Food as Medicine: Designing System-Level Solutions for Human and Planetary Health
As the global burden of chronic disease rises alongside the accelerating impacts of climate change, the intersection of food, health, and sustainability has never been more urgent. This panel brings together leaders in food and beverage industries, gut health technology, agriculture, and policy to explore how "Food as Medicine" can evolve from a promising concept into a scalable, system-level solution.
Panelists will examine the role of innovators, scientists, corporations and policy makers in enabling personalized nutrition solutions and systems that support both individual wellness and ecological resilience.
Discussion will include strategies for embedding food-as-medicine into daily consumer products and designing equitable access pathways, aligning incentives across stakeholders, and leveraging technology to measure impact. Together, we will map the future of food as a powerful, preventative tool—one that nourishes people and the planet alike.
Moderator
David Kiewlich, Ph.D
Dr. David Kiewlich (Ph.D.) is a serial founder and entrepreneur in biotech. With over 30 years’ experience working for industry, as well as 6 startups of his own, his background is excellently aligned with the needs and struggles of pre-commercialization startups. He founded and runs Tomorrow Biotech, which includes the Bay Area Disruptor and Startup Support Labs (BADASS Labs) a 501c3, non-profit series of biotech incubators, which has supported dozens of pre-seed through series B (and beyond) companies, as well as a startup and early-stage fund. With a three-year track record of 34 of 38 company successes for members of the incubator, his approach to make it easier on founders has substantially changed the concept and expectations of what incubators should look like.
In addition to Tomorrow Biotech, David is also the CSO of a cell based therapy company, focused on autoimmune disease, advisor for several biotech startups and frequent public speaker advocating for increased sustainability and greater Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in the sciences.
Panelists
Robert Lustig, MD, MSL
Robert H. Lustig, M.D., M.S.L. is Emeritus Professor of Pediatric Endocrinology, and Member of the Institute for Health Policy Studies at UCSF. Dr. Lustig is a neuroendocrinologist, with expertise in obesity, diabetes, metabolism, and nutrition. He is one of the leaders of the “anti-sugar” movement that is changing the food industry. He has dedicated his retirement from clinical medicine to help to fix the food supply any way he can, to reduce human suffering and to salvage the environment, by bringing all stakeholders together around a common vision of metabolic health: protect the liver, feed the gut, support the brain. Dr. Lustig graduated from MIT in 1976, and received his M.D. from Cornell University Medical College in 1980. He also received his Masters of Studies in Law (MSL) degree at University of California College of the Law, San Francisco in 2013. He is the author of the popular books Fat Chance (2012), The Hacking of the American Mind (2017), and Metabolical (2021). He is the Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer of the non-profit Eat REAL, and a member of the Nutrition Task Force of the American Dental Association. He is also the Chief Medical Officer of Biolumen, SnapRecall, and Perfact.
Daphne Miller, MD
Daphne Miller, MD, is a practicing family physician and Professor of Family and Community Medicine at the University of California San Francisco and Leadership Faculty at the Lifelong Family Medicine Residency Program in Richmond California. She serves as her clinic's medical lead to Richmond Rising, a multi-partner grant designed to build a connected, climate-resilient, healthy neighborhood. She is the author of two books about food, culture, agriculture and health: The Jungle Effect, The Science and Wisdom of Traditional Diets and Farmacology, Total Health from the Ground Up.
Steve Simitzis
Steve Simitzis is Founding Partner at Replicator VC and Partner at Solvable Syndicate, where he invests in early stage foodtech startups advancing alternative proteins and resilient food systems. An exited founder and seasoned operator, Steve has led marketing at Wild Earth, built a startup acquired by Mars, and co-founded Cell Valley Labs, a food and biotech incubator in Berkeley. A 30-year vegan, he brings personal conviction to his work in building a healthier, more sustainable food system, and mentors entrepreneurs globally through Tufts University’s Center for Cellular Agriculture, Big Idea Ventures, and Plug and Play.
Helene Thibieroz, Ph. D
Helene Thibieroz is a technologist and business entrepreneur who thrives on solving complex puzzles unifying technology, business and environment. Her 20+ year work experience combines advanced research for deep sub-micron processes, engineering for leading high-tech companies, and marketing, sales and business development for large technology corporations. Because she strongly believes technology can be successfully applied to create sustainable profitable solutions to our environmental problems, she created the management consulting firm We Grow Green Tech. She is currently focusing on accelerating growth of green technology early-stage companies, a mentor/advisor at several world leading accelerators and universities and now leads VitaBios, a biotech prebiotic ingredient company supporting the food as medicine space.
Donn Tice
Donn is the Founder of Conscious Kitchens, an innovation studio helping companies develop and scale breakthrough food and beverage products. Building on years in P&G’s food and beverage divisions, the teams Donn has led as CEO or head of innovation have created multiple new $100m - $1B consumer categories. He lives in San Francisco with his wife Kristina Skierka, Founder of Power for All, and their two Dachshunds.
About 9Zero: We’re a members-only community of founders, investors, scientists, and innovators accelerating climate solutions through meaningful relationships. Apply to join at www.9Zero.com