Our Team

Dr. Stephen Devries is a preventive cardiologist, co-founder, and Executive Director of the educational nonprofit Gaples Institute. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Dr. Devries attended medical school at the University of Michigan where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He received Cardiovascular subspecialty training at Washington University in St. Louis and later completed a Fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona with Dr. Andrew Weil. He previously served as the Director of the Outpatient Heart Center at the University of Illinois and later, as Associate Professor at Northwestern University.

Dr. Devries lectures internationally on the importance of nutrition and lifestyle in medicine, with nutrition and health presentations in venues that range from communities to the Royal Society of Medicine in London. His work in nutrition and integrative care have been featured on National Public Radio and PBS.

Learn more about Dr. Stephen Devries

Rebecca Gaples became passionate about health and nutrition when she was pregnant with her first child. Her doctor, a home birth provider, stressed nutrition and encouraged patients to keep a food diary. He then discussed with patients ways they could optimize their diet. It was this natural approach to a healthy pregnancy that made her aware of the importance of nutrition in disease prevention.

Mark Swislow has founded and developed numerous consumer product companies including C2, a leading computer accessory brand sold to Fellowes in 1995. He went on to become Vice President and General Manager of Fellowes in Itasca, Illinois. Mark later started the consumer products company, Visionworks. Mark served as the Vice President of Development on the board of Directors for the Solomon Schechter Day School. He is currently a Board observer at Cubii. Mark continues his passion as a consultant to companies during their startup phase.

Mary McGarrigle has more than 25 years experience as a registered nurse with most of her career focused on education of patients at risk for heart disease. At the Heart Center of the University of Illinois, Mary gained special recognition for her work in counseling patients at risk for heart disease and for helping to launch a new clinic for cholesterol disorders. Her innovative work in this area was recognized by the American College of Cardiology in a research presentation accepted for presentation at a national meeting. Mary is a strong patient advocate with a passion for prevention.

Harry Gaples was the President and CEO of Kleinschmidt, Inc. of Deerfield, Illinois, an electronic data interchange provider and the largest privately owned firm dedicated exclusively to providing network-based eBusiness solutions and services. He has also served as director of NorStates Bank and NorStates Financial Corporation for more than a decade. Mr. Gaples has a Master of Arts Degree from the University of Minnesota and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Dr. Walter Willett is Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Dr. Willett is the most cited nutritionist internationally, and is among the five most cited persons in all fields of clinical science. He has published over 1,500 articles, primarily on lifestyle risk factors for heart disease and cancer. He has focused much of his work over the last 30 years on the development of methods, using both questionnaire and biochemical approaches, to study the effects of diet on the occurrence of major diseases. Dr. Willett is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and the recipient of many national and international awards for his research.

Dr. Weil is Founder and Director of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona, where he holds the Lovell-Jones Endowed Chair in Integrative Rheumatology and is Clinical Professor of Medicine and Professor of Public Health. The Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine is the world leader in developing a comprehensive curriculum in integrative medicine. Graduates serve as directors of integrative medicine programs throughout the world.

Andrew Weil is the author of many scientific and popular articles and of 12 books. He has twice been featured on the cover of Time magazine in recognition of his impact on medicine. Oxford University Press is currently producing the Weil Integrative Medicine Library, a series of volumes for clinicians in various medical specialties.

Andrew Weil was born in Philadelphia in 1942, received an A.B. degree in biology (botany) from Harvard and an M.D. from Harvard Medical School.

Adele Simmons was President of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for a decade, overseeing grants of over $175 million a year, including an annual $25 million program for Chicago. The foundation’s international programs focus on the environment, population, international peace and security, understanding inequality within and among nations and climate change.

She served on President Carter’s Commission on World Hunger and President Bush’s Commission on Sustainable Development and was a member of the Commission on Global Governance as well as the UN High Level Advisory Board on Sustainable Development. Before joining the MacArthur Foundation, Mrs. Simmons was President of Hampshire College, Dean of Students and Assistant Professor of History at Princeton University.

Adele Simmons is currently president of the Global Philanthropy Partnership. a nonprofit that promotes global development issues and sustainability.

Emily M. Broad Leib, JD is the Director of the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic, the first law school clinic in the nation devoted to providing legal and policy guidance on food law and policy issues.

Broad Leib focuses her scholarship, teaching, and practice on finding solutions to the biggest health, economic, and environmental issues facing our food system. Broad Leib is recognized as a national leader in Food Law and Policy. Her work also has been covered in such media outlets as The New York Times, CNN, CBS This Morning, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, The Guardian, TIME, Politico, and the Washington Post. Broad Leib received her B.A. from Columbia University and her J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Dr. Robert O. Bonow is past-President of the American Heart Association, a Master of the American College of Cardiology and a Master of the American College of Physicians. Dr. Bonow currently serves as the Goldberg Distinguished Professor of Cardiology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Director of the Center for Cardiovascular Innovation. Among his honors are the NIH Director’s Award, the U.S. Public Health Service Commendation Medal and Outstanding Service Medal, and elected membership in the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians.

Dr. Bonow received his MD degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He has authored or co-authored more than 460 published papers and 100 book chapters. He serves on the editorial boards of 10 medical journals and is one of the four editors of Braunwald’s Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine.

Judith Joy is a philanthropist, dream creation coach, author, teacher and speaker. She has studied and practiced a wide range of healing modalities and has drawn from her experience to create innovative programs that improve health and extend its reach: “Questions allow for possibilities.”

Judith is also the author of the best-selling book Surviving Your Teenager…And Being Happy Anyway and Dear Future Lover…Bring Your Book Boyfriend to Life. She is a graduate of Indiana University and has a Masters of Arts in Teaching degree from National Teachers’ College.

Joe Calabrese is an Executive Vice President at Key Private Bank, where he serves as National Head of Investment, Fiduciary and Banking Services. He is responsible for overseeing the development and integrated delivery of a full range of investment management, trust and banking capabilities for Key’s private and institutional clients.

Joe graduated from McGill University in Montreal, Canada with a joint honors degree in Economics and Finance and also holds a Chartered Accountant designation. Joe is past President of the Goodman Theatre Board of Trustees in Chicago and also served as Chairman of the board of overseers for Lewis College of Human Sciences of the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Dr. David M. Eisenberg is an Associate Professor of Nutrition and Director of Culinary Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In addition, Dr. Eisenberg is the Director of the continuing medical education conference entitled, “Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives—Caring For Our Patients and Ourselves,” co-sponsored by the Harvard School of Public Health and the Culinary Institute of America.

Dr. Eisenberg has served as an advisor to the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and the Federation of State Medical Boards with regard to complementary, alternative and integrative medicine research, education and policy. Dr. Eisenberg has authored numerous scientific articles involving complementary and integrative medical therapies and continues to pursue research, educational and clinical programs relating to integrative and lifestyle medicine.

Julie Deardorff is an award-winning writer, health enthusiast, and former journalist who spent the first 23 years of her career reporting for the Chicago Tribune. Julie started “Julie’s Health Club,” the Tribune’s first health blog, and she spent more than a decade writing consumer-oriented stories to help people make better evidence-based personal health decisions. She also was a health writer for the Tribune’s investigative team. She is currently the director of communications and outreach for Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy.

A longtime runner, triathlete and yoga practitioner, Julie truly believes food is medicine. (And is still astonished that bagels spike blood sugar faster than donuts.) She is honored to be working with the pioneers of integrative medicine and the dedicated volunteers of the Gaples Institute.

Anna Maria Viti-Welch is President of The Viti Companies which is a third-generation family-owned independent insurance agency. Anna Maria is highly focused on helping startups, small businesses and entrepreneurs build their businesses through networking and education.

Anna Maria actively participates as a mentor with 1871, The Hatchery, MATTER, Women’s Business Development Center, City of Chicago, and Good Food along with other start-up Resource Centers and continually shares her expertise through presentations, office hours, and networking groups.

Ed Taff has been President of his own investment firm for about 40 years. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School. He founded and ran for 18 years an education enrichment fund for the public schools.

Mr. Taff has been passionate his whole life about nutrition and totally focused on health and wellness and has been motivated to help improve health and nutrition education for all—including doctors. This ultimately led to his participation on the Nutrition Round Table at the Harvard School of Public Health for the past 15 years where he was Chair for 5 years.

Dr. Cary Rositas-Sheftel is the Director of the Office of Latino Affairs at Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago. She spearheads initiatives related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as well as Latino engagement that comprise representation on government committees as well as the Latin American Consulates in Chicago.

She received her Ph.D. in Education from Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon in Mexico and recently, a certificate from Cornell University in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Dr. Rositas-Sheftel was the recipient of the 2012 Mexican National Award for Outstanding Career in Social Services and Volunteering by the Mexican Interuniversity Commission on Community Service.

Jeanette Wheeler Brooks is an innovative designer with more than 25 years of experience in developing award-winning educational tools and programs. Her work has supported a broad range of learners, including those in healthcare, manufacturing, software, and nonprofit services. She’s honored to integrate her professional skills with her personal passion for health by creating fresh, relevant learning experiences for the public and professional audiences of the Gaples Institute.