PHYSICIANS ASSOCIATION FOR NUTRITION

The Physicians Association for Nutrition (PAN) International aims to raise awareness among health professionals, the general public, and policymakers about the role of whole food, plant-based nutrition in promoting good health and preventing and treating disease.

PAN International was founded in 2018 as an officially recognized nonprofit organization located in Munich, Germany.

PAN is expanding and constantly launching new national PAN offices around the world to work effectively under local conditions and maximize impact.

PAN works to:

 

Educate Medical Students & Health Professionals

⇒ We deliver evidence-based nutrition and health information, reevaluating our content regularly in accordance with the newest available and most thoroughly researched findings, while recognizing—and addressing—the opportunities and limitations of particular research results and established scientific methods. We appreciate, welcome, and foster scientific exchange and discussion.

Support Patients in Dietary Changes
  • by providing easy-to-follow educational resources and tools to optimally support patients in the prevention and treatment of diseases
  • by providing effective nutrition programs and workshops

⇒ We serve people so that they can discover and use their own abilities to choose a healthier life. We aim to inspire and provide guidance while appreciating every single step an individual makes.

Build a Global Network
  • by connecting health professionals, scientists, and medical students
  • by establishing PAN student groups at universities
  • by founding national PAN offices around the globe in order to effectively work under local conditions and maximize impact

⇒ As part of a global network, we stand up for the common goal of improved health. We seek to expand and strengthen our network by inviting new partners to support, critique, and evaluate our actions. In doing so, we create a paradigm shift, driving a worldwide community and making sustainable change possible.

Create an Influential Medical Lobby Organization

⇒ to promote political change and bring nutrition to the heart of health-care systems and communities

As a general practitioner in the field of clinical nutrition, author and professional speaker, I have been addressing public health issues for over two decades. What I learned and found most disturbing is the lack of education of health professionals regarding nutrition, its effects on the human body, and its preventive and therapeutic potential.
By providing evidence-based educational material and events, PAN will have a great impact on the education of the general public and health professionals alike.
I am honored to be a member of PAN International.

Michael Greger, M.D., FACLM, USA

Michael Greger

The medical profession continues to enjoy the trust of its patients, but the health potential of a whole food plant-based diet has not yet spread among all health professionals. Therefore, I welcome the creation of PAN and support its work to promote the importance of nutrition for the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases.

Prof. Dr. Claus Leitzmann, Germany

Prof. Dr. Leitzmann

PAN is committed to supporting and encouraging changes in our views on the role nutrition and WFPB diets play in “lifestyle diseases.” I believe investing in the education of health professionals and the general population may be the key determinant that brings about a decrease in the prevalence of these chronic diseases.


Sophia Shalhout, PhD, USA
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital

Sophia Shalhout

Among the patient population that I see on daily basis, the major comorbid diseases are diabetes mellitus and obesity. I cannot stress enough and will continue to do my best to promote lifestyle education predicated on evidence-based medicine, showing my patients that it is possible for anyone to work towards a WFPB diet. I believe that patients can be cured or can stop the progression of such diseases if they can be conscious of what they eat. I am so fortunate to be a part of an organization like PAN, which strives to give nutrition a higher status in medicine as a whole.

Liliana Espinosa Sanchez, M.D., Mexico

Liliana Espinosa Sanchez
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TEAM

 

Niklas Oppenrieder, MD

Medical Director
moreNiklas Oppenrieder is a physician specializing in pediatrics at Aschaffenburg Hospital in Germany. As PAN’s Medical Director, he heads the development of the organization, applying his medical and scientific expertise as a pediatrician as well as his first-hand technical knowledge as a member of several different medical associations.

Mark Hofmann

Executive Director
moreMark Hofmann studied Business Administration in Munich, Germany, specializing in Project Consultancy and International Management. As PAN’s Executive Director, he brings extensive professional experience and is responsible for the entire company’s business management.

Carolin Wiedmann, MD

Chairwoman
moreCarolin Wiedmann is a pediatrician specializing in pediatric nutrition. She works in a pediatric clinic in the greater Munich area and consults with families about whole food plant based nutrition during pregnancy and childhood. Carolin co-founded PAN and serves as its first chairwoman.

Meet our departments here:

Meet our departments here:
(click & scroll down)

Medical Content Team
PAN Academy Team
Marketing Team
Fundraising Team
Marketing Team
Medical Content Team
PAN Academy Team
Fundraising Team
Margaret Telfer

Fundraising

Patty Haan

Fundraising

Our Volunteers

moreAs a charitable organization, PAN relies greatly on all of the hard work from people all across the globe who are dedicated to our mission and motivated to put it into action. We cherish and value every one of our volunteers. We are thankful for all of their efforts, and we think of them as members of the PAN team.

Carolina Rojido, MD

Medical Content

Dania Schumann, MSc, Dr. rer. medic.

Medical Content

Manuel Hettich

Medical Content & IT

Our Volunteers

moreAs a charitable organization, PAN relies greatly on all of the hard work from people all across the globe who are dedicated to our mission and motivated to put it into action. We cherish and value every one of our volunteers. We are thankful for all of their efforts, and we think of them as members of the PAN team.

Angelika Schulz

PR & Communications

Katharina Hofmann

Art Buying

Anne Christin Braun

Social Media

Our Volunteers

moreAs a charitable organization, PAN relies greatly on all of the hard work from people all across the globe who are dedicated to our mission and motivated to put it into action. We cherish and value every one of our volunteers. We are thankful for all of their efforts, and we think of them as members of the PAN team.

Amanda Hausmann

PAN Academy

Cirus Henn

PAN Academy

David Lang

PAN Academy

Our Volunteers

moreAs a charitable organization, PAN relies greatly on all of the hard work from people all across the globe who are dedicated to our mission and motivated to put it into action. We cherish and value every one of our volunteers. We are thankful for all of their efforts, and we think of them as members of the PAN team.

ADVISORY BOARD

 

Michael Greger, MD

Michael Greger, M.D., F.A.C.L.M., is a physician, New York Times bestselling author, and internationally recognized professional speaker on a number of important public health issues. Dr. Greger’s nutrition work can be found at NutritionFacts.org. ... read more

Claus Leitzmann, Prof. Dr.

Prof. Dr. Claus Leitzmann studied chemistry, microbiology and biochemistry in the United States. He worked as research associate for the later Nobel Prize winner Paul Boyer at UCLA and …
... read more

Prof. Dr. Martin Smollich

Prof. Dr. Martin Smollich studied biology and pharmacy in Münster (Germany) and Cambridge (UK) and obtained a Ph.D. in ... read more

Allan Kornberg, MD

Allan Kornberg, M.D., is a pediatrician who has practiced both primary care and emergency pediatrics.  ... read more

Tanja Kalchenko, MD

Tanja Kalchenko, M.D., is a Senior Radiologist at the Oncological and Abdominal Radiology Unit at the Oslo University Hospital, the largest university hospital in Norway. ... read more

Christian Kessler, MD

Christian Kessler, M.D., works as a Senior Physician, Research Coordinator, and Project Manager at University Hospital Charité in Berlin, Germany. ... read more

David Stenholtz, MD

David Stenholtz, M.D., is a Senior Oncologist at the Södersjukhuset hospital in Stockholm, Sweden. ... read more

Hans van Groenewoud, MD

Hans van Groenewoud has over 25 years’ experience as an occupational health physician. ... read more

ADVISORY BOARD

 

Michael Greger, MD

Michael Greger, M.D., F.A.C.L.M., is a physician, New York Times bestselling author, and internationally recognized professional speaker on a number of important public health issues. Dr. Greger’s nutrition work can be found at NutritionFacts.org. ... read more

Claus Leitzmann, Prof. Dr.

Prof. Dr. Claus Leitzmann studied chemistry, microbiology and biochemistry in the United States. He worked as research associate for the later Nobel Prize winner Paul Boyer at UCLA and …
... read more

Allan Kornberg, MD

Allan Kornberg, M.D., is a pediatrician who has practiced both primary care and emergency pediatrics.  ... read more

Tanja Kalchenko, MD

Tanja Kalchenko, M.D., is a Senior Radiologist at the Oncological and Abdominal Radiology Unit at the Oslo University Hospital, the largest university hospital in Norway. ... read more

Christian Kessler, MD

Christian Kessler, M.D., works as a Senior Physician, Research Coordinator, and Project Manager at University Hospital Charité in Berlin, Germany. ... read more

David Stenholtz, MD

David Stenholtz, M.D., is a Senior Oncologist at the Södersjukhuset hospital in Stockholm, Sweden. ... read more

Hans van Groenewoud, MD

Hans van Groenewoud has over 25 years’ experience as an occupational health physician. ... read more

ADVISORY BOARD

 

Michael Greger, MD

... read more

Claus Leitzmann, Prof. Dr.

... read more

Allan Kornberg, MD

... read more

Christian Kessler, MD

... read more

Tanja Kalchenko, MD

... read more

David Stenholtz, MD

... read more

Hans van Groenewoud, MD

... read more

PAN BRANCHES

We are PAN International. We are actively developing a global network of health professionals and medical students. We empower and motivate physicians to form their own local branches, thus benefitting from world-wide synergies while contributing to our common cause.

All PAN branches are established as charitable, not-for-profit organizations in their respective countries:

 

 

 

If you are interested in founding a PAN branch in your country, please contact us.

SEND US AN EMAIL

POSITION PAPERS

You can find all of PAN’s published position papers ready for download here:

Challenges of Nutrition Sciences | Release date: July 2019

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The current scientific evidence points to a diet centered around whole, unrefined, or minimally processed plant foods including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, spices, nuts, and seeds.

This is what can be described as a “whole food, plant-based diet.” We will closely monitor the latest evidence in order to continuously reevaluate and update our content and recommendations.

Michael Greger, M.D., F.A.C.L.M., is a physician, New York Times bestselling author, and internationally recognized professional speaker on a number of important public health issues. Dr. Greger's nutrition work can be found at NutritionFacts.org.
Greger has lectured at the Conference on World Affairs, the National Institutes of Health, and the International Bird Flu Summit, as well as numerous symposia and institutions. He has testified before Congress, has appeared on shows such as The Colbert Report and The Dr. Oz Show, and was invited as an expert witness in defense of Oprah Winfrey at the infamous ‘meat defamation’ trial.
Greger's recent scientific publications in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Critical Reviews in Microbiology, Family and Community Health, and the International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition, and Public Health explore the public health implications of industrialized animal agriculture.
Greger is also licensed as a general practitioner, specializing in clinical nutrition, and is a founding member and fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. He was featured on the Healthy Living Channel promoting his latest nutrition DVDs and was honored to teach part of Dr. T. Colin Campbell's esteemed nutrition course at Cornell University.
He is also the author of Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching and Carbophobia: The Scary Truth Behind America's Low Carb Craze. His latest book, How Not to Die,became an instant New York Times bestseller. Greger is a graduate of the Cornell University School of Agriculture and the Tufts University School of Medicine. Greger's work on nutrition can be found at www.nutritionfacts.org, which is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit charity.

Prof. Dr. Claus Leitzmann studied chemistry, microbiology and biochemistry in the United States. He worked as research associate for the later Nobel Prize winner Paul Boyer at UCLA and did research and teaching at universities in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Thailand.

In his role as a professor of nutritional science at the University of Gießen, Germany, member and/or founder of several scientific organizations, and author of more than 30 books on different aspects of nutrition, he is a true pioneer of whole food diets, plant-based diets, nutrition ecology and international nutrition.

Prof. Dr. Martin Smollich studied biology and pharmacy in Münster (Germany) and Cambridge (UK) and obtained a Ph.D. in pharmacology and toxicology. After four years of practice as clinical pharmacologist, he was appointed professor of pharmacology and pharmaconutrition in 2013. Since 2018, he is head of pharmaconutrition at the Institute of Nutritional Medicine, University Hospital of Lübeck, Germany.

Prof. Dr. Smollich is also the editor of ernaehrungsmedizin.blog

Research topics: pharmaconutrition, functional food, nutraceuticals, food-drug interactions

Allan Kornberg, M.D., is a pediatrician who has practiced both primary care and emergency pediatrics. Dr. Kornberg served as Vice-Chair and Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Buffalo, and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Brown University. He has served as medical director with managed care organizations and provider institutions, as well as government and advocacy groups, typically working with complicated populations, both clinically and socioeconomically. Kornberg received his B.S. in Biology from MIT, his M.D. from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and his M.B.A. from the University of Rochester.

Tanja Kalchenko, M.D., is a Senior Radiologist at the Oncological and Abdominal Radiology Unit at the Oslo University Hospital, the largest university hospital in Norway.

In 2013, Kalchenko founded HePla (www.hepla.no) and has since worked as the organization’s President. HePla educates the Norwegian public and health professionals regarding the benefits of a plant-based diet through its website, social media channels, regular lectures, and other events.

 

Christian Kessler, M.D., works as a Senior Physician, Research Coordinator, and Project Manager at University Hospital Charité in Berlin, Germany.

Dr. Kessler conducts research at the Immanuel Clinic in Berlin within the Endowment Professorship for Clinical Naturopathy at the Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics. He is an expert in Traditional Indian Medicine and Ayurveda, as well as a trained Indologist (M.A.). As one of the founders and coordinators of VegMed – Europe’s largest scientific congress on plant-based nutrition – he is passionate about making nutrition an important part of modern medicine.

 

David Stenholtz, M.D., is a Senior Oncologist at the Södersjukhuset hospital in Stockholm, Sweden.

In 2013 he founded the organization Läkare för framtiden (‘Physicians for the Future’) and has since been serving as its chair. The organization disseminates information on the health benefits of plant-based diets to the Swedish public, as well as to politicians and healthcare professionals.

 

Hans van Groenewoud has over 25 years’ experience as an occupational health physician. He has advised numerous companies and has worked in diverse organizational cultures.

While practicing medicine, he became interested in the important role that nutrition plays in becoming and staying healthy. He is currently based in Luxembourg.

 

Michael Greger, M.D., F.A.C.L.M., is a physician, New York Times bestselling author, and internationally recognized professional speaker on a number of important public health issues. Dr. Greger's nutrition work can be found at NutritionFacts.org.
Greger has lectured at the Conference on World Affairs, the National Institutes of Health, and the International Bird Flu Summit, as well as numerous symposia and institutions. He has testified before Congress, has appeared on shows such as The Colbert Report and The Dr. Oz Show, and was invited as an expert witness in defense of Oprah Winfrey at the infamous ‘meat defamation’ trial.
Greger's recent scientific publications in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Critical Reviews in Microbiology, Family and Community Health, and the International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition, and Public Health explore the public health implications of industrialized animal agriculture.
Greger is also licensed as a general practitioner, specializing in clinical nutrition, and is a founding member and fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. He was featured on the Healthy Living Channel promoting his latest nutrition DVDs and was honored to teach part of Dr. T. Colin Campbell's esteemed nutrition course at Cornell University.
He is also the author of Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching and Carbophobia: The Scary Truth Behind America's Low Carb Craze. His latest book, How Not to Die,became an instant New York Times bestseller. Greger is a graduate of the Cornell University School of Agriculture and the Tufts University School of Medicine. Greger's work on nutrition can be found at www.nutritionfacts.org, which is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit charity.

Prof. Dr. Claus Leitzmann studied chemistry, microbiology and biochemistry in the United States. He worked as research associate for the later Nobel Prize winner Paul Boyer at UCLA and did research and teaching at universities in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Thailand.

In his role as a professor of nutritional science at the University of Gießen, Germany, member and/or founder of several scientific organizations, and author of more than 30 books on different aspects of nutrition, he is a true pioneer of whole food diets, plant-based diets, nutrition ecology and international nutrition.

Allan Kornberg, M.D., is a pediatrician who has practiced both primary care and emergency pediatrics. Dr. Kornberg served as Vice-Chair and Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Buffalo, and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Brown University. He has served as medical director with managed care organizations and provider institutions, as well as government and advocacy groups, typically working with complicated populations, both clinically and socioeconomically. Kornberg received his B.S. in Biology from MIT, his M.D. from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and his M.B.A. from the University of Rochester.

Tanja Kalchenko, M.D., is a Senior Radiologist at the Oncological and Abdominal Radiology Unit at the Oslo University Hospital, the largest university hospital in Norway.

In 2013, Kalchenko founded HePla (www.hepla.no) and has since worked as the organization’s President. HePla educates the Norwegian public and health professionals regarding the benefits of a plant-based diet through its website, social media channels, regular lectures, and other events.

 

Christian Kessler, M.D., works as a Senior Physician, Research Coordinator, and Project Manager at University Hospital Charité in Berlin, Germany.

Dr. Kessler conducts research at the Immanuel Clinic in Berlin within the Endowment Professorship for Clinical Naturopathy at the Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics. He is an expert in Traditional Indian Medicine and Ayurveda, as well as a trained Indologist (M.A.). As one of the founders and coordinators of VegMed – Europe’s largest scientific congress on plant-based nutrition – he is passionate about making nutrition an important part of modern medicine.

 

David Stenholtz, M.D., is a Senior Oncologist at the Södersjukhuset hospital in Stockholm, Sweden.

In 2013 he founded the organization Läkare för framtiden (‘Physicians for the Future’) and has since been serving as its chair. The organization disseminates information on the health benefits of plant-based diets to the Swedish public, as well as to politicians and healthcare professionals.

 

Hans van Groenewoud has over 25 years’ experience as an occupational health physician. He has advised numerous companies and has worked in diverse organizational cultures.

While practicing medicine, he became interested in the important role that nutrition plays in becoming and staying healthy. He is currently based in Luxembourg.

 

Michael Greger, M.D., F.A.C.L.M., is a physician, New York Times bestselling author, and internationally recognized professional speaker on a number of important public health issues. Dr. Greger's nutrition work can be found at NutritionFacts.org.
Greger has lectured at the Conference on World Affairs, the National Institutes of Health, and the International Bird Flu Summit, as well as numerous symposia and institutions. He has testified before Congress, has appeared on shows such as The Colbert Report and The Dr. Oz Show, and was invited as an expert witness in defense of Oprah Winfrey at the infamous ‘meat defamation’ trial.
Greger's recent scientific publications in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Critical Reviews in Microbiology, Family and Community Health, and the International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition, and Public Health explore the public health implications of industrialized animal agriculture.
Greger is also licensed as a general practitioner, specializing in clinical nutrition, and is a founding member and fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. He was featured on the Healthy Living Channel promoting his latest nutrition DVDs and was honored to teach part of Dr. T. Colin Campbell's esteemed nutrition course at Cornell University.
He is also the author of Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching and Carbophobia: The Scary Truth Behind America's Low Carb Craze. His latest book, How Not to Die,became an instant New York Times bestseller. Greger is a graduate of the Cornell University School of Agriculture and the Tufts University School of Medicine. Greger's work on nutrition can be found at www.nutritionfacts.org, which is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit charity.

Prof. Dr. Claus Leitzmann studied chemistry, microbiology and biochemistry in the United States. He worked as research associate for the later Nobel Prize winner Paul Boyer at UCLA and did research and teaching at universities in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Thailand.

In his role as a professor of nutritional science at the University of Gießen, Germany, member and/or founder of several scientific organizations, and author of more than 30 books on different aspects of nutrition, he is a true pioneer of whole food diets, plant-based diets, nutrition ecology and international nutrition.

Allan Kornberg, M.D., is a pediatrician who has practiced both primary care and emergency pediatrics. Dr. Kornberg served as Vice-Chair and Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Buffalo, and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Brown University. He has served as medical director with managed care organizations and provider institutions, as well as government and advocacy groups, typically working with complicated populations, both clinically and socioeconomically. Kornberg received his B.S. in Biology from MIT, his M.D. from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and his M.B.A. from the University of Rochester.

Christian Kessler, M.D., works as a Senior Physician, Research Coordinator, and Project Manager at University Hospital Charité in Berlin, Germany.

Dr. Kessler conducts research at the Immanuel Clinic in Berlin within the Endowment Professorship for Clinical Naturopathy at the Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics. He is an expert in Traditional Indian Medicine and Ayurveda, as well as a trained Indologist (M.A.). As one of the founders and coordinators of VegMed – Europe’s largest scientific congress on plant-based nutrition – he is passionate about making nutrition an important part of modern medicine.

 

Tanja Kalchenko, M.D., is a Senior Radiologist at the Oncological and Abdominal Radiology Unit at the Oslo University Hospital, the largest university hospital in Norway.

In 2013, Kalchenko founded HePla (www.hepla.no) and has since worked as the organization’s President. HePla educates the Norwegian public and health professionals regarding the benefits of a plant-based diet through its website, social media channels, regular lectures, and other events.

 

David Stenholtz, M.D., is a Senior Oncologist at the Södersjukhuset hospital in Stockholm, Sweden.

In 2013 he founded the organization Läkare för framtiden (‘Physicians for the Future’) and has since been serving as its chair. The organization disseminates information on the health benefits of plant-based diets to the Swedish public, as well as to politicians and healthcare professionals.

 

Hans van Groenewoud has over 25 years’ experience as an occupational health physician. He has advised numerous companies and has worked in diverse organizational cultures.

While practicing medicine, he became interested in the important role that nutrition plays in becoming and staying healthy. He is currently based in Luxembourg.