Harvard Health Experts and Contributors

Medha Munshi, MD

Contributor

Medha Munshi, MD is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School. She is a geriatrician and an endocrinologist. She practices primary care geriatrics at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and directs geriatric diabetes program at the Joslin Diabetes Center. This program uses interdisciplinary program beyond the traditional diabetes program that considers clinical, functional and psychosocial barriers faced by older adults before formulating individualized treatment strategies. The primary focus of Dr. Munshi’ s clinical research is to identify challenges faced by older individuals with diabetes, to develop strategies to overcome these barriers, and to improve clinical and functional outcomes, including quality of life. One of the important areas for her investigation has been on the risks and poor outcomes of hypoglycemia in aging population. She has co-edited 2 textbooks on the topic of geriatric diabetes and contributed many chapters on this topic. Under the umbrella of the International Diabetes Federation, she co-authored the global guidelines on managing older people with type-2 diabetes. She also co-authored the consensus report on diabetes management in community-living older adults and the position statement for diabetes management in the LTC facilities published by the American Diabetes Association. She chaired the committee to author the Joslin Diabetes Center guidelines for the care of the older adults with diabetes. She has published many papers of original investigation on the subject of geriatric diabetes and has presented nationally and internationally on this topic.

Jonathan Nadler, MD

Contributor

Emergency Physician, Cambridge Health Alliance Department of Emergency Medicine Education: Post-graduate Training: Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency – Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Doctor of Medicine: University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA Undergraduate Degree: Bachelor of Science in Biology/Biotechnology from Tufts University Medford, MA

Uma Naidoo, MD

Contributor; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing

Dr. Uma Naidoo is a nutritional psychiatrist and serves as the director of nutritional & lifestyle psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is on the faculty at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Naidoo trained at the Harvard Longwood Psychiatry Residency Training Program, and completed a consultation liaison fellowship at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Dr. Naidoo studied nutrition, and she also graduated from the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts as a professional chef. She was awarded her culinary school’s most coveted award, the MFK Fisher Award for Innovation. Dr. Naidoo is regarded nationally and internationally as a pioneer in the field of nutritional psychiatry, having founded the first US hospital-based clinical service in this area. She is the author of This is Your Brain on Food: An Indispensable Guide to the Surprising Foods that Fight Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, OCD, ADHD, and More. With her passion for food and nutritional psychiatry, she will share her expertise on the integration of food, mental health, and medicine.

James Naples, MD

Contributor; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing

Dr. James Naples is a physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and a clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA. He earned his medical degree from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, and stayed there to complete his residency training in otolaryngology–head and neck surgery. He completed a fellowship in neurotology and skull base surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He has diverse clinical interests that include hearing loss and cochlear implants, skull base surgery, vestibular disorders, and medical history. In addition to his clinical practice, he has performed research in all of these areas. He hopes to integrate his research ideas to improve care and outcomes for all patients with ear-related clinical disorders.

Pushpa Narayanaswami, MD, FAAN

Contributor

Pushpa Narayanaswami is a neuromuscular neurologist. She is the vice chair of clinical operations in the department of neurology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, and associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School. She is a clinician-educator and researcher with special interest in myasthenia gravis, myopathies, and muscular dystrophies.

Janelle Nassim, MD

Contributor

Janelle Nassim, MD, is a dermatology resident in the Harvard Combined Dermatology Residency Training Program. Her clinical interests are acne, laser and cosmetic dermatology, diet and dermatology, and accessibility and inclusion for patients with disabilities.

David M. Nathan, MD

Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing

Dr. David M. Nathan is a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and is director of the diabetes center and the clinical research center at Massachusetts General Hospital. An internationally acclaimed expert on diabetes, he has led some of the most important studies in its treatment and prevention, including the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial; Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications Study; Diabetes Prevention Program: and the GRADE study. He was awarded the Outstanding Clinician Award in 2002 and the Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Diabetes Research Award in 2015, both from the American Diabetes Association, and the Distinguished Scientist Award from the National Institute of Diabetes Digestive and Kidney Disease/NIH in 2010.

Neera Nathan, MD, MSHS

Contributor

Dr. Neera Nathan is a dermatologist and researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital and Lahey Hospital and Medical Center. Her clinical and research interests include dermatologic surgery, cosmetic dermatology, and laser medicine. She is part of the teaching faculty at Harvard Medical School, where she contributes to resident physician education.

Judy Nee, MD

Contributor

Judy Nee, MD is a gastroenterologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. She serves as co-director of the GI Motility Lab at Beth Israel. She specializes in GI motility disorders and functional GI diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome, chronic diarrhea, constipation as well as movement disorders of esophagus.

Sara Neill, MD, MPH

Contributor

Dr. Sara Neill is a physician-researcher in the department of obstetrics & gynecology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School. She completed a fellowship in complex family planning at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and received her master of public health degree from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She specializes in care for patients with miscarriage, and patients with complex medical conditions that may complicate their use of birth control.

Justin Neiman

Contributor

Justin Neiman serves as the associate ombudsperson for Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He is a skilled dispute resolution professional who has experience working in academic, corporate, and nonprofit sectors. Prior to coming to Harvard, Justin served as an assistant dean at Stanford University, working in student affairs and teaching courses on leadership and interpersonal learning.

Leo Newhouse, LICSW

Contributor

Leo Newhouse, LICSW, is a Senior Social Worker in Neurology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). In this capacity, he works with patients and families coping with life-limiting illness, aging, and loss. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, writing, and—weather permitting—riding his bike along Boston’s Emerald Necklace.

Jeremy Nobel, MD, MPH

Contributor

As a practicing general internist for many years, Dr. Nobel experienced “the front lines” of health care and its delivery. Currently, through his faculty appointments at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Harvard Medical School, Dr. Nobel’s teaching, research, and community based projects address the design of healthcare delivery systems that improve quality, cost-effectiveness and access. His work has been the basis of significant improvements in preventative, acute, chronic, rehabilitative, and end of life medical care that focus on understanding what quality healthcare means from a patient perspective, and how best to deliver it. Dr. Nobel is also a recognized leader in the field of medical humanities, an interdisciplinary endeavor that draws on a diverse range of fields, including the creative arts, to inform medical education and practice. He is the founder and president of the Foundation for Art and Healing (www.ArtandHealing.org) whose signature initiative, the UnLonely Project (www.UnLonelyProject.org), addressing the personal and public health challenges of loneliness and social isolation, has gained national visibility. His work is dedicated to exploring the important relationship between creative expression and health and well-being, bringing those benefits to individuals and communities through innovative programs and an active research agenda. Also a published poet, Dr. Nobel has received several awards for his poetry including the Bain-Swiggett Prize from Princeton University, and the American Academy of Poets Prize from the University of Pennsylvania.

Megan Noe, MD, MPH, MSCE

Former Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing

Megan Noe, MD, MPH, MSCE, is an assistant professor of dermatology at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston. She graduated with research honors from Tufts University School of Medicine, and completed her dermatology training at the University of Iowa. The overarching goals of her research and clinical practice are to improve the care of adults with chronic inflammatory skin diseases.

Margaret O'Connor, PhD, ABPP

Contributor

Dr. Margaret O’Connor holds a number of leadership positions in academic medicine and community settings. She is president-elect of the International Neuropsychological Society, a group whose mission focuses on promoting neuroscience and brain health initiatives across the world. As director of neuropsychology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, she coordinates the clinical work of a large staff and she has mentored over 80 students. In association with Dr. Alvaro Pascual Leone, she developed therapeutic programs to ehance memory, attention and overall cognitive fitness throug the Brain Fit Club. Dr. O’Connor is cochair of the Medical & Scientific Advisory Committee of the Alzheimer’s Association of Massachusetts, and she is on the board of directors for the Association. She is director of research for DriveWise, an evidence-based driving asesssment program that has provided road tests for over 700 people. She has been involved in a number of public forums and legislative initiatives on impaired driving, and she has produced videos to educate the public about this important topic. Dr. O’Connor is an associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, where she has been engaged in teaching and research. With NIH and private foundation support, she conducted investigations of age-realted memory loss, as well as changes in cognition that occur in the context of degenerative brain conditions. Her specific interests have to do with long-term retention of autobiographical and news events.

Michael O'Leary, MD

Contributor

Dr. Michael O’Leary is professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School and senior urologic surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where he has practiced for 35 years. He is a graduate of Harvard College, and received his MD from George Washington University and a master of public health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He completed his residency in urology at Massachusetts General Hospital, and was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar at the University of California, San Francisco and Stanford University. He has authored over 200 publications.

Isioma D. Okolo, MBChB, MRCOG, DTMH

Contributor

Dr. Isioma D. Okolo is a Paul Farmer Global Surgery Research Fellow at the Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), and master of public health candidate at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She is also an obstetrics & gynaecology senior resident in the National Health Service in Scotland. Twitter: @isiokolo

Barbara Okun, PhD

Contributor

Barbara Okun, PhD, is a professor of counseling psychology at Northeastern University, a clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School, and a clinical psychologist and family therapist.

Nancy Oliveira, MS, RD, LDN, CDCES

Contributor; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing

Nancy Oliveira is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator. She received a master of science in nutrition communications from Tufts University, and completed her clinical nutrition internship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Currently she is manager of the nutrition and wellness service at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. In addition, she is the primary science writer at The Nutrition Source website from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and has co-authored chapters in nutrition textbooks. Her clinical focus with patients includes diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders including IBS and IBD, food sensitivities, and chronic disease prevention.

Rose McKeon Olson, MD, MPH

Contributor

Dr. Rose McKeon Olson is an associate physician in the department of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and an instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. She has special research interests in trauma-informed care and the health impacts of gender-based violence.

T. Salewa Oseni, MD

Contributor

T. Salewa Oseni, MD, is a breast surgical oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. She specializes in breast oncoplastic surgery, and has an appointment as an assistant professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School. Her research areas include management of high-risk DCIS and health care disparities. Dr. Oseni received her undergraduate training at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, and her medical degree from the Case Western Reserve University. Following this, she was commissioned as an officer in the United States Navy, and completed her general surgery training at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. She received her fellowship training in surgical oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.

Andrew Oseran, MD, MBA

Contributor

Andrew Oseran MD, MBA is a clinical cardiology fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Oseran graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in economics in 2010. He received his MD from Georgetown University School of Medicine as well as a master’s in business administration (MBA) from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. He completed his Internal Medicine Residency at Massachusetts General Hospital in 2019. His research interests include questions related to the delivery of health care and understanding how domestic policy initiatives impact health care outcomes and cost.

Reena L. Pande, MD

Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Dr. Reena Pande is a cardiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School. Her research focuses on the mechanisms by which exercise benefits people with cardiovascular disease.

Ashley B. Parker, MD, MS

Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing

Originally from Rhode Island, Ashley made her way to North Carolina in 2010 to attend Davidson College. While at Davidson she majored in French and Francophone studies, which led her to spend a year after college teaching English to elementary school children in France. Ashley worked in pediatrics, gynecologic oncology, and anesthesiology research, and earned a master of biomedical science at Duke University before beginning medical school at UNC. While at UNC she conducted a quality improvement project on screening for intimate partner violence in a primary care clinic, researched sterilization in child-free people, and served as a student provider in the student-run gender-affirming care clinic.

Wendy E. Parmet, JD

Guest Contributor

Wendy E. Parmet is the Matthews Distinguished Professor of Law and Professor of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University, where she is also the faculty director of the Center for Health Policy & Law. Her research focuses on access to health care and the use of the law to protect public health.

Harvard Health Experts and Contributors

List of Experts

Medha Munshi, MD

Jonathan Nadler, MD

Uma Naidoo, MD

James Naples, MD

Pushpa Narayanaswami, MD, FAAN

Janelle Nassim, MD

David M. Nathan, MD

Neera Nathan, MD, MSHS

Judy Nee, MD

Sara Neill, MD, MPH

Justin Neiman

Leo Newhouse, LICSW

Jeremy Nobel, MD, MPH

Megan Noe, MD, MPH, MSCE

Margaret O'Connor, PhD, ABPP

Michael O'Leary, MD

Isioma D. Okolo, MBChB, MRCOG, DTMH

Barbara Okun, PhD

Nancy Oliveira, MS, RD, LDN, CDCES

Rose McKeon Olson, MD, MPH

T. Salewa Oseni, MD

Andrew Oseran, MD, MBA

Reena L. Pande, MD

Ashley B. Parker, MD, MS

Wendy E. Parmet, JD