MEDITERRANEAN DIET TALKS – WASHINGTON DC
The Healing Power of the Mediterranean Diet
The Italian Cuisine, one of the most appreciated in the world, is a cornerstone of the Mediterranean Diet as observed by Ancel Keys who investigated this eating pattern in the ‘60s. Keys was the American physiologist who pioneered the correlation between diet and health in his study “Seven Country”. Based on vegetables, grains, fish, fruits, and relatively small amounts of meat and abundant olive oil, the Italian diet seems to work wonders on the longevity of Italians, and to be beneficial in the prevention of illnesses such as heart disease.
In this presentation, which celebrates Italy’s culinary excellence, we will discover the scientific basis and benefits of Italian cuisine, as well as how it is applied in the operation of the food industry.
This event is part of the 5th Week of Italian Cuisine in the World, and it celebrates the 10th anniversary of the inscription of the Mediterranean Diet in the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
WHEN: November 16th, 2020 - 11:30am ET
WHERE: Zoom Webinar
EVENT LANGUAGE: English
PROGRAM
Welcome Remarks
Armando VARRICCHIO
Ambassador of Italy to the United States
Daniela PUGLIELLI
Founder, Mediterranean Diet Roundtable
Keynote Speech
Alessio FASANO, MD
Professor, Harvard Medical School
Panel Discussion
Amanda GOLDMAN, MS, RD, LD, FAND
Healthcare Industry Sales Strategist, Gordon Food Service
Angelo MOJICA, PhD
Director Food & Culinary Services, Johns Hopkins Health System
Sara FARNETTI, PhD
Expert in Functional Nutrition
ALESSIO FASANO
Alessio Fasano, MD, is Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, Professor of Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chen School of Public Health, and Director of the Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center (MIBRC) at MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGHfC). Prof. Fasano’s current research expertise encompasses basic science focused on bacterial pathogenesis, gut microbiome composition and function in health and disease, the regulation of gut permeability, and intestinal mucosal biology and immunology, as well as translational science focused on the role of diet on microbiome composition and function leading to autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases, including celiac disease, autism and type 1 diabetes. Prof. Fasano’s group was responsible for the discovery of zonulin in 2000, a protein involved in the regulation of tight junctions, which is released in conditions of dysbiosis.
Current research directed by Prof. Fasano is focused on the basic science of the gut microbiome and intestinal mucosal biology, as well as translational science focused on interventional clinical trials in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Prof. Fasano has been recipient of many awards, including the 2012 Harry Scwachman Award from the North American Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition, the 2013 Linus Pauling Award, the 2013 Magister Insignis from the Schola Medica Salernitana, the 2014 Paul Harris Fellow Award from the Rotary Club, and the 2019 Italian Bilateral Cooperation award as the best Italian Scientis abroad from the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and the Minister of Education, University and Research.
He has published more than 300 peer review papers and has been continuously funded by the NIH since 1996. In keeping with his scientific and clinical accomplishments, Dr. Fasano is a highly published author in both peer-reviewed publications and general readership. As an international celiac expert, he appears regularly in diverse international and national media outlets such as the BBC, The New York Times, The Globe and Mail, RAIT, Good Housekeeping, Allergic Living and NPR. He is author of Gluten Freedom, published in Italian, French, German, Portuguese, Czech, and Polish with all proceeds going to celiac research. He is also author of Gut Feeling, a book on microbiome and health that will be published in March 2021.
