Meet the Team

Dr. John McDougall’s national recognition as a nutrition expert earned him a position in the Great Nutrition Debate 2000 presented by the USDA. He was a board-certified internist, author of 13 national best-selling books and co-founder of the McDougall Program who dedicated over 50 years of his life caring for people with diet and lifestyle medicine.

Mary is a retired nurse, homemaker, co-founder of the McDougall Program and co-author of 13 national best-selling books. Mary worked with Dr. John McDougall for over 50 years caring for people using diet therapy to restore health, and has created over 3,000 health-supporting recipes. Mary is best known as the inventor of low-fat, vegan cooking, and loves sharing the practical methods of turning the kitchen into a health-builder for the whole family. Prior to 1977, when Mary began her work in the kitchen, low-fat recipes contained skimmed milk, white meat, and other unhealthy ingredients and vegan recipes were loaded with vegetable oils. Now there are dozens of websites and cookbooks that focus on the McDougall health-supporting way of eating.

Heather is an experienced medical program director, group facilitator and whole-food, starch-based home chef. Driven by empowering people with the knowledge to transform their health, Heather takes pride in providing a leading medical program that has been reversing chronic illness for over 35 years through a whole-food, low-fat, starch-based diet. As the CEO of the McDougall Program, Heather’s goals include serving her patients, supporting her world-class team and sharing free information on the company website to encourage disease prevention for everyone.

As Medical Director, Dr. Lim oversees the medical care of participants in the McDougall Program. Dr. Lim is a board-certified family physician and enjoys working closely with patients to help them adopt healthier habits that can significantly improve their overall health. He is a graduate of Stanford University with a degree in Human Biology, and subsequently obtained a law degree from Harvard Law and a medical degree from Boston University. He completed his residency at Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency and has a busy career combining patient care, teaching, and community advocacy focused on whole food, plant-based nutrition. He has a special interest in the role of diet and lifestyle medicine in both preventing and treating chronic illnesses such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, autoimmune conditions, and heart disease. Dr. Lim lives in Santa Rosa, CA with his wife, Jean, and their two children, Joshua and Julia, who bring them endless joy and laughter. His outside interests include playing out in nature (mountain biking, hiking, backpacking), learning guitar and continually growing in his faith. For private consultations with Dr. Lim, please click here.

Jeff Novick is a uniquely qualified dietitian, nutritionist and health educator. For more than 30 years, he has worked with many leading researchers, doctors and medical programs and has helped thousands of people lose weight, reverse disease and build health. As a speaker, Jeff educates and empowers his audiences by distilling complex data into simple principles. His entertaining presentations are woven with humor, warmth and a genuine connection with the audience. His commonsense approach helps break through the confusion surrounding conflicting health messages. Jeff received his graduate degree in nutrition from Indiana State University, where he created and taught the Nutrition Education Initiative, a nutrition-based preventive medicine curriculum for medical doctors, residents and medical students. In recognition of this groundbreaking project, Indiana’s governor awarded him the Indiana State Public Health Excellence in Health Science Award.  For his outstanding achievements and significant contributions in his field, Indiana State University honored Jeff with their Graduate-of-the-Last-Decade Award. Jeff is available for private consults for McDougall Alumni. Contact Carol to make an appointment.

Dr. Lisle completed his degree in Clinical Psychology at the University of Virginia and was then appointed Lecturer in Psychology at Stanford University. He is the founder of Esteem Dynamics, an innovative practical method for supporting his clients’ efforts toward greater self-esteem and personal well-being.

As our Office Manager, Carol oversees and manages all reservations for McDougall programs, including managing databases, filling orders, answering questions and supporting our patients. Having extensive knowledge of all McDougall programs, Carol’s friendly and helpful demeanor always makes registration an easy process whether that’s online, through email or via phone. Carol lives with her husband and near her two grown children in Michigan. Carol is Mary McDougall’s sister, and, like Mary, loves cooking and trying out new starch-based recipes.

Tiffany is VP of Operations for all McDougall Programs, Tour Director for “McDougall Adventures,” and the Administrator of several McDougall courses in addition to assisting Heather with day-to-day business operations. Tiffany has a BA in Rhetoric from University of California, Berkeley, and is nationally certified as a Pharmacy Technician. She had the honor to assist Dr. McDougall when he saw patients before his passing, and continues overseeing patient care with Dr. Lim.

Kori is the Program Coordinator for Dr. McDougall’s Health & Medical Center supporting staff and operations. She started learning about nutrition to restore health and well-being from her father. Kori feels fortunate to have found a company whose work resonates with her core values. In her free time, you can find Kori enjoying the outdoors, traveling and camping with her husband.

Stacy is a Support Specialist for the 12-Day McDougall Program and facilitates the McDougall Alumni Weight Loss Discussion Groups. She is a registered nurse, worked at the American Cancer Society National Cancer Information Center, and has spent her nursing career in disease prevention and lifestyle medicine. Stacy is passionate about seeing lives changed through the power of a healthy diet. She loves running, photography, and traveling with her husband and four sons.

Jack has been a full-time personal trainer for 30 years. He has been certified by the American Council on Exercise as a personal trainer and as a Lifestyle and Weight Management Consultant, as a personal trainer by the National Academy of Sports Medicine and as a Post-Rehab Conditioning Specialist by the American Academy of Fitness Professionals. His experience has had him work with all segments of the population, while conservatively completing over 30,000 one-on-one training sessions. Jack is also a Certified Ergonomic Assessment Specialist and Ergonomist at Kaiser Hospital in Santa Rosa, California. Jack started his collaboration with the McDougall team as the personal trainer for John and Mary McDougall.

Emma is a budget-and-health conscious cook, founder of PlantPlate, and author of the “Whole Food Plant-Based on $5 a Day” eBook series. Since starting her website in 2013, Emma has been working on recipes and articles to help show others that healthy eating can be both flavorful and affordable. She is certified in plant-based nutrition through the Center for Nutrition Studies. In addition to creating and photographing recipes, Emma enjoys traveling and educating others about the many benefits of a starch-centered diet.

Deanna is a strategic and creative email marketing manager with an eye for quality and detail. She manages the email marketing program along with website content and is driven to create engaging, informative and practical content. Deanna is passionate about helping people restore their health so they can live well. 

JJ owns and operates Bassette Web Solutions, Inc., which manages the technical side of the McDougalls’ online presence, and built the site you are now on.  WordPress, Shopify, and responsive design specialists, JJ and his team help organizations of all sizes (including Acorns, Porto’s Bakery, and others) create high-performing web experiences to engage users and drive conversion.  They can be reached for consultation at jj@bassettewebsolutions.com.

A driven marketing professional with an accomplished background in the design and development of comprehensive strategic marketing programs and brand initiatives to build awareness and drive incremental business growth. Jamie has been reaping the rewards of a whole-food, starch-based lifestyle and loves supporting this important movement for the health of her family, friends, and our collective home, planet Earth.