VSDC Speakers' Bureau

The following individuals comprise the VSDC speakers' bureau. They were selected to participate because of their specialized knowledge and training surrounding vegetarianism's health, ethical, ecological, and/or spiritual benefits. This is not a final list, and we hope to add more names in the near future. If you would like to arrange for a speaker at your event, please contact Caroline Cherry at volunteer at vsdc dot org.

Note: If someone from this list agrees to speak at your event, it is the policy of the Vegetarian Society of DC that all food/drinks served be vegan so that all may enjoy.

Bruce G. Friedrich

brucef at peta dot org; 202-306-2020

As vice president for policy and government affairs of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the world's largest animal rights organization, Bruce Friedrich directs PETA's efforts to improve animal welfare through legislative and executive action in Washington, D.C., including PETA's efforts to end to toxicity testing on animals and government subsidies for the meat and dairy industries.

Bruce has contributed essays to several books on animal rights. He wrote the foreword to the activist manual Striking at the Roots, is a frequent contributor to HuffingtonPost.com, and coauthored a book about activism, The Animal Activists' Handbook, which is due to be released in 2009. He also produced the influential PETA film "Meet Your Meat," which is narrated by Alec Baldwin and has been screened in the U.S. Capitol.

Before coming to PETA in 1996, Bruce spent more than six years working in a shelter for homeless families and the largest soup kitchen in Washington, D.C. Bruce graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Grinnell College in Iowa with majors in English and economics and a minor in religious studies. He received the Gilbert Award for original research in the field of economics.

Bruce is on the governing board of the Catholic Vegetarian Society and the advisory board of the Christian Vegetarian Society. He is a founding member of the Society of Religious and Ethical Vegetarians.

Heather Katcher, Ph.D., R.D.

hkatcher at washingtonccr.org; 202-686-2210 ext. 378

Heather Katcher, Ph.D., R.D., is the clinical research coordinator for the Washington Center for Clinical Research, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit dedicated to studying the role of nutrition on health outcomes. As clinical research coordinator, Dr. Katcher designs and conducts research studies on the use of plant-based diets for prevention and treatment of chronic diseases.

Dr. Katcher received her Bachelor of Science in psychobiology from Binghamton University and her doctorate in nutrition from Pennsylvania State University. Her research at Penn State focused on the effects of whole grains and high-fiber foods in metabolic syndrome and polycystic ovary syndrome. Dr. Katcher received the American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship and the Life Sciences Consortium Graduate Fellowship while studying at Penn State. After receiving her doctorate, Dr. Katcher completed her dietetic internship at Tulane University.

Dr. Katcher has published articles in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Human Reproduction Update, and other scientific and medical journals.

Jennifer Keller Reilly, R.D.

jreilly at cancerproject dot org; 202-997-0640

Jennifer Keller Reilly, R.D., is senior nutritionist for The Cancer Project, a Washington DC-based nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing new approaches to cancer prevention and survival through nutrition education and research.

As senior nutritionist, Ms. Reilly is currently conducting a study of The Cancer Project's Food for Life cooking classes to evaluate the effectiveness of the class series in changing participants' dietary habits.

Ms. Reilly developed the nationwide Food for Life: Nutrition and Cooking Class Series for Cancer Prevention and Survival. Launched in 2001, these classes are designed to teach cancer survivors and their friends and families how certain foods and nutrients can promote or discourage cancer growth, along with simple cooking demonstrations that can be recreated easily at home.

Ms. Reilly also helped write and produce the corresponding class handbook, The Survivor's Handbook, and video, Eating Right for Cancer Survival.

Ms. Reilly's study on the consumer cost of calcium from food and supplements was published in The Journal of the American Dietetic Association in 2002. Her study on the acceptability of soymilk among elementary school children was published in the April 2006 issue. She is also on the expert nutrition panel for the four-book series Healthy Eating for Life, which includes one book focused on cancer prevention and survival.

Ms. Reilly received her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from Pennsylvania State University in 1997 and completed her registered dietetic degree with Virginia Tech in 1998.

Before joining The Cancer Project in 2004, Ms. Reilly served as the nutrition projects coordinator for the DC-based Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine for four years.

Mark Rifkin, M.S., R.D., L.D.N.

6711 Park Heights Avenue, Clubhouse #L-3, Baltimore, MD 21215

preventive_nutrition at verizon dot net; 410-764-8346

Mark Rifkin, M.S., R.D., L.D.N, has been a vegetarian since 1984, and has a Master of Science in Health Education. He has been conducting presentations on nutrition and food-related topics since 1997. Mr. Rifkin is interested in applying the benefits of vegetarian diets to preventing and treating chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, arthritis, adverse menopausal symptoms, and depression. He also specializes in helping vegetarians further improve their eating habits.

Milton R. Mills, M.D.

miltonmillsmd at yahoo dot com

Milton R. Mills, M.D., serves as associate director of preventive medicine for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), a DC-based nonprofit organization of doctors and laypeople dedicated to promoting better nutrition and higher research standards.

Dr. Mills practices outpatient clinic-based medicine in Northern Virginia and works as a critical care physician with Fairfax Hospital in Fairfax, Virginia. His varied experience specializing in internal medicine and HIV disease has made him extensively knowledgeable about the unique healthcare needs of minorities, the challenges of practicing medicine in inner cities, and the special medical and nutritional requirements of HIV+ and AIDS patients.

As an African-American physician focusing on preventive medicine, Dr. Mills has delved into some of the environmental and societal influences affecting the health of African Americans and other racial minorities. Dr. Mills has lectured and given research seminars across the United States and in Mexico on such topics as the negative impacts of meat and dairy consumption on human health; nutrition and HIV/AIDS; nutrition and cancer; and the dietary needs of various ethnic groups.

Dr. Mills, who graduated in 1991 from Stanford University School of Medicine in California, began working with AIDS patients while still in medical school. He also served as student body president of the medical school, founded the Minority Students' Alliance, and worked as editor-in-chief and managing editor of the Stanford Medical School newspaper. He later interned at the University of California-San Francisco and performed his residency at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC.

Dr. Mills' papers on race and diet have appeared in the Journal of the National Medical Association and 10 years ago he initiated PCRM's campaign against racial bias in federal dietary guidelines.

Jonathan Balcombe, Ph.D., M.S.

jbalcombe at pcrm dot org

Jonathan Balcombe, Ph.D., M.S., is a research scientist with the DC-based Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), a nationwide organization of physicians and laypersons that promotes preventive medicine, especially good nutrition, and addresses controversies in modern medicine, including ethical issues in research.

As a research scientist, Dr. Balcombe works on issues relating to the use of nonhuman animals in medical science and education. He analyzes and synthesizes published findings and writes and presents papers for publication in scientific and lay journals. Dr. Balcombe also writes the monthly column Beyond Animal Research for the PCRM Web site.

Dr. Balcombe's books include The Use of Animals in Higher Education: Problems, Alternatives, and Recommendations and Pleasurable Kingdom: Animals and the Nature of Feeling Good, which was published by Macmillan in May 2006. Dr. Balcombe has also written about animals in research for several magazines, including PCRM's Good Medicine and Alternatives in Veterinary Medical Education. Dr. Balcombe reviews manuscripts for Animal Behaviour, The American Biology Teacher, and the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science.

Dr. Balcombe has given more than 50 presentations on the use of animals in research and on alternatives to the use of animals in medical research and education. His recent presentations include "Rodents in Laboratories: Thinking Outside the Cage," at the Sixth Annual Animal Welfare Forum in Canada and a presentation on pleasure in animals at the second InterNICHE conference in Norway.

Dr. Balcombe received his Doctorate in Ethology from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He received his Master of Science in Biology from Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and his bachelor's in biology from York University in North York, Ontario.

Before coming to PCRM, Dr. Balcombe served as the Research Coordinator for Immersion Medical, a medical simulation company in Gaithersburg, Maryland. He is also a former VSDC vice president. Dr. Balcombe is available to speak on any or a combination of the following topics: animal pleasure (topic of his new book Pleasurable Kingdom: Animals and the Nature of Feeling Good, Macmillan, 2006); animals in education (topic of his book The Use of Animals in Higher Education: Problems, Alternatives, and Recommendations (Humane Society Press, 2000); or animals in research.

Karen E. Davis, Ph.D., President, United Poultry Concerns

PO Box 150, Machipongo, VA 23405

karen at upc-online dot org; phone: 757-678-7875; fax: 757-678-5070

Dr. Davis is President and Founder, in 1990, of United Poultry Concerns, a nonprofit organization that promotes the compassionate and respectful treatment of domestic fowls. She has a Ph.D. in English from the University of Maryland-College Park, where she taught for 12 years in the English Department.

Her articles have appeared in The Faculty Voice (University of Maryland), Journal of English and Germanic Philology, English Language Notes, Teaching English in the Two-Year College, and Between the Species: A Journal of Ethics. Her work, letters-to-the editor and op-eds have run in the New York Times, New Yorker, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Washington Times, Washingtonian, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Columbus Dispatch, The Plain Dealer (Cleveland), Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Harper's Magazine, Atlantic Monthly, Minnesota Monthly, Minneapolis Star Tribune, The Nation, The Sun (Baltimore), Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, the "Dear Abby" syndicated advice column, Egg Industry, Feedstuffs, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Canadian Veterinary Journal, and many other publications. She has been a guest on many television and radio programs, such as The Howard Stern Show, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central, Fact Finders on WB Channel 11 News @ Ten in New York City, and This American Life on National Public Radio.

Since 1999, Dr. Davis and UPC have hosted seven conferences on farmed animal advocacy issues. UPC's 7th annual conference presented the topic of "Inadmissible Comparisons" at the New York University Law School, co-hosted by Lantern Books and the NYU Student Animal Legal Defense Fund, in New York City on 24-25 March 2007.

Dr. Davis has authored several books, including A Home for Henny (a children's book published by UPC); Instead of Chicken, Instead of Turkey: A Poultryless "Poultry" Potpourri (a cookbook published by the Book Publishing Co.); Prisoned Chickens, Poisoned Eggs: An Inside Look at the Modern Poultry Industry (Book Publishing Co.); More Than a Meal: The Turkey in History, Myth, Ritual, and Reality (Lantern Books); and The Holocaust and the Henmaid's Tale: A Case for Comparing Atrocities (Lantern Books). Her essay, "The Turkey in History," appears in the Encyclopedia of Animals and Humans edited by Marc Bekoff and Janette Nystrom (Greenwood, 2007). She is currently revising and updating her book, Prisoned Chickens, Poisoned Eggs, first published in 1996, for republication by the Book Publishing Company in 2008.

Erica Meier

emeier at cok dot net; 301-891-2458

Erica Meier is the executive director of Compassion Over Killing (COK), a non-profit animal advocacy organization based in Washington DC. Since 1995, COK has worked to end the abuse of animals in agriculture through undercover investigations, public outreach, litigation, and other advocacy programs.

COK's efforts to expose cruelty to farmed animals have garnered national media coverage in various newspapers, including the New York Times, Washington Post, and USA Today, and on television newscasts as well. Before working at COK, Ms. Meier spent four years as an animal control officer in DC, rescuing sick, injured, and homeless animals as well as enforcing animal protection laws.


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Last modified: August 19, 2010 01:52 PM