Annual George C. Covington Education Event: Food as Medicine

Come together with several leading experts in nutrition and mental health as they discuss how food nourishes not just our bodies, but our minds and mental health. Discover the fascinating links between what we eat and how we feel - through the gut-brain connection, the role of food in emotional well-being, and the science behind mood-supportive nutrition.

MEET THE PANEL

MODERATOR: Alyson R. Kuroski-Mazzei, DO, DFAPA, FASAM, CEO & Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Alyson Kuroski-Mazzei earned her Bachelor of Science from Benedictine University and medical degree from Midwestern University. She completed her general psychiatry residency at Duke University and a forensic psychiatry residency at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she maintains an academic appointment. Triple board-certified in psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, and addiction medicine, she founded the Forensic Psychiatry Program & Clinic at UNC and continues to contribute nationally and internationally to the field.

She has held numerous leadership roles, including Medical Director at Cone Health Behavioral Health Hospital, Fellowship Hall, and the San Diego Professional Group. In 2016, Dr. Kuroski-Mazzei returned to North Carolina as the founding CEO and Chief Medical Officer of HopeWay, a nonprofit mental health treatment center in Charlotte. Under her leadership, HopeWay has grown into a nationally recognized organization serving children, adolescents, and adults, with specialized programs for veterans and first responders, as well as individuals struggling with eating disorders.

Dr. Kuroski-Mazzei is a Past President of the North Carolina Psychiatric Association and has held leadership positions with the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law and other national organizations. She is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. Her clinical interests include mood disorders, women’s mental health, substance use disorders, complex psychopharmacology, and forensic evaluations.

She and her husband, Paul, have two sons and two dogs; one of the dogs is currently in training to be a therapy dog. Her passion for leading HopeWay is rooted in personal family experience and a strong belief in the power of effective treatment to transform lives. She is proud to balance her roles as physician, leader, wife, and mother.

Ramaswamy Viswanathan, MD, DrMedSc, former President of the American Psychiatric Association and Professor at the State University of New York (SUNY)

Ramaswamy Viswanathan, MD, DrMedSc, served as President of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), May 2024-May 2025, and currently continues as a trustee on the APA Board of Trustees. The APA is the world’s largest psychiatric organization with about 39000 members. During his presidential term Dr. Viswanathan has had a transformative impact on the practice of psychiatry, choosing as his APA presidential theme “Lifestyle for Positive Mental and Physical Health”. He also chose it as the theme for the APA’s Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, May 17-21, 2025, which was attended by about 9000 people, and featured about 55 sessions on lifestyle medicine out of a total of about 450 sessions, offering cutting-edge science and practice information. He has given several national and international impactful invited lectures on the evidence base for incorporating lifestyle medicine with other treatment approaches in psychiatry, has written several articles, and made media appearances. Lifestyle medicine is a medical specialty focused on using therapeutic lifestyle interventions to treat and prevent chronic diseases. It emphasizes a whole-person, evidence-based approach to health, addressing root causes of illness through six key pillars: healthy eating, physical activity, stress management, sleep optimization, avoidance of risky substances, and healthy relationships. Under his leadership the APA has held several educational sessions on lifestyle psychiatry throughout the year, and produced a 370-page resource document co-authored by 33 contributors, on the evidence base and the science behind the six pillars of lifestyle medicine that psychiatrists should know, which will be widely disseminated. He and several others are working toward inclusion of lifestyle medicine in psychiatry educational curricula.

Dr. Viswanathan is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, Geriatric Psychiatry, Addiction Psychiatry and Forensic Psychiatry. He is Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn, NY, where he is also Director of the Psychiatric Consultation-Liaison Service, Program Director of the C-L Psychiatry Fellowship, Core Faculty in the Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship Program, and Founding Co-Chair of the College of Medicine Faculty Wellness Workgroup. He is a senator in  the 64-campus SUNY Faculty Senate. He is Chair of the Committee on Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry of the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry. He has done research on physician-patient communication, how physicians resolve ethical dilemmas, and psychologic variables associated with treatment adherence in patients with gynecologic cancers, HIV, and children with sickle cell disease. He has several publications including in prestigious journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Archives of Internal Medicine (JAMA Internal Medicine) and the American Journal of Psychiatry. He is a recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service, Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Society for Liaison Psychiatry and the Brooklyn Psychiatric Society, and the following awards from the American Psychiatric Association: Nancy Roeske Award for Excellence in Medical Student Education, Irma Bland Award for Excellence in Residency Education, George Tarjan Award for Excellence in IMG Service, Ronald Shellow Award for Excellence in Service to the Assembly, and the Assembly RFM Mentor Award. He has been continually included in “Castle Connolly Guide: The Best Doctors – New York Metro Area”, since the year 1994.

Chef Sam Diminich, Executive Chef/Owner of Your Farms Your Table Group, James Beard Award Nominee 

Cooking is in Chef Sam Diminich’s lineage. Originally from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Diminich grew up in the restaurants of both his father and grandfather. After working his way up the ranks in his family restaurants and training with other local chefs, Diminich enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America, where he graduated with a degree in Culinary Arts.

After graduation, Diminich trained under Chef and Owner Georges Perrier at Le Bec Fin in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He then headed back to the South, where he worked at BLT Steak, located in the Ritz-Carlton Charlotte. He then worked with Executive Chef Raffaele Dall’Erta at The Hampton’s Restaurant in Sumter, and was the Executive Chef of Upstream Restaurant in the SouthPark area of Charlotte. In 2019, Sam appeared on Beat Bobby Flay on the Food Network Channel, taking down the legendary Chef in a ‘battle’ of Lobster Risotto.     

Sam has also been very transparent about his sobriety and has found a purpose in sharing his journey publicly in hopes of helping others with similar journeys. He is Co-Leader of the Charlotte, NC chapter of Ben’s Friends, a food and beverage support group offering hope, fellowship, and a path forward to those food and beverage professionals who struggle with addiction and alcoholism.

Chef Diminich is passionate about working with local ingredients. His approach to cooking is to honor the ingredients using sound techniques with a balance of flavors and textures, blending traditional flavors with contemporary ones. His goal is to have a celebratory impact on the guest dining experience. When he is not in the kitchen, Sam enjoys spending time with his two children, Constance and Allan Grey, enjoying the beauty of the Carolinas. 

Ellen Jones, MS, RD

Ellen Jones is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in Human Nutrition from Winthrop University. After completing a 1,200-hour supervised dietetic internship and passing the national board exam, she has maintained her credentials through ongoing continuing education, staying current with the latest research and evidence-based recommendations.

Ellen joined the HopeWay team in 2016 when HopeWay first opened, following previous experience at Carolinas Medical Center (now Atrium). She developed the curriculum for the original biweekly nutrition and cooking classes, many of which continue to shape the program today. In 2024, she started with HopeWay’s Eating Disorder Programs, bringing both clinical expertise and compassion to her work.

Ellen’s nutrition philosophy is rooted in the understanding that our relationship with food is both physical and emotional. She believes that while nutrients play a vital role in brain health, food also holds deep cultural and emotional significance. Her approach to care balances the science of nutrition with a person-centered awareness of each client’s unique emotional connection to food.

Now living in Greensboro to be closer to family, she remains a proud supporter of HopeWay and its mission.