Dr. Maria Theodorou MD PhD, FRCPC, DipABLM, ABOM
After spending many years on the medical wards and in the ICU treating patients with the end stages of lifestyle related disease, Dr. Maria Theodorou became motivated to focus on the prevention and reversal of chronic disease through intensive lifestyle intervention. She is one of only a handful of physicians in Canada to hold certification in both Lifestyle Medicine and Obesity Medicine. In 2019, she joined the multidisciplinary team at Aroga Lifestyle medicine, and offers Lifestyle Medicine consultation to patients in both ON and BC. Dr. Theodorou acts as faculty advisor for the Queen’s School of Medicine Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group and is passionate about introducing nutrition and lifestyle medicine into medical school curricula. Through her work with like-minded colleagues, Dr. Theodorou is advocating for a paradigm shift in the practice of medicine with emphasis on empowering patients to take charge of their health by employing the very powerful pillars of lifestyle medicine including whole food plant-based nutrition.
Dr. Theodorou completed medical school at the University of Toronto, and residency in Internal Medicine at Queen's University. She holds a Ph.D. in plant biochemistry from Queen's University, and post-doctoral fellowship in Plant Sciences from the University of Oxford. Her background in plant biology dovetails nicely with her interest in plant-based nutrition, and also fuels her passion for planetary health.
Dr. John Sievenpiper MD, PhD, FRCPC
Dr. Sievenpiper is a Clinician Scientist who holds appointments as an Associate Professor in the Departments of Nutritional Sciences and Medicine and the Lifestyle Medicine Lead in the MD Program at the University of Toronto. He is also a Staff Physician in the Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Lead of the Toronto 3D Knowledge Synthesis and Clinical Trials Unit, and Scientist in the La Ka Shing Knowledge Institute at St. Michael’s Hospital. Dr. Sievenpiper completed his MSc, PhD and Postdoctoral Fellowship training in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto. He completed his MD at St. Matthew’s University followed by Residency training in Medical Biochemistry at McMaster University leading to his certification as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada (FRCPC). He has established an internationally recognized research program focused on using randomized controlled trials and epidemiological approaches to address questions of clinical and public health importance in relation to diet and cardiometabolic disease prevention with a particular interest in the role of sugars, carbohydrate quality, and plant-based dietary patterns. He is directly involved in knowledge translation with appointments to the nutrition guidelines’ committees of Diabetes Canada, European Association for the study of Diabetes (EASD), Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS), and Obesity Canada. He is the recipient of numerous awards including an Insulin 100 Emerging Leader Award, Khursheed Jeejeebhoy Award, CNS Young Investigator Award, PSI Foundation Graham Farquharson Knowledge Translation Fellowship, Diabetes Canada Clinician Scientist Award, Banting & Best Diabetes Centre Sun Life Financial New Investigator Award, and CIHR-INMD/CNS–New Investigator Partnership Prize. He has authored > 250 scientific papers and 17 book chapters
Alnoor Sheriff | Serial Entrepreneur & Impact Leader
Technology-AI Enthusiast | Climate & Healthcare Innovator | Advisor | Coach
Alnoor is a global citizen dedicated to building a better world through innovation and sustainable practices. With over 30 years of entrepreneurial experience across various countries, he identifies and nurtures opportunities that blend creativity, commitment, impact, and a focus on human and planetary well-being.
His journey spans founding Shikatronics in the Americas during the 90s, pioneering the packaged WPBF movement with Bentilia, and leading Aroga Lifestyle Medicine. Alnoor has built ventures across clean energy, electronics, health-tech, wholesome food, and lifestyle medicine, each reflecting his passion for future-oriented, impactful businesses.
Currently exploring AI's transformative potential while pursuing climate and healthcare initiatives beyond Canada's borders, Alnoor serves as Advisor to the CEO at Aroga, where he remains committed to advancing global health through Lifestyle Medicine, education, and technology.
He thrives on collaborating with companies, NGOs, and changemakers to evolve and scale their impact. Alnoor believes meaningful collaboration and strategic alliances drive the change our world needs.