Staff and board members

Current executive board members include:

• Mark Romeo

Steven Acocella, MS, DC, DACBN

A founding member of the NRF, Dr. Acocella serves as Secretary of the foundation. His extensive clinical practice and research support his commitment to the disease-preventing and disease-reversing effects of a whole food, plant-based diet. He has authored dozens of articles, contributed to the research and writing of chapters in several bestselling books on nutrition; and published a major peer-reviewed research study.  He holds a Master of Science in Human Nutrition and has written a thesis on Supplementation of  Cyanocobalamin, Methylcobalamin, and Hydroxocobalamin in Strict Vegans With Early Onset Neurological Deficit.

Why the NRF mission resonates with Stephen Acocella:

“I’m committed to increasing the foundation’s digital presence. Raising the world's wellness IQ and has the potential to help support the NRF’s non-profit financial needs.”

Thomas Davenport, M.D.

Thomas Davenport is a board-certified plastic surgeon who completed both his residency in General Surgery and fellowship in Plastic Surgery in the Harvard University Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital.  He completed his specialty training in Cancer Reconstruction and Cosmetic Surgery as a fellow at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Beyond the operating room, he is actively involved in medical volunteerism, performing reconstructive surgery and lecturing on plastic surgery in numerous developing countries.

Anthony Masiello

Thomas Davenport is a board-certified plastic surgeon who completed both his residency in General Surgery and fellowship in Plastic Surgery in the Harvard University Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital.  He completed his specialty training in Cancer Reconstruction and Cosmetic Surgery as a fellow at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Beyond the operating room, he is actively involved in medical volunteerism, performing reconstructive surgery and lecturing on plastic surgery in numerous developing countries.

Mark Romeo

A distinguished marketing and strategy executive with over 30 years of experience of food industry leadership experience, Mark pioneered the Direct-to-Consumer Grocery and Food-Is-Medicine segments. He was the founding CMO of FRESH DIRECT, and the Chief Strategy officer of Roots Food Group. With RFG, Mark developed landmark Food-Is-Medicine programs with Cardinal Health, United Healthcare, Centene and the State of California. He is the current CMO of Pinata Foods, based in Cleveland, Ohio.

Why the NRF mission resonates with Mark Romeo:

“My experience in developing consumer engagement strategies can help translate the NRF's vital research into widespread practical application.”

A Message From Our President

Immediate Need: Funding to study effectiveness of ETL AI avatar

My friends,

My life’s work has revealed a profound truth: simply knowing how to be healthy isn't enough.

The real challenge for many lies in overcoming the emotional and behavioral hurdles – the deeply human issue of compliance – that prevent lasting change.

Imagine a dedicated physician advocate and health coach by your side, 24/7. This isn’t a distant dream. It’s the ETL AI Avatar – a revolutionary technology we’re researching at the Nutritional Research Foundation. More than an app, it's a compassionate guide, built on my decades of research, designed to help individuals conquer those complex barriers to healthy living.

This year-end, your support can spark a health revolution, especially for the vulnerable:

• For the Elderly: Offering dignity, memory support, and companionship, providing proactive care and connection in their homes.
• For the Poor: Delivering gold-standard, personalized lifestyle medicine to those who cannot afford human coaches, bridging the health equity gap.
• For the Food-Addicted: Understanding, coaching and ongoing emotional support to conquer the pull of disease-promoting foods and habits.
• For those with Chronic Disease: Coaching and teaching the nutritional management and reversal strategies and monitoring compliance and results

Remember, 100% of your year-end donation will directly fund our critical research. Not one penny will go to NRF operational expenses or employee costs, which I personally cover.

We are on the cusp of delivering accessible, empathetic health support to millions. Your gift is an investment in a healthier, more equitable future.

Please, join me.

Donate now to the Nutritional Research Foundation: https://www.nutritionalresearch.org/donate

With heartfelt gratitude,

Joel Fuhrman, M.D.

Partners

The NRF works with partners in the health and wellness industry who are trying to build a healthier world. From large corporations and businesses to nonprofits and educational institutions, our local partners play an instrumental role in helping us reach our designated goals.

Founder/President

Joel Fuhrman, M.D., is a board-certified family physician, best-selling author and nutritional researcher who specializes in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional methods. In 2025, Dr. Fuhrman and his daughter, Cara Fuhrman, N.D., founded LongevityRx, a state-of-the-art facility in San Diego, focused on nutrition and regenerative medicine.

Dr. Fuhrman is the author of twelve books on human nutrition, including seven New York Times best-sellers: Eat to Live (2003), Super Immunity (2011), The End of Diabetes (2012) The Eat to Live Cookbook (2013), The End of Dieting (2014) and The End of Heart Disease (2016), and Eat for Life (2021). His book, Fast Food Genocide (2018), examines the deleterious effect that poor nutrition has had on populations as a whole, even playing a role in intelligence, mental disorders, crime and drug addiction.

Dr. Fuhrman is actively involved in scientific research on human nutrition. His pivotal work on food addiction and human hunger, “The Changing Perception of Hunger on a High Nutrient Density Diet,” was published in Nutritional Journal, in November 2010.

Dr. Fuhrman is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (Pearlman) School of Medicine (1988) and has received the St. Joseph’s Family Practice Resident’s Teaching Award for his contribution to the education of family practice residents; and a C3 Cardiology Global Health Award for teaching cardiologists nutritional science.