Dr. Zahra Kassam MBBS, MSc, FRCR(UK), FRCP(C), DipAblm

Co-Founder, Director

Dr. Zahra Kassam is a radiation oncologist at the Stronach Regional Cancer Centre, in Ontario, and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Toronto. Her clinical focus is in gastrointestinal and breast cancers. She obtained her medical degree in 1995, followed by specialist training in Clinical Oncology in the UK. She completed clinical and research fellowships at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and a Master’s in Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Toronto.

Zahra is board certified in Lifestyle Medicine through the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine and serves as co-chair of the Canadian Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group within the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.

In 2019, she co-founded Plant-Based Canada, a nonprofit organization that provides evidence-based education on the benefits of whole food plant-based nutrition for health, sustainability, and planetary well-being. She is co-author of Eating Plant-Based: Scientific Answers to Your Nutrition Questions (2022), written in collaboration with her sister Shireen, and co-editor of the academic textbook Plant-Based Nutrition in Clinical Practice (2022).

Zahra promotes sustainable nutrition in healthcare through her roles in healthcare organisations. She serves as a food advisor to the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care, and is a member of the PEACH Food Committee, the National Advisory Committee on Planetary Health for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Green is Health Member Group of the Ontario Medical Association, and the Climate and Sustainability Working Group of the Canadian Association of Radiation Oncologists.

Clinton Stamatovich

Clint Stamatovich is a news producer and writer based in Toronto. He is a senior news producer with CBC News Network, covering national and international breaking news. Before that, he produced for CTV News Channel and CP24 Toronto’s Breaking News, and local ABC, CBS, and FOX affiliates in the American Midwest – including in South Bend, Indiana and Buffalo, New York.

Vanessa Kennedy C.H.N

Vani Kennedy specializes in transformative vitality. She shares the timeless tools of yoga and plant-based nutrition so that people can not just identify the debilitating patterns of stress and overwhelm, but chose to build a practical and sustainable wellness plan that enables them to amplify their wellness, their energy and transform their world. Vani is an 800-hour advanced certified Jivamukti Yoga teacher, also trained in yoga movement alignment, and graduate of both the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition holistic nutrition program and the Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate through eCornell and the T. Colin Campbell Centre for Nutrition Studies.Vani describes herself as a “modern living hippie” and Yogic Living Guide. She uses her training in journalism, yoga, holistic nutrition – and even tarot reading – to guide socially and spiritually engaged women to successfully survive stress so and bring their fullest selves to their wellness, work and world.

Cassandra Carey Msc

Cassandra Carey earned her MSc under the supervision of Dr. David Jenkins in the department of Nutritional Sciences with a collaborative specialization in Public Health Policy from the University of Toronto. Cassandra’s research focus intersects the relationship between diet, human health, and environmental impacts. She has additionally been involved in cancer research at the Stronach Regional Cancer Centre and has completed her Palliative Care Core Concepts training. Cassandra is certified in Plant-Based Nutrition through Cornell University and is an 800 hour Registered Yoga Teacher. She is at Medical School in Ireland and plans to continue her education in medicine and inform policies based on peer-reviewed research to enhance human and environmental health.

Dr. Laura Chiavaroli MSc, PhD

Dr. Laura Chiavaroli is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto and Affiliate Scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital. Laura's research program addresses the important implementation gap between guidelines-based nutrition therapy for cardiometabolic diseases and effective strategies to mobilize them, while also addressing the equity gap. She leads large interdisciplinary teams in the co-design and testing of innovative implementation strategies leveraging the use of digital tools and large randomized trials to drive effective policies and programs related to dietary patterns for cardiometabolic disease across diverse communities. She also tests new policy enhancements to support adherence and demonstrates novel applications of methods to improve assessments of social and gender determinants of health, to identify communities to target and provide evidence to drive inclusivity in guidelines and advance health equity. Laura also has a great interest in education and mentorship. In 2022 she developed the Disease Prevention and Management course for the University of Guelph's online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Laura aims to elucidate how important public health concerns regarding dietary patterns and cardiometabolic health interconnect with planetary health, while highlighting the importance of equity, diversity and inclusivity.

Dr. Stephanie Nishi PHD, RD

Dr. Stephanie Nishi is an assistant professor in the School of Nutrition at the Toronto Metropolitan University, and a member of the College of Dietitians of Ontario. She earned a combined MSc and RD in Nutrition and Dietetics from the Department of Nutritional Sciences, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto and St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, followed by a PhD from the Department of Nutritional Sciences, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. She completed a CIHR-funded postdoctoral fellowship with the Unitat de Nutrició, Departament de Bioquímica i Biotecnologia at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) in Spain and continued with URV as a professor ad honorem. For over a decade, Stephanie has been involved in cardiometabolic disease prevention from a nutritional perspective, as well as advancing evidence-based practice and knowledge dissemination with the goal of informing public health policy and nutrition guidelines. Stephanie has worked as a dietitian and clinical trials coordinator on international research trials with the Diabetes Heart Research Centre, as an educator at George Brown College with the Center for Hospitality and Culinary Arts (CHCA), and an evidence analyst with Practice-based Evidence in Nutrition (PEN) – The Global Resource for Nutrition Practice. She is currently one of the hosts of the Plant-Based Canada Podcast. In her research, clinical practice and knowledge dissemination, Stephanie strives to be inspired and inspiring, with the aim of creating and cultivating positive, productive environments.   

Jennifer Marshall

Jennifer Marshall is a User Experience and User Interface Designer. Since successfully completing her Bachelor of Honours in Design in Toronto, she has been dedicating her skills to help spread the whole food plant-based message and aid environmental organizations.

You can learn more about Jennifer and her work on her website, byjennifermarshall.com.

DR. SHIREEN KASSAM MD FRCpath Phd Dipiblm

International Member and Advisor

Dr Shireen Kassam is a Consultant Haematologist and Honorary Senior Lecturer at King’s College Hospital, London with a specialist interest in the treatment of lymphoma. She is also a Visiting-Professor at University of Winchester, Hampshire, where she has developed and facilitates the UK's first University-based course on plant-based nutrition. In 2023 she launched a course on lifestyle medicine for cancer.

Shireen is passionate about promoting plant-based nutrition for the prevention and reversal of chronic disease and for maintaining optimal health after treatment for cancer. In 2019 she became certified as a Lifestyle Medicine Physician and is also a CHIP facilitator.

Shireen founded Plant-Based Health Professionals UK in 2018, a non-profit, membership organisation whose mission is to provide evidence-based education on whole food plant-based nutrition.

Shireen qualified as a doctor in 2000. During her training, she completed a PhD, which investigated the role of selenium in sensitising cancer cells to chemotherapy. Shireen has published a number of peer-reviewed papers in the field of lymphoma. Her first book, Eating Plant-Based, Scientific Answers to Your Nutrition Questions, co-authored with her sister Zahra, was published in January 2022. She has also co-edited the textbook Plant-Based Nutrition in Clinical Practice, published in September 2022.

Michelle fedele RD Msc co-founder

Michelle Fedele is a Registered Dietitian. She graduated from Ryerson University with Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition, then completed her dietetic internship University Health Network in Toronto. Michelle completed her Masters of Science specializing in Health care leadership. She has worked at the Stronach Regional Cancer Centre in Newmarket, Ontario since 2010. In 2019 she co-founded Plant-Based Canada with the mission to promote plant-based whole food nutrition that is sustainable, the healthiest possible, and promotes the well-being of the planet and all its inhabitants. Michelle served as one of the PBC Directors from 2019 to March 2024.