diplomat of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine. Since she and her family transitioned to a plant-based diet, they have all noticed improvements in overall energy, fitness, flexibility, less muscle soreness and fewer minor illnesses. Since incorporating lifestyle medicine and plant-based nutrition counseling into her practice, she has seen great improvements in her patients’ health. She works in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and offers telehealth to patients in Wisconsin and Maine.

Additional Resources to find a vegan doctor or other health professional near you

While this is a quite comprehensive list of vegan doctors across the U.S., there are many other types of plant-based health professionals near you who can help. If you’d like to expand your search for a vegan doctor near you to include other health professionals, such as nurse practitioners, natural medicine doctors, chiropractors, psychologists, occupational and physical therapists, health coaches, and more, then be sure to check out the Find a Doctor tool through the Physicians’ Committee for Responsible Medicine or Plant Based Docs. This may be especially helpful if you live in a state with few or no plant-based medical doctors near you. 

“Find a Doctor” offers a worldwide database of physicians and other health care professionals such as nutritionists, dieticians, nurse practitioners, health coaches, psychologists, and therapists who promote plant-based nutrition as part of their practice. You can search for providers by location or search specifically for telehealth providers. 

Another option is the site Plant Based Docs, which allows you to search by profession, specialty, and location to find vegan health care practitioners near you. This directory connects you with vegan doctors, nurses, registered dieticians, health coaches and other healthcare professionals. Providers listed here are dedicated to “prescribing” food as medicine first, before pills and procedures. 

Note: Many of the “big names” in plant-based medicine no longer practice clinically, devoting their energies instead to their organizations. For instance,  neither Dr. Michael Klaper nor Dr. Neal Barnard of the Physicians’ Committee for Responsible Medicine are still in clinical practice.

If you’re interested in Dr. Dean Ornish, there are many certified providers of the Ornish program across the country, which you can find here: https://www.ornish.com/ornish-certified-site-directory/ 

Author: Colleen Kane, Vkind Writer