ADVISORY BOARD

Walter J. Pories, MD, FACS, is the Chief of the Eastern Carolina University Metabolic Institute and the Principal Investigator for major obesity research grants for the National Institutes of Health and Industry.  In addition, Dr. Pories is the former President of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery.

Gerard J. Musante, PhD, is the founder and director of Structure House, a residential weight management and healthy lifestyle clinic in Durham, NC.  Established in 1977, Structure House pioneered the behavior approach to weight management.  Thousands of adults from all 50 states and more than 35 countries have sought and found solutions for their negative relationships with food.  In addition, Dr. Musante is a consulting professor at the Duke University Medical Center.

Dennis Gage, MD, FACP, is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Clinical Nutrition. He is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at New York University and an Attending Physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in NYC. Attending Physician at Beth Israel Medical Center, NYC Dr. Gage has a private practice in NYC. Member, NAASO, ADA, AMA.  Dr. Gage is the author of The Thinderella Syndrome: A Practical Guide to Individualized Permanent Weight Loss- http://www.theweightlossdoc.com. Dr. Gage has conducted research projects in the treatment of obesity.

Sharon Isenhour Sarvey, PhD, RN an associate professor in the College of Nursing, at East Carolina University (Greenville, North Carolina) has been teaching pediatric nursing for over twenty years. Her numerous years of experience working with children with complex health needs in all settings has led to her extensive involvement with children experiencing significant weight challenges and the impact weight loss has on their quality of life. Dr. Sarvey is actively involved in residential weight loss camp programming and implementationand has worked with numerous campers investigating and communicating the impact of camp-based weigh loss interventions. Dr. Sarvey is a member of the Society of Pediatric Nurses and is President-elect of the National Association of Bariatric Nurses.

Mike Flynt at age 59, Mike received national attention throughout the 2007 football season.  With his final year of eligibility confirmed by the NCAA, Mike was able to make the team and become the oldest contributing member of a college football team in NCAA history. Mike not only made the team, but he played the last half of the season on a regular basis at linebacker and on special teams.
Mike Flynt grew up in Odessa, Texas, graduating from Permian High School in 1966.  In 1965, he was first team, all-district defensive back for the first state championship football team for the Odessa Permian Panthers, starting the winning tradition at Permian High School, and later inspiring the movie Friday Night Lights. Mike received his degree in physical education and business from Sul Ross State University, doing his post graduate studies in physiology of exercise at the University of Nebraska. He went on to be a strength and conditioning coach at the University of Nebraska, the University of Oregon and Texas A & M. Mike is a Certified Master of Fitness Sciences through the International Sports Sciences Association and one of the original founders of the National Strength and Conditioning Association, which has over 30,000 members worldwide. Utilizing his knowledge and years of experience in fitness, he invented the PowerBase, a portable piece of strength training equipment that is safe and effective for people of every age group.