About Us
WE ARE A 501(C)(3) NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION
Plant Docs® is a nonprofit started in 2019 by Sandra Musial, MD, Suyin Lee, MD, and Steve Stein, MD to educate the public and medical professionals about how whole food, plant-based nutrition can prevent, improve, and reverse chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and certain cancers.
MEET
THE PLANT DOCS
“I want people to know that these chronic diseases are reversible by changing your diet. Many people think that once they start on medications, they are on them for life, but it’s possible to get off these statins and high blood pressure meds by changing your diet.”
CO-FOUNDER, BOARD CHAIR
Sandra Musial MD
dipABLM, dipABOM, FAAP
Dr. Musial is a physician specializing in food as medicine who is dedicated to preserving health and reversing lifestyle-related chronic disease through whole, plant-based nutrition. Sandy holds a Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Sciences from the University of New Hampshire, and an MD degree from the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Dr. Musial has worked in a private pediatric practice and at Hasbro Children's Hospital teaching the pediatric residents and medical students from the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She is a Culinary Coach from Harvard’s CHEF Coaching program, has a certificate in Plant Based Nutrition from eCornell, and a Health Coaching certificate from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition®. Sandy is triple board certified in Lifestyle Medicine, Pediatrics, and Obesity Medicine and started an obesity clinic and the first vegetable garden at Hasbro.
Though she has witnessed the healing power of conventional medicine, she has also seen its limitations, especially with regard to disease prevention through healthy nutrition. Sandy started the nonprofit Plant Docs as an avenue for people to learn about the power of plant-based nutrition to improve health.
CO-FOUNDER, BOARD MEMBER
Steven Stein MD
Steven is a family physician who earned his MD at Cornell University Medical College in 2002 and then came to Rhode Island with his family for the Brown University Family Medicine Residency Program. He has always been interested in the effects of diet on health, and became convinced of the benefits of a plant-strong diet after attending multiple conferences. He has been educating patients individually in his primary care practice for a number of years, and is extremely excited to be part of this group program. He is a strong believer in the power of community to help the individual succeed, and he relishes the opportunity to facilitate that process. Steven enjoys his family, cooking, baking, and relaxing.
Janet Limke MD,
dipABLM, BOARD MEMBER
PLANT DOC
Now here is a doctor who knows about nutrition! When Dr. Janet Limke is not seeing patients, she is busy in the kitchen preparing tasty, savory meals from plants and grains. Dr. Limke is board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation graduating from the University of Cincinnati Medical School in 1986. After spending 35 years working as a physiatrist specializing in spine and musculoskeletal disorders, she has seen the healing effects from Whole Food Plant Based eating, not only in decreased pain and inflammation, but also in improvements in mood and energy levels.
Dr. Limke is a certified Food For Life Cooking Instructor from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and is a leader of her local Building Healthy Communities. She is also actively involved in the Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) serving as a delegate and as a member of several committees. She started a Walk with a Doc chapter sponsored by Norfolk South District of MMS with monthly walks in Milton, Massachusetts. Dr Limke invites you to join her at Plant Docs for inspiring cooking and nutrition education so you, too, can see how eating more plants can transform your health and performance.
Dr. Stump earned a medical degree from the University of Vermont College of Medicine and completed her residency in Internal Medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
Mariah Stump MD,
MPH, FACP, DipABLM, ABOIM
PLANT DOC
Dr. Stump is an internal medicine physician passionate about food is medicine for the prevention of chronic disease. Dr Stump is triple board certified in internal medicine, integrative medicine, and lifestyle medicine. She is an assistant professor of medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and the course developer for the only clinical elective focusing on lifestyle medicine, culinary medicine, and nutrition. She is the co-faculty advisor and developer of the Food is Health course, a pre-clinical elective in culinary medicine and nutrition where students learn tools of cooking for chronic disease prevention. Dr. Stump is an adjunct faculty member of the Mindfulness Center at Brown School of Public Health where she teaches mindfulness to medical students. She is passionate about educating the current and next generation of physicians about the power of the prevention of chronic disease through food prescriptions and food choices for a sustainable planet.
PLANT DOC
Shikha Merchia is board certified in Internal Medicine and a diplomate of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine. She is a primary care provider who counsels patients on lifestyle changes to manage illness including diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, obesity and related conditions since 2004. She’s a graduate of Christian Medical College, Ludhiana, India and has completed: Plant Based Nutrition course from eCornell Center for Nutrition Studies with Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Harvard Medical School’s Culinary Health Education Fundamentals Coaching, and Complete Health Improvement Program.
She has partnered with Non-Profit, Jiviniti, a research foundation with programs focused on low-income women and women of color in underserved communities. The research explores the relationship between their food choices, resilience, triggers, and barriers against healthy lifestyle changes.
Dr. Merchia created @doc_inthekitchen to showcase her passion for delicious, healthy cooking. She draws inspiration for creating recipes from her parents, who have been experimenting with recipes since she was a young child.
Shikha Merchia MD DipABLM
Ashley Grant RDN, LDN
PLANT-BASED DIETICIAN
Ashley is a registered dietitian who guides individuals to ditch diet culture and achieve their goals through the use of intuitive eating. As a fitness instructor, she is passionate about fitness for the benefit of mental and physical health. She specializes in plant based nutrition and helps individuals reduce inflammation and prevent, reverse and manage disease.
Wendy brings a strong background in strategic planning, operations, and program development, with a focus on turning ideas into effective, well-run initiatives. She is a graduate of the Plant Docs Jumpstart Your Health! program and is deeply passionate about the organization’s mission to empower people to take control of their health through whole, plant-based nutrition.
In her role at Plant Docs, Wendy applies her experience in operations, problem-solving, and program management to support and expand programs that help individuals improve their health through food. She is also currently pursuing her certification as a Plant-Based Health Coach, further strengthening her ability to support and guide people on their journey toward healthier living.
Wendy’s combination of operational expertise and personal commitment to the power of plant-based nutrition makes her a dedicated advocate for the Plant Docs mission and the communities it serves.
Wendy Kaiser
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Board Members
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Dr. Musial is a physician specializing in food as medicine who is dedicated to preserving health and reversing lifestyle-related chronic disease through whole, plant-based nutrition. Sandy is triple board certified in Lifestyle Medicine, Pediatrics, and Obesity Medicine. She started Plant Docs to help people learn about the power food choices have on our health and well-being.
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Steven is a family physician who earned his MD at Cornell University Medical College in 2002 and then came to Rhode Island with his family for the Brown University Family Medicine Residency Program. He has always been interested in the effects of diet on health, and became convinced of the benefits of a plant-strong diet after attending multiple conferences. He has been educating patients individually in his primary care practice for a number of years, and is extremely excited to be part of this group program. He is a strong believer in the power of community to help the individual succeed, and he relishes the opportunity to facilitate that process. Steven enjoys his family, cooking, baking, and relaxing.
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Ellen Jordan is an attorney with a corporate and litigation background. She is an active member of the Rhode Island Bar Association Volunteer Lawyer Program. Recently, Ellen has been working on guardianships for low income and disabled Rhode Islanders. Ellen has always been interested in nutrition and the impact of food choices on our health. She competed the Jumpstart Your Health program in September 2023 and has become an advocate of the tremendous health benefits of a plant-based lifestyle. Ellen is eager to join Plant Docs in educating others on adopting and thriving on a plant-based diet. Ellen earned her B.A. from Cornell University, her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, and a certificate in Plant Based Nutrition from eCornell.
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Dr. Limke is board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation graduating from the University of Cincinnati Medical School in 1986. After spending 35 years working as a physiatrist specializing in spine and musculoskeletal disorders, she has seen the healing effects from Whole Food Plant Based eating, not only in decreased pain and inflammation, but also in improvements in mood and energy levels.
Dr. Limke is a certified Food For Life Cooking Instructor from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and is a leader of her local Building Healthy Communities. Dr Limke invites you to join her at Plant Docs for inspiring cooking and nutrition education so you, too, can see how eating more plants can transform your health and performance.
Where To Find Us
Private MD-Nutrition Consultations
One-month life-changing Jumpstart Your Health!
Cooking-Together classes in your own kitchen
Special offerings like Food For Life Classes & Cancer Fighting Foods Series
From the comfort of your home,
You can enjoy all of the Plant Docs programs!!
AS FEATURED IN
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
“Upon seeing my client just 3 short weeks after beginning a program with Plant Docs, I noticed a remarkable decrease in her overall inflammation. She reported having a clearer head and thought process, better ability to maintain focus, and an added benefit of losing some weight.
For the past 2+ years, after making some changes regarding food choices, I was naturally directed to choosing vegetables, fruits and legumes. Luckily for me, I prefer this type of food over animal protein, and it is a fairly easy lifestyle to follow. The downside for me is repetition.
Plant Docs provides an incredible variety of easy-to-follow recipes, very informative tutorials, blogs and videos, and you can schedule consultations with the practitioners if you’d like to dive into plant-based eating with guidance and coaching. The health benefits are too numerous to list here, but I can tell you that personally I have had more focus, very few GI issues which I had been prone to and have effortlessly lost 20 pounds. If you are searching for an alternative to what you have been eating, what you have been feeling, and what your brain has been (or not) been processing, I highly recommend Plant Docs.“
— Kathy Furze-Spencer, LMT | Spencer Muscular Therapy
