Eugene Plant Based Providers
Providers
Shawna Jensen
Physician Assistant
Physician Assistant
Dr. Eric Colgrove is a Pediatrician at the Community Health Centers of Lane County, Riverstone Clinic. If you have questions related to the little ones in your family, and how to employ a more whole food plant-based diet in your household, feel free to contact him.
Contact Eric at: tnpeds@gmail.com
Eric earned a medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 1995 and completed residency training at Vanderbilt University Children’s Hospital. He is board certified in Pediatrics, with a keen interest in observing the growth and development of newborns into young adults. His passion lies in promoting health through a ‘Lifestyle Medicine approach,’ specifically advocating for plant-based nutrition.
His interests also include genetics and the tracking of a child’s health from their later teen years. He has a certificate in Plant Based Nutrition from Cornell University. In his personal time he enjoys world music, learning about other cultures, and playing board games. He started his career by serving and learning from the Navajo people for 4 years. His wife, Akinyi, grew up in a small village in Kenya. They have 2 grown children in Seattle.
Scott is a Physician Assistant working in Internal Medicine at Oregon Medical Group. He is board certified in Lifestyle Medicine, which is using evidence based nutrition, and other healthy lifestyle changes to prevent and treat chronic disease for his patients, and in the Eugene/Springfield community. Scott also teaches a free weekly online class on using food and lifestyle medicine to help those that attend to achieve their health goals. Information about the free classes, and educational resources can be found at the website listed below.
In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his wife and family, as well as bicycle riding and traveling.
Charles “Charlie” Ross DO has been a practicing osteopathic physician in Oregon for over 44 years. He is board certified in Family Practice and Emergency Medicine but is now practicing Lifestyle Medicine. He is a part time Assistant Professor at Western University of Health Sciences, Lebanon, OR. Charlie’s current life goal is to change the practice of medicine from treating symptoms to treating the root causes of disease. He has been teaching free community classes on the science of nutrition and food as medicine for over 9 years. He is committed to teaching free classes throughout the state of Oregon to all providers involved in health care including physicians and physician assistants, nurses and nurse practitioners, medical assistants, pharmacists, and anyone else who is interested in improving individual health and the health of our world.
Debby Coulthard, RN, M.Ed., CDCES (Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist), has combined her years of teaching and health care experience to understand the power of plant-based nutrition and lifestyle medicine as clear avenues to improved health and reduced suffering for humans and other animals, and our planet. She has taught at the University of Oregon and Lane Community College. Her nursing experience includes hospital medical floor, home health, foot care, diabetes and nutrition education, and insurance company health management. She is also a Chronic Care Certified Health Coach.
She enjoys collaborating with others to help transform our system of chronic disease care into one of more true and sustainable health care.
She is fond of green shakes and orange cats.
Sean is a Registered Dietitian (R.D) who has counseled over 25,000 people on the topics of nutrition and health. While he has a broad scope of practice, he specializes in heart disease, diabetes, and weight loss. Currently, Sean resides in Oregon as a Clinical Dietitian working with hospital patients as well as outpatients in cardiac rehab following heart surgery.
Misty Carlson, MD is a pediatric cardiologist at PeaceHealth Medical Group. She is a native Oregonian who completed medical school at the University of Pittsburgh and pediatric residency and pediatric cardiology fellowship at OHSU. In 2014 she moved to Eugene to open the first pediatric cardiology practice in the Eugene/ Springfield area. Although much of her practice involves caring for patients with congenital heart disease, she has seen an increase in patients who are being referred for what used to be adult-onset diseases such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Dr. Carlson believes in a holistic, family centered approach to preventing and treating chronic diseases in the pediatric population which includes a whole food plant-based diet. She is a board certified in pediatric cardiology as well as Lifestyle Medicine, is a certified health coach through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and has a certificate in Plant Based Nutrition through Cornell University. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and baking, running, yoga, and watching Duck athletics.
Kathy Meldrum is on a mission to get her patients back to the activities they love as quickly as possible by integrating plant-based nutrition into her PT practice. After improving several of her own health conditions on a whole food, plant-based diet, she knew this information would be invaluable to her patients.
Kathy holds a master’s degree in Physical Therapy from Washington University in St. Louis, MO and is also a graduate of the Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate Program at the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and is an active contributor/author for their website. She also collaborates with Active Resolute Connected, a non-profit devoted to supporting women through movement/running.
In her free time, she enjoys running, particularly ½ marathon distances and mountain hiking. Her favorite summits are the South Sister, Half Dome and Mt. Timpanogos.
Kathy is a physical therapist on staff at Cascade Health. Her website is plantbased-pt.com and she can be found on Instagram at plant.based.pt.
Dr. Rechelle “Ritz” Asirot is a fellowship-trained geriatrician whose focus is on longevity and wellness. He employs a multidisciplinary approach to slowing down aging and prevention of diseases. He has trained hundreds of physicians and health professionals around the country in the field of aesthetics and regenerative medicine. Board certified in Integrative and Holistic medicine, he believes that nutritional intervention is one of the main pillars in improving health and vitality. Through emphasizing good lifestyle choices and utilizing motivational interviewing techniques, he was able to wean some of his patients off medications for diabetes, cholesterol and hypertension. When not traveling, he runs, grows food in his garden and cooks. Dr. Asirot also serves on the board of the Lane County Medical Society.
As an invasive cardiologist, I have spent my career taking care of many patients with risk factors for heart disease as well as established heart disease. I have been in practice for 17 years now, and there were many days I felt I was beating my head against the wall in frustration because of having to continually increase or add to patient’s blood pressure and cholesterol medication regimen. Furthermore, my recommendations for weight loss and better diet seemed to produce no results. After pursuing a master degree in public health, this eventually led me to find Lifestyle Medicine as an option for helping patients with their risk factors. Not only does it produce results, but it gives patients more agency in healthcare and wellness decisions. I just recently moved to the Eugene area and am thrilled to be participating in the Lifestyle Medicine and EPBP community, surrounded by like-minded individuals!
Dr. Gutierrez is a dynamic and inspirational speaker who has presented for healthcare professionals, New Thought Churches, and educational groups in the western US. He is the author of several books on health: Three Steps to Superior Health and L.O.V.E.S. The Answer. He currently resides in Eugene, OR where he has a private practice in Family Medicine and Integrative Holistic Medicine.
Dr. Gutierrez completed training at the renowned Mayo Clinic for 3 years after completing active duty in the United States Navy during the Iraq War. As a Family Medicine Resident at Mayo Clinic Florida, he presented original research on exceptional longevity and nutrition internationally. The Florida Academy of Family Physicians awarded him its Distinguished Scholar Award in 2009.
Dr. Gutierrez shares a holistic lifestyle with his wife and their three children. His healthy habits include a plant-based diet since 1997, daily meditation and yoga, and participating in his spiritual community. His family has been Unity members since 2005 and his wife is currently a ministerial candidate at Unity Worldwide Spiritual Institute. He is a competitive runner and All American track athlete. As a Cuban refugee who came to America on the Mariel boatlift, he is the first in his family to attend college and truly enjoys connecting with people from all walks of life.
To schedule an appointment visit his website www.drorestesg.com
During medical school and residency, Joe learned how to take care of sick patients. Then Joe helped teach medical students and residents as an Assistant Professor at Case Western Reserve University. While these endeavors are very important, it is even more satisfying when people prevent or treat their own illness. People make changes in the context of relationships. So Joe went back to school to study lifestyle medicine and health coaching. This approach to medicine puts the focus on creating relationships and building the self-efficacy of patients and clients. Joe collaborates with individuals, families and organizations. He empowers people to live happy, healthy lives.
Thomas Bosch is a Registered Dietician and Licensed Dietician Nutritionist in Oregon. In his private practice, Bosch Nutrition, Thomas helps patients achieve optimum nutrition, health, weight, and wellness goals through personally tailored, evidence-based medical nutrition therapy (MNT). Utilizing a plant-focused, whole foods approach, he helps his patients prevent and also reverse chronic health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, autoimmune disorders, acid reflux/GERD, IBS/Crohn’s disease, leaky gut, as well as a range of digestive tract and eating disorders.
During visits, Thomas will explore with you the best suited nutrition approaches for your personal health needs and lifestyle goals. Having reversed a long-term chronic autoimmune disease himself (psoriasis & psoriatic arthritis), Thomas practices with a great deal of empathy and a genuine desire to help you overcome your own health challenges. Thomas has expertise in specialized nutrition approaches including gluten-free (GF), low FODMAP, DASH, Mediterranean, plant-based/vegan, MIND diet, and various elimination diets.
In his spare time, Thomas enjoys spending time with his wife and two sons hiking, biking, kayaking, camping, and trips to the Oregon Coast.
Ever since reading Diet For a New America by John Robbins, Andrew McIvor at Summit Surgical Specialists has had an abiding interest in nutrition and health. As a general surgeon, he sees the late manifestations of what we call SAD – the Standard American Diet, high in dairy, meats, and processed foods, often contaminated with pesticides, herbicides and hormones. Gallstones, hernias, cancers, constipation and atherosclerosis would all be much less frequent if people were able to develop healthy eating habits and maintain healthy weights. He completed Cornell University’s on-line Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate, has watched most of the diet documentaries and has a bookshelf full of nutrition books. The consistent theme of most of them, no matter what disease they are discussing, is that transitioning to a whole foods, plant based diet, and eating lower on the food chain, incurs improvements to our health and well-being. After starting each day with a plant-based smoothie, he shares this information with any patient who is curious.
She has been plant based for over 15 years, and experienced life changing transformations, not only from a nutritional standpoint, but also in mental health and spiritual growth.
When she is not tending the garden or practicing Zen Buddhism, she can be found volunteering at a local farm sanctuary, often in the company of Buster, a rescued steer living his best life! She also plays the flute and loves ceramics.
Elisabeth has a Master’s degree and a PhD in Public Health from Oregon State University. (OSU) She has been a vegetarian since high school and is now fully committed to being vegan and Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB). Elisabeth has been working in public service for her entire career. She spent over 10 years working as a social worker in domestic violence and child abuse. After earning her advanced degrees in Public Health, Elisabeth spent several years teaching at OSU in the Public Health department. For the last 7 years, Elisabeth has been working for Lane County Public Health in the Prevention section. She currently supervises the prevention efforts of a team of 15 who work passionately in our community to prevent substance abuse, tobacco use, suicide, and problem gambling. Elisabeth also supervises the upstream prevention efforts in partnership with our local Coordinated Care Organizations.
Elisabeth is committed to and passionate about spreading the word about WFPB eating to improve the health of our community on individual and population levels, to help heal our environment, and to stop animal suffering.
It all started years ago with my exploration of figurative sculpture. That naturally led me to anatomy. My awe of the human body grew into a hands-on traveling massage practice. Since then, I’ve always wanted to better understand how the interplay of emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being creates the whole person.
After spending a detour of several decades in state-level marketing, in 2017, I got back on track. I received an associate’s coaching certification (A.C.C.) in positive psychology wellness from Coach.Edu in Portland – one of only several entities endorsed by the global gold standard International Coaching Federation. In 2021, during covid, I left Wyoming and put roots down in Eugene to sow seeds of a better life. After completing my Oregon Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) licensure at both LCC and IBS therapeutic massage schools, I began working in chiropractic clinical settings. Now TraceyDobbinsLMT, LLC, is my own therapeutic massage practice located in Creswell. Using a whole body approach of innovative therapeutic massage that blends clinical massage with deep relaxation, I’m able to help women experiencing upper body pain, tension, and stress find real peace and resolution. Many patients feel inflammation is their pain trigger because it wreaks havoc on the whole body. One of the many benefits of whole food plant-based living is decreased inflammation. Hmmm…
Becoming entirely plant-based/vegan (for over a year now) was the best decision ever – and much easier than I expected. I spent many years on a lonely solo path until finding of EPBP. This group is truly health centric and walks the talk. Now my journey is full of like-minded inspirational souls, trust-worthy data, and life feels vibrant. I’m more energetic and feel twenty years younger! I’d encourage you to start your transition in whatever timeframe makes sense for you and your family. EPBP and its members are here to help you every step of the way.
When not helping people feel their best so they can do what they love for longer, I enjoy making assemblage collage and found object mosaics, photography, sailing, nature, improv, and my celtic harp, Fiona.
