Board of Directors
Kelly Freeman, MSN, AGPCNP-BC, DipACLM
President/Co-founder
Kelly Freeman is Director of Academic Advancement for the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. She is also a nurse practitioner, Comprehensive Health Improvement Program (CHIP) and Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) facilitator, and has been actively involved in lifestyle medicine since she first discovered it in 2013. As a nurse practitioner, she found lifestyle to be the key to better health and embraced an approach involving cost effective interventions that are safe and effective. In her spare time, she enjoys being with family and friends, cooking, running, and being with her two cats.
Joe Albano, PhD
Vice President/Co-founder
Joe Albano brings a different perspective to ILMN. He is founder and corporate realist at Logika International, a consultancy focused on developing innovative leadership to address the emerging challenges of new work models. With a background in engineering, leadership, and organizational psychology, Joe works at the intersection of health, community development, and entrepreneurialism to encourage healthier communities. His personal commitment to lifestyle medicine came after his partner had a serious heart attack and his own A1C pre-diabetic numbers were climbing. He’s a whole-foods, plant-based, no oil, (WFPBNO) avid home cook and founder of a food-based business. Joe is also a long-term leadership advisory board member for the Cardiovascular and Diabetes Coalition of Indiana (CADI).
Leigh DeNoon Littiken
Director at Large/Co-founder
Leigh DeNoon Littiken is a freelance broadcast journalist and fine art oil painter. Besides producing the Emmy-nominated documentary Optimizing Life, she has had an award-winning radio news career at commercial and public radio stations. Captivated by the scientific evidence supporting food-as-medicine and the use of lifestyle practices to prevent and many times reverse chronic diseases, she teamed with WFYI Productions to create Optimizing Life. https://www.wfyi.org/programs/optimizing-life
Palmer MacKie, MD
Treasurer/Co-founder
Palmer MacKie is an Internal Medicine physician who walks the lifestyle medicine talk. He founded and directed the Integrative Pain Program at Eskenazi Health, the core of which is based on lifestyle medicine principles. Dr. MacKie is now with Oak Street Health. He is a staunch advocate of whole-food, plant-based eating, an acupuncturist, and teaches and practices Tae Kwon Do.
Gentry Dodd, MD, FAAPMR, DipABLM
Director at Large
Dr. Gentry Dodd completed his medical training at Indiana University School of Medicine and is board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Currently, he works as a corporate Senior Director for employee health and has been functioning in this role since 2016. While in this position, and throughout his personal and professional career, Dr. Dodd has always tried to emphasize proper lifestyle behaviors as a means of managing health and wellbeing. Through further education and training in the evidence-based medical discipline of Lifestyle Medicine, he actively works to ensure his employee population is able to realize the true impact good and appropriate lifestyle choices can have on not just maintenance of health, but also their ability to manage and reverse many of our most common and devastating diseases. Dr. Dodd was among the first ever group of physicians to sit for the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine board certification exam in 2017, and he is currently a Diplomate of this organization. He is a firm believer that lifestyle is truly the path to sustainable and impactful healthcare for individuals and communities.
Nabiha Gill, MD, DipABLM, CPE
Director at Large
Dr. Nabiha Gill, Founder of Gill Lifestyle Medical and Wellness, has almost 20 years experience in medical practice with Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Wholistic and Integrative management, interdisciplinary pain rehab, chronic disease management/pain/obesity, and whole health expertise. She is board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, American Board of Lifestyle Medicine, and Whole Food Plant based nutrition certified. She has had personal success in reversing prediabetes, hyperlipidemia and losing almost 40 pounds with Lifestyle Medicine interventions.
Dr. Gill enjoys helping others with evidence based Lifestyle Medicine interventions, education, wellness awareness, and inspiration with her personal success story and journey.
Ruben Hernandez, MD
Director at Large
Dr. Hernandez is a native of Tegucigalpa, Honduras. He completed medical school at the National University of Honduras and residency training at the IU-Methodist Family Medicine Residency Program in Indianapolis. He is assistant Professor of Clinical Family Medicine and currently serves as Vice Chair for Education for the Department of Family Medicine.
Dr. Hernandez also serves as course director for multiple electives including Domestic Global Health and Healthy lifestyle and Fitness. Beyond his instructional roles, he serves as mentor for multiple medical students and advisor for Medical Student Interest Group such as Latino Medical Students Association, Medical Spanish interest Group, and the new Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group. Additionally, he works with IUSM faculty colleagues to coordinate activities with the Alliance Group and the Indiana University Student Outreach Clinic leadership.
Serves as outpatient preceptor at the IU-Methodist Family Medicine Residency creating innovative ways to engage education and wellness in residents. He coordinates the Family Medicine-Methodist Global health Track and LGBTQ health tracks. He is an active member of STFM Global health Educator Collaborative, AAFP, and WONCA. He serves as a Consultant for the National University of Honduras in the creation of a Family Medicine Residency Program.
Mary Grace Ertel
Student Director at Large
Mary Grace is a medical student at IU School of Medicine. She is an active member of the IUSM Lifestyle Medicine Student Interest Group and assists ILMN with social media, website management, and student outreach. She is working towards a scholarly concentration in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Mary Grace also volunteers with Kids In Nutrition, an organization that teaches nutrition classes to elementary schools in Indianapolis.