Wellness Councils of America Medical Advisory Board
Led by WELCOA Medical Director Richard Collins, MD, "The Cooking Cardiologist," many well-respected members of the medical community servce on WELCOA's Medical Advisory Board. Taken together, their professionalism and medical acumen ensure that all wellness information produced by WELCOA is leading edge.
Richard Collins, MD
Medical Director, Dr. Ornish Heart Disease Reversal and Prevention Program, Alegent Health and WELCOA Medical Director
Dr. Collins, also known as “The Cooking Cardiologist,” is nationally recognized as an expert on obesity and weight management and is known for his devotion to creating culinary dishes using only ingredients known to promote good health. He is a Nebraska native, graduating from the University of Nebraska College of Medicine in 1968 and is a fellow in the American College of Chest Physicians and the American College of Cardiology. Dr. Collins was instrumental in the formation of the Alegent Health Heart Institute. He served as their Medical Director from 1993 to 1997 and continues to serve as the Medical Director of the Dr. Ornish Heart Disease Reversal & Prevention Program at Alegent Health.
Donald Gemson, MD
Medical Director,Merrill Lynch
Donald Gemson, MD, MPH, is Medical Director at Merrill Lynch and Associate Clinical Professor of Public Health at the Columbia University School of Public Health. Dr. Gemson received a BA from Colgate University, MD from New York Medical College, and MPH from Columbia University School of Public Health. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and in Public Health and General Preventive Medicine.
William Bateman, MD
Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the New York University School of Medicine
William Baragar (Barry) Bateman is a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the New York University School of Medicine. A graduate of the University of Michigan College of Medicine, Dr. Bateman is currently the Director of Business Development for the South Manhattan Healthcare Network, which includes Bellevue Hospital Center, Coler-Goldwater Memorial Hospital, and the Gouverneur Diagnostic and Treatment Center and Nursing Facility.
Thomas Baechle, EdD, CSCS
Chair, Exercise Science Department, Creighton University
A highly respected voice in health and human performance, Dr. Baechle regularly consults with leading health groups and lends his expertise to numerous national and international conferences. Dr. Baechle received his BS in Physical Education from Eastern Kentucky University, his MEd in Physical Education from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, and EdD in Adult and Higher Education from the University of South Dakota at Vermillion. Dr. Baechle is co-author of a number of publications including Weight Training Instruction: Steps to Success; Strength Training for Seniors: Instructors Guide; and Essentials of Strength and Conditioning.
David Chenoweth, PhD
President,Health Management Associates
For the past 21 years, David Chenoweth has served as president of HMA. He is the author of numerous articles and books on worksite health promotion planning and evaluation. He is a frequent conference speaker and conducts inhouse workshops for health promotion professionals in business, industrial, and health care settings. Since 1988, he has served as Chair of the Business & Industry Committee within the North Carolina Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness & Health and has served on the faculty at East Carolina University since 1979. David earned his PhD at The Ohio State University.
Michael Perko, PhD
Associate Professor and Coordinator of Health, Department of HPER University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Dr. Michael Perko currently is an Associate Professor and Coordinator of Health Education programs at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. From 1992 to 1997 he served as the Associate Director of the Good Health Makes $ense program, a comprehensive worksite health promotion and disease prevention initiative for employees, spouses, and retirees of Alabama and Gulf Power Companies. With over 160 sites in two states, the program utilized a multitude of stage-driven design, planning, and evaluation strategies to provide for the needs of over 10,000 participants. During that time he hosted, wrote, and produced the Good Health Makes $ense Show, a monthly live satellite broadcast to over 100 sites in Alabama and Florida.
Edward J. Balbona, MD
General Physician and former Attending Physician,
Office of the Attending Physician to Congress
Dr. Balbona received his MD from the Medical College of Georgia and completed his specialty training in Internal Medicine at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. As a Navy Physician, Dr. Balbona has treated members of the U.S. Congress and Supreme Court. He has practiced for a decade at Jacksonville's Baptist Medical Center, specializing in cardiovascular disease and women's health issues. He is a strong advocate for evidence-based medicine with an emphasis on disease prevention and health maintenance through education.
David Gobble, PhD
Director, Fisher Institute for Wellness, Ball State University
Dr. Gobble received his PhD in Community Health and has worked in health promotion and wellness for over twenty-five years as an educator, administrator, direct service provider, and consultant. His career has focused on the delivery and evaluation of disease prevention, health promotion, and wellness programs in various work and community settings. Dr. Gobble has been published in leading journals in health education, nursing, psychology, and wellness.
Carol Landau, PhD
Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, Brown University
A Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the Brown University School of Medicine, Dr. Landau also maintains an independent practice as a consulting clinical psychologist. She co-founded Women’s Health Associates, a multidisciplinary practice and has published more than 40 articles and chapters on the mental health problems of women and women’s health issues. She has served on the faculty of Harvard University Medical School’s Department of Continuing Education annual course, “The Primary Care of Women.”
Alberto Colombi, MD
Corporate Medical Director, PPG Industries
Alberto Colombi is Corporate Medical Director of PPG Industries. He is a member of the International Commission on Occupational Health, American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, National Association of Industrial Medicine Physicians, and numerous other organizations. A Milan native, Colombi earned Doctor of Medicine and Occupational Health degrees from the University of Milan and a master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Pittsburgh.
Michael Samuelson
Chairman, National Center For Health Promotion
As a Co-Founder of an internationally recognized health organization and a former CEO, Michael understands both the dynamics of running a business and the art of designing effective behavior change products and services. Michael is the former Director of The National Center for Health Promotion, and has authored numerous publications and materials that have been used by over 2,000,000 individuals and translated into many languages. He has appeared on over 200 television and radio stations throughout North America and has been interviewed by publications including Newsweek, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal. His work in the area of behavior change was featured on the ABC News program, 20/20.
Kris Berg, EdD
Professor, Health, Physical Education & Recreation, University of Nebraska at Omaha
Dr. Berg received both his BS and MS from the University of Kansas. He received his EdD from the University of Missouri-Columbia and currently serves as a faculty member in the College of Education at the University of Nebraska, Omaha. Dr. Berg’s areas of specialization and interest include diabetes and exercise, training of the endurance athlete, and exercise metabolism.
Led by WELCOA Medical Director Richard Collins, MD, "The Cooking Cardiologist," many well-respected members of the medical community servce on WELCOA's Medical Advisory Board. Taken together, their professionalism and medical acumen ensure that all wellness information produced by WELCOA is leading edge.
Richard Collins, MD
Medical Director, Dr. Ornish Heart Disease Reversal and Prevention Program, Alegent Health and WELCOA Medical Director
Dr. Collins, also known as “The Cooking Cardiologist,” is nationally recognized as an expert on obesity and weight management and is known for his devotion to creating culinary dishes using only ingredients known to promote good health. He is a Nebraska native, graduating from the University of Nebraska College of Medicine in 1968 and is a fellow in the American College of Chest Physicians and the American College of Cardiology. Dr. Collins was instrumental in the formation of the Alegent Health Heart Institute. He served as their Medical Director from 1993 to 1997 and continues to serve as the Medical Director of the Dr. Ornish Heart Disease Reversal & Prevention Program at Alegent Health.
Donald Gemson, MD
Medical Director,Merrill Lynch
Donald Gemson, MD, MPH, is Medical Director at Merrill Lynch and Associate Clinical Professor of Public Health at the Columbia University School of Public Health. Dr. Gemson received a BA from Colgate University, MD from New York Medical College, and MPH from Columbia University School of Public Health. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and in Public Health and General Preventive Medicine.
William Bateman, MD
Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the New York University School of Medicine
William Baragar (Barry) Bateman is a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the New York University School of Medicine. A graduate of the University of Michigan College of Medicine, Dr. Bateman is currently the Director of Business Development for the South Manhattan Healthcare Network, which includes Bellevue Hospital Center, Coler-Goldwater Memorial Hospital, and the Gouverneur Diagnostic and Treatment Center and Nursing Facility.
Thomas Baechle, EdD, CSCS
Chair, Exercise Science Department, Creighton University
A highly respected voice in health and human performance, Dr. Baechle regularly consults with leading health groups and lends his expertise to numerous national and international conferences. Dr. Baechle received his BS in Physical Education from Eastern Kentucky University, his MEd in Physical Education from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, and EdD in Adult and Higher Education from the University of South Dakota at Vermillion. Dr. Baechle is co-author of a number of publications including Weight Training Instruction: Steps to Success; Strength Training for Seniors: Instructors Guide; and Essentials of Strength and Conditioning.
David Chenoweth, PhD
President,Health Management Associates
For the past 21 years, David Chenoweth has served as president of HMA. He is the author of numerous articles and books on worksite health promotion planning and evaluation. He is a frequent conference speaker and conducts inhouse workshops for health promotion professionals in business, industrial, and health care settings. Since 1988, he has served as Chair of the Business & Industry Committee within the North Carolina Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness & Health and has served on the faculty at East Carolina University since 1979. David earned his PhD at The Ohio State University.
Michael Perko, PhD
Associate Professor and Coordinator of Health, Department of HPER University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Dr. Michael Perko currently is an Associate Professor and Coordinator of Health Education programs at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. From 1992 to 1997 he served as the Associate Director of the Good Health Makes $ense program, a comprehensive worksite health promotion and disease prevention initiative for employees, spouses, and retirees of Alabama and Gulf Power Companies. With over 160 sites in two states, the program utilized a multitude of stage-driven design, planning, and evaluation strategies to provide for the needs of over 10,000 participants. During that time he hosted, wrote, and produced the Good Health Makes $ense Show, a monthly live satellite broadcast to over 100 sites in Alabama and Florida.
Edward J. Balbona, MD
General Physician and former Attending Physician,
Office of the Attending Physician to Congress
Dr. Balbona received his MD from the Medical College of Georgia and completed his specialty training in Internal Medicine at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. As a Navy Physician, Dr. Balbona has treated members of the U.S. Congress and Supreme Court. He has practiced for a decade at Jacksonville's Baptist Medical Center, specializing in cardiovascular disease and women's health issues. He is a strong advocate for evidence-based medicine with an emphasis on disease prevention and health maintenance through education.
David Gobble, PhD
Director, Fisher Institute for Wellness, Ball State University
Dr. Gobble received his PhD in Community Health and has worked in health promotion and wellness for over twenty-five years as an educator, administrator, direct service provider, and consultant. His career has focused on the delivery and evaluation of disease prevention, health promotion, and wellness programs in various work and community settings. Dr. Gobble has been published in leading journals in health education, nursing, psychology, and wellness.
Carol Landau, PhD
Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, Brown University
A Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the Brown University School of Medicine, Dr. Landau also maintains an independent practice as a consulting clinical psychologist. She co-founded Women’s Health Associates, a multidisciplinary practice and has published more than 40 articles and chapters on the mental health problems of women and women’s health issues. She has served on the faculty of Harvard University Medical School’s Department of Continuing Education annual course, “The Primary Care of Women.”
Alberto Colombi, MD
Corporate Medical Director, PPG Industries
Alberto Colombi is Corporate Medical Director of PPG Industries. He is a member of the International Commission on Occupational Health, American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, National Association of Industrial Medicine Physicians, and numerous other organizations. A Milan native, Colombi earned Doctor of Medicine and Occupational Health degrees from the University of Milan and a master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Pittsburgh.
Michael Samuelson
Chairman, National Center For Health Promotion
As a Co-Founder of an internationally recognized health organization and a former CEO, Michael understands both the dynamics of running a business and the art of designing effective behavior change products and services. Michael is the former Director of The National Center for Health Promotion, and has authored numerous publications and materials that have been used by over 2,000,000 individuals and translated into many languages. He has appeared on over 200 television and radio stations throughout North America and has been interviewed by publications including Newsweek, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal. His work in the area of behavior change was featured on the ABC News program, 20/20.
Kris Berg, EdD
Professor, Health, Physical Education & Recreation, University of Nebraska at Omaha
Dr. Berg received both his BS and MS from the University of Kansas. He received his EdD from the University of Missouri-Columbia and currently serves as a faculty member in the College of Education at the University of Nebraska, Omaha. Dr. Berg’s areas of specialization and interest include diabetes and exercise, training of the endurance athlete, and exercise metabolism.
