Leadership

Image of Bret Scher

Bret Scher, MD

Dr. Bret Scher is the Director of Metabolic Mind. He is a board-certified cardiologist, lipidologist, and leading expert in therapeutic uses of metabolic therapies, including a ketogenic diet. He has practiced for over 20 years as a preventive cardiologist and was the medical director for dietdoctor.com for over three years.

Dr. Scher received his undergraduate degree from Stanford University and his MD from The Ohio State University College of Medicine. He then completed his internal medicine residency at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego and a preventive cardiology fellowship at Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, CA.

image of Dr. Julie Milder

Julie Milder, PhD

Dr. Julie Milder leads Baszucki Group’s scientific initiatives. Throughout her career, she has applied her expertise in neuroscience across academia, grantmaking, scientific strategy and the pharmaceutical industry.

Dr. Milder received a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Colorado, Denver, and a BA in Biology/Neuroscience from Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Milder has worked in the field of epilepsy and ketogenic diets at CURE Epilepsy and has extensive experience in science grantmaking.

Founders of Metabolic Mind

image of David and Jan Baszucki

Jan and David Baszucki

David Baszucki and Jan Ellison Baszucki launched Metabolic Mind, an initiative of Baszucki Group, to share information and resources about the emerging field of metabolic psychiatry. Their family experienced the challenges of a mental health crisis firsthand when the eldest of their four children, their son, Matt, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 19. After battling bipolar illness for five years, Matt achieved a full recovery from his condition using a metabolic ketogenic diet therapy.

Clinician Advisory Board

image of Georgia Ede

Georgia Ede, MD

Dr. Ede Is a Harvard-trained, board-certified psychiatrist specializing in nutritional and Metabolic Psychiatry. She has used ketogenic diets to help her patients for over two decades. She created the first CME course training physicians in the use of ketogenic therapy as mental illness treatment. She has been educating the public about nutrition science, metabolism, and mental health through her International speaking engagements, comprehensive website, and social media presence. Much of her work can be found on her website and on Twitter.

image of Chris Palmer

Chris Palmer, MD

Dr. Palmer is the Director of the Department of Postgraduate and Continuing Education at McLean Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He’s been a practicing psychiatrist for almost three decades and for the majority of that has used ketogenic therapies to treat patients with severe mental illness. In 2022 Dr. Palmer published his book ‘Brain Energy‘ which explores a new hypothesis of energy and mitochondrial dysfunction as an underlying cause of mental illness. He has used his global lectures, website, media appearances, and social media presence to raise awareness of ketogenic therapies among clinicians and the public. He has also published widely on the use of metabolic therapies and ketogenic diets as a treatment for mental illness and much of his work can be found on his website and on Twitter.

image of Dr. Shabani Sethi

Shebani Sethi, MD

Dr. Sethi Is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University and founding director of the first academic metabolic Psychiatry clinical program in 2015. She is double board-certified in Psychiatry and Obesity medicine. Dr. Sethi is the principal investigator of a study on the effectiveness of a low carbohydrate ketogenic dietary intervention in an outpatient cohort of patients with obesity and bipolar illness or schizophrenia. She has also published widely about the use of ketogenic therapy in mental illness. Learn more about Dr. Sethi on Stanford University’s Metabolic Psychiatry website and on Twitter.

Nicole Laurent, LMHC

Ms. Laurent is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and founder of mentalhealthketo.com. She delivers Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy to her clients with mood disorders, has undertaken post-graduate training in Nutrition and Integrative Health, and has engaged with the public through her blog, podcast appearances, and social media. Learn more about Nicole on her website and Twitter.

Beth Zupec-Kania, RDN, CD

Ms. Zupec-Kania is a registered dietitian nutritionist in the field of metabolic psychiatry and a consultant with to The Charlie Foundation. She designed KetoDietCalculator, a free resource used by nutritionists and the public, wrote educational guides on Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy for epilepsy and neurological disorders, created a training module to educate nutritionists and psychiatrists, and is a co-author on many scientific papers. Learn more about Beth on her website and Twitter.