Meet the Team – EMPOWER

Nutrition Team Leader, Manabu Nakamura, PhD, DVM, is an Associate Professor of Department of Food Science & Human Nutrition and Division of Nutritional Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and leads Obesity Lab (https://publish.illinois.edu/nakamuralab/), a research group of dedicated graduate students. I started studying nutrition to find out what to eat for staying in good health. I studied biochemical nutrition for many years to understand underlying mechanism of nutrient effects on health and disease. In the past years, my focus has been developing a weight management program to help people lose weight and maintain healthy weight for lifetime by discovering enjoyable and sustainable eating practice.

Ashley McCartney received her Masters of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences with a focus in Dietetics from Eastern Illinois University. She practiced from 2009-2012 at Presence Hospital and is currently practicing as a registered licensed Dietitian at Carle Health in Nutrition Services. Her professional interests focus on weight management for adults, diabetes education and nutrition support. My role in EMPOWER is to help support and empower staff to create new ideas in order to help people stay motivated and successful in their weight loss journey.

Ashley McCartney, MS, RDN, LDN, is a Research Dietitian of the EMPOWER program. She received her Masters of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences with a focus in Dietetics from Eastern Illinois University. She practiced from 2009-2012 at Presence Hospital and is currently practicing as a registered licensed Dietitian at Carle Health in Nutrition Services. Her professional interests focus on weight management for adults, diabetes education and nutrition support. Her role in EMPOWER is to help support and empower staff to create new ideas in order to help people stay motivated and successful in their weight loss journey.

Kristina Adams Smith, MS, RD, is a clinical dietitian serving in Champaign, Tuscola, Mattoon, Effingham and Olney. She has over 20 years’ experience as a registered dietitian working with patients in clinical settings. She received her bachelor and graduate degree in dietetics from Eastern Illinois University. She previously served as a media representative for the Eastern Illinois Dietetic Association for 9 years and continues to be featured on many local television segments, cooking demonstrations and print news articles. Kristina currently provides nutrition consultations for Carle Physician group and also manages her own business Sliced Right Nutrition providing cooking demonstrations, nutrition education classes as well as presentations. Her main areas of expertise have been in weight management, culinary nutrition, diabetes, heart disease, and overall wellness.

Nouf Alfouzan, MS, Clinical dietitian: I am a PhD student in the Nakamura lab. I am responsible for developing strategies to deal with food cravings and enhance your flexibility in adjusting to new dietary habits. As a nutrition coach, I will be delighted to help you explore the options of eating your craved foods while continue lose weight. As well as increasing your flexibility toward achieving your diet and weight goals.

Jin Yu, MS: I am a graduate research assistant in Dr. Nakamura’s lab pursuing a Ph.D. degree. In this program, I am not only a researcher but also a participant who lost 80 lbs and has successfully maintained my weight. I am mainly in charge of session development and data analysis. It’s my duty to help you establish essential habits at the start, overcome the weight loss plateau, and maintain your progress.

Ashleigh Oliveira, BA: I am a graduate research assistant in the Nakamura lab pursuing a doctorate and registered dietitian license. I am primarily responsible for implementing outreach to rural communities through interactive, online educational tools and establishing community networks. I am the primary liaison between the IT team and the EMPOWER nutrition team in the development of our website, www.mealplot.com. Working in the Nakamura lab, I am grateful to be living my passion by translating nutrition science into a practical weight loss program that is effective and accessible.

Lifestyle Team Leader, Janet Liechty, PhD, MSW: Dr. Liechty is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work, Carle-Illinois College of Medicine, and Division of Nutritional Sciences. She received her PhD in Family Studies and her MSW from the University of Maryland, and completed advanced clinical training in family systems theory and therapy, mindfulness, gestalt therapy, and neuro-linguistic programming. Liechty worked more than a decade as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in teaching hospitals and a holistic health center in Washington, DC. Liechty’s research examines social determinants of health and psychosocial dimensions of weight-related health, including obesity, disordered eating, positive body image, health literacy, and healthy lifestyle behavior change. She also studies health professions workforce development and interprofessional education to enhance teamwork and cultural competency. Liechty is the Principal Investigator on two consecutive 4-year federal grants for Behavioral Health Workforce Training (3.8 million from 2017-2025) from the Healthcare Resources Services Administration (HRSA). She is also the PI on Social Work Healthcare Education and Leadership Scholars Program (HEALS 2015-2021), funded through the National Association of Social Workers and the Council on Social Work Education.

Vanessa Parker, MSSW: Vanessa is a licensed social worker and doctoral student in the School of Social Work working with Dr. Janet Liechty.

Asma Yahya, MS, Clinical Dietitian: I’m a doctoral graduate student in Dr. Nakamura’s laboratory to develop a dietary weight loss program with a specific focus on Saudi Arabia People. My passion is to teach people how to overcome obesity and its comorbidity by following a healthy lifestyle. Helping you achieve your ideal body weight and maintain it for a lifetime is my priority, so I will be always ready to help.

Chelsie Zajac BS: Chelsie is a graduate student in the School of Social Work studying with Dr. Liechty. She will assist Dr. Liechty.

Health Team Leader, Karen Wiarda, DO: Dr. Karen P. Wiarda is a cardiologist in the Mattoon Heart and Vascular Institute at Carle. She received her DO degree from Des Moines University in Iowa and completed her internal medicine and cardiology training at Garden City Hospital in Michigan. She is a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine in the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Urbana and in the Carle Illinois College of Medicine. She serves as faculty for the Carle Internal Medicine Residency Program for rural outpatient cardiology rotations. She has participated in various research projects at Carle and in collaboration with University of Illinois faculty, and served as one of the Quality Improvement Champions in Illinois for the American College of Physicians (ACP) for a quality improvement project focused on reducing stroke risk in atrial fibrillation patients, a new national ACP initiative. She has also completed fellowships in Hospice and Palliative Medicine and is Board Certified in Obesity Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine as well as Nuclear Cardiology and Echocardiography.

Health Team Leader, Jennie Hsu, MD: Dr. Jennie Hsu is a primary care physician in the Department of Adult Medicine at Carle at Curtis in Champaign. She received her M.D. from the University of California, San Francisco and completed her internal medicine training at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Urbana. She is a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine in the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Urbana and in the Carle Illinois College of Medicine. She serves as Core Faculty for the Adult Medicine resident clinic and coordinates the Women’s clinic and the Internal Medicine continuity clinic at Frances Nelson Health Center for the Carle Internal Medicine Residency Program. She serves as a mentor and faculty for the Carle Illinois College of Medicine students. She has participated in various research projects at Carle and in collaboration with University of Illinois faculty, and is currently one of the Quality Improvement Champions in Illinois for the American College of Physicians (ACP) for a quality improvement project focused on reducing stroke risk in atrial fibrillation patients, a new national ACP initiative. She is a Fellow of the ACP and serves on the Illinois ACP Governor’s council.

Greg Payne, MS and third-year medical student at Carle Illinois College of Medicine. My research interests are in data analysis and representing data in a way that helps inform habits that increase productivity and wellness.

Lindsey Ades, BS and currently a third-year medical student at Carle Illinois College of Medicine. My research interest is in developing solutions to maximize health and wellness through lifestyle modification, diet, and exercise.

Muhammad Umair Rana MBBS completed his medical school from King Edward Medical University, Lahore, Pakistan. He is in his second year of Internal Medicine Residency at Carle Foundation Hospital. His interests include cardiology and preventive cardiology. He is particularly focused on lifestyle changes that can benefit overall health and improve cardiac outcomes

Hasib Khalil, MD: