About Us

Director

Kamal Patel is co-founder and director of Examine.com. He holds two master’s degrees from the Johns Hopkins University, in business and in public health, and is on hiatus from a PhD in Nutrition for which he’s investigated the link between diet and chronic pain. He’s published peer-reviewed articles on vitamin D and calcium, as well as on a variety of clinical research topics. He’s also been involved in research on fructose and liver health, on nutrition in low income areas, and on mindfulness meditation.

Gregory Lopez is editor-in-chief for Examine.com and for our Examine.com Research Digest. He obtained his master’s degree in molecular biophysics from the Johns Hopkins University, and his doctor of pharmacy degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. In his spare time, Greg pursues interests in meditation, psychology, philosophy, and swing dancing.

Bill Willis, PhD received a Bachelors of Science in Chemistry and PhD in Biomedical Science at Ohio State University. An avid member of the fitness industry for the past score years, Bill Willis is a postdoctoral fellow at the Ohio State University, where he’s researching the role of metabolic stress in the control of protein synthesis and inflammation.

Alex Leaf - a certified sports nutritionist and personal trainer, Alex Leaf holds a master’s degree in Nutrition from Bastyr University. He’s a full-time researcher at Examine.com, involved in updating the supplement database, editing ERD articles, and blogging about nutrition. Alex also teaches young minds about human nutrition and functional medicine at the University of Western States. He enjoys blending the scientific aspects of nutrition with the pragmatic realities of life to help others achieve their goals.

Michael Hull - in addition to his work as a researcher for Examine.com, Michael is currently pursuing his master’s degree in human nutrition at McGill University, where he is completing a thesis on correlates of vitamin D status. He recently graduated with a BSc in kinesiology and nutrition from George Mason University, where he mentored under GMU’s resident sports dietitian, Deanna Busteed, MS, RD, CSSD. In his free time, he enjoys finding ways of using technology to further science communication.

Zad Chow - originally interested in nutrition and health, Zad became interested in research methodology and statistics after realizing there was a lot of controversy in the way studies were designed and data were analyzed. In addition to doing research at Examine.com since 2016, he has done research at NYU Langone Medical Center (where he helped run a clinical trial and helped with population health research) and Weill Cornell Medicine (where he helped with computational genetics research). He holds a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and plans on pursuing a doctorate in biostatistics.

Wyatt Brown - searching for ways to improve his health and frequently confused by the conflicting messages from publications and popular authors, Wyatt dove head first into the scientific research and became fascinated by its logic and methods. Contributing to his most respected website has only intensified his interest and motivated him to pursue an education in nutrition.

Pablo Sanchez Soria , PhD received his doctoral degree in Pharmacology & Toxicology, and his bachelor's degree with a double major in Nutritional Sciences and Microbiology from the University of Arizona. He works as a toxicologist evaluating the relationship between chemical exposures and disease. He has research experience in the fields of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, as well as virology, and plant biology, bringing with him a unique set of expertise to the team. Pablo enjoys weightlifting and taking part in multiple recreational sports and outdoor activities. While earning his bachelor's degree, he was a competitive cyclist, at the local, regional and national levels. He also enjoys spending time wrenching and tweaking his car to compete in track racing events as the occasional weekend warrior.

Cassandra Forsythe, PhD, RD, received her doctorate in kinesiology from the University of Connecticut, and completed her dietetic internship at UMass Amherst, both in 2009. She works as a nutrition educator and weight loss coach and is the author of two popular books for women: "The New Rules of Lifting for Women", co-authored with Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove, and "Women's Health Perfect Body Diet". She has been featured in Women's Health and Men's Health, and made appearances on The Biggest Loser. She is a Registered Dietitian (RD), certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), and is a Certified Sports Nutritionist (CISSN) through the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN).

Director of Operations

Carolyn Macdonald Before finding her home at Examine.com, Carolyn started her career in public relations within the beauty and fitness industries. After several years of working with fitness startups and running her own communications boutique in Collingwood, she moved back to Toronto and joined the Examine.com team in 2014. Carolyn studied English and Public Relations. When she’s not busy nagging everyone, she spends her spare time taking pictures of her dog, running, and collecting bourbon.

Customer Support

Debbie Young After a career in the beauty industry, Debbie found herself immersed in the world of health and fitness due to a health issue. Blogging and guest blogging led to new friendships, including with Sol and Kamal. She worked in customer support for online health companies but was longing to support real science based on solid research. Examine.com has been the perfect fit as she loves helping out both our incredible team and our customers. When not working away, you can find her walking Malcolm the wonder dog or training for her next 5k race in the wilds of Southern California.

Director of Strategy

Sol Orwell has a different story than most. Dabbling in web development while still in high school, he found he had a knack for building websites that were both useful and popular. He incorporated his first business while still studying computer engineering at the University of Toronto.

In his mid-20s, he opted to retire, freeing up time to do what he wanted, when he wanted. Transforming from fat to fit, he began to investigate the whys and hows behind nutrition, health, and fitness. It was this research that lead to Examine.com, the culmination of thousands of hours of research into anatomy and nutrition.

Director of Technology

Andre Marcelo-Tanner has been developing and tinkering with websites since 1997. Understanding how important it was to make information accessible, he has a deep understanding on how to present information to a user that is both easy to use but also brings a depth of data.

In his free time, Andre likes to run, and when his daughters give him the time, sleep.

Copy Editor

Dmitri Barvinok graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism from Michigan State University. He is passionate about fighting misinformation in media and works to bridge the gap between science writing and journalism. He is a recreational strongman and enjoys pressing heavy objects overhead.

Copy Editor

Pierre-Alexandre Sicart holds graduate degrees from New York University, the University of Toulouse II, and the University of St Andrews. At NYU, he was MVP then captain of the Taekwondo Club, president of the Karate Club, and founder of the Martial Arts Club. After graduation, he wrote a grammar book, then found himself working as assistant professor of French in Taiwan. After some years enjoying the best foods in Asia, he moved back to France to freelance as writer, translator, and copy editor. He’s Examine.com’s resident copy editor and has been overseeing our Supplement Guides since 2016.

Gillian Mandich finished her doctoral studies at Western University in Health and Rehabilitation Science with the International Centre for Health Innovation Research at the Richard Ivey School of Business. Gillian Mandich's research examined health promotion, specifically physical activity, childhood obesity, nutrition, sustainable happiness, and diabetes. Prior to her PhD studies, Gillian worked in public health at the Middlesex-London Health Unit and received her Master's degree from Western University.

Tavis Piattoly, MS, RD, LDN is co-founder and Director of Sports Nutrition education for My Sports Dietitian , an online sports nutrition education company that helps High School and College Athletes through the guidance of a Licensed Sports Dietitian.

He is the Sports Dietitian and Nutrition Consultant for Tulane University Athletic Department, Tulane Institute of Sports Medicine’s NFL Players Association Brain and Body program, Fairchild Sports Performance in Houston, and Traction Center for Sports Excellence. He was the Sports Dietitian for the New Orleans Saints from 2006-2013 and New Orleans Pelicans from 2008-2013. He’s been fortunate to work with training expert Mackie Shilstone and designed the nutrition programs for boxing champions Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. along with working with Olympic, NFL, MLB, and NBA athletes to various college and high school programs.

Bryan Chung, MD, PhD is the founder of the blog Evidence-Based Fitness.

After obtaining his MSc from McGill University in Rehabilitation Science in Biomechanics, he went on to earn his PhD at the Sport Medicine Centre at the University of Calgary, focusing on research methods and biostatistics in musculoskeletal health, followed by his MD, also at the University of Calgary. He completed his residency training in Plastic Surgery at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia and his fellowship in Hand Surgery at NYU. He is currently in practice as a plastic and reconstructive surgeon. Bryan is a research methodologist who has won research awards at both international sport medicine and plastic surgery meetings. He sits on the editorial board for the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine and is a peer-reviewer for several journals, as well as the Cochrane Collaboration, which publishes the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

Brad Pilon, MSc is one of the world's most sought after intermittent fasting advocates. His book Eat Stop Eat continues to be one of the best selling books on intermittent fasting on the internet.

He received his Bachelor of Science in Applied Human Nutrition and his master's degree in Human Biology and Nutritional Science, where his main area of interest was the effect of short periods of fasting on human metabolism. His book Eat Stop Eat is the result of this research. Brad has also spent over 7 years working in Research and Development in the sports supplement industry. During this time he helped design multiple clinical trials and create dozens of popular bodybuilding supplements, and is listed as an author on multiple patents involving methods to increase muscle mass and decrease body fat.

Through appearing on national television, speaking at national scientific conferences and his book Eat Stop Eat, Brad has helped millions of people become aware of the amazing health benefits that can be achieved by simply taking an occasional break from eating and by taking a practical approach to nutrition and exercise.

Lou Schuler is a National Magazine Award-winning journalist and author whose books include, most recently, The New Rules of Lifting Supercharged , with Alwyn Cosgrove. Currently a contributing editor to Men's Health magazine, he's worked as fitness editor for both Men's Fitness and Men's Health, and contributed to a long list of magazines, including Shape, Men's Journal, Better Homes & Gardens, Fit Pregnancy, and Women's Health. In addition to the New Rules of Lifting books, he's author or coauthor of The Testosterone Advantage Plan, Home Workout Bible, Book of Muscle, and the upcoming Eat, Move, Live, with Wolfgang Puck and Chad Waterbury.

Emma-Leigh Synnott, MBBS graduated in medicine from Sydney University, and is currently undertaking specialist physician training in Rehabilitation Medicine. She is a certified Sports Nutrition Specialist with the International Society of Sports Nutrition, and is an accredited Australian Strength and Conditioning Association Level 1 Strength and Conditioning Coach.

Since 2005, Emma-Leigh has run a performance and lifestyle consulting service, providing an integrated, balanced and sustainable approach to training, diet and lifestyle, whilst optimizing physical performance, body composition, and health. Her other experience includes observation in the Biochemistry and Nutrition Labs at the University of Sydney, and assisting in research at the Diabetes and Obesity Unit of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research. Prior to studying medicine, Emma-Leigh completed a degree in Veterinary Science (Hon I, and awarded the University Medal), and a Certificate III in Fitness.

Peter J. Woolf PhD's research spans the fields of machine learning, bioinformatics, biological engineering, and biostatistics. He has authored over 30 peer reviewed scientific articles. Dr. Woolf received his PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan, followed by postdoctoral work in developmental biology and biological engineering at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Woolf was a faculty member in chemical and bioengineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, until in 2010 he left to found two companies, Foodwiki and ExtraorDNA.