Randal J. Thomas, MD
Sharonne N. Hayes, MD FACC
Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, MD
Tom Kottke, MD FACC
Steve DeBoer, RD
Peggy A. Menzel, RD LD

Dr. Randal J. Thomas is a preventive cardiologist/internist in the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases and Internal Medicine at the Mayo Clinic-Rochester. His clinical and research interests have been aimed primarily at improving the effectiveness of preventive therapies in patients with cardiovascular diseases. He keeps fit through a variety of daily activities including running, biking, and basketball. He and his wife, Jodee, also enjoy practical physical activities such as yardwork, housework, and keeping up with their six children. They can often be seen playing sports together and going on family bicycle rides on the wonderful bicycle paths available in the Rochester area. He follows a low saturated fat, high fiber diet and tries to have at least 2 vegetarian meals each day. A favorite breakfast treat for him is an egg white omelet with vegetables, low fat cheese, and salsa. He works at keeping trim by following the advice of Dr. Paul Dudley White, one of the fathers of modern preventive cardiology: Eat less, walk more.

Dr. Sharonne Hayes is a cardiologist who has had a longstanding interest in prevention of heart disease. She developed and directs the Mayo Clinic Women's Heart Clinic in order to address the unique needs and issues of women who already have or are at risk for cardiovascular disease. For her own heart health she walks, bikes, and roller blades with her children and husband, and plays singles tennis several times per week. She keeps an exercise bike handy at home for unpredictable Minnesota weather. She eats no meat and enjoys a largely vegetarian diet consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and occasional fish. She particularly enjoys ethnic and spicy foods from Asia, the Pacific Rim, India, and the Middle East.

Dr. Lopez-Jimenez is a cardiologist in the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases and Internal Medicine at the Mayo Clinic-Rochester. His clinical and research interests include the prevention and treatment of obesity, particularly in patients with heart disease. He developed and co-directs a state-wide program for heart disease and obesity prevention in Guanajuato, Mexico. He runs several days a week, rides his bike to the hospital during summer and holds weekly family exercise evenings when he, his three children and wife enjoy different sports. Their lunch consists of a very large salad and 2 or 3 portions of fruit, and for dinner they usually have a bowl of low-fat soup, beans, rice and at least two different vegetables. They eat fish several days a week and red meat very rarely and in small portions.

Dr. Tom Kottke is a cardiologist and epidemiologist with 25 years of experience in building community-based heart disease prevention programs. He began organizing CardioVision 2020 in 1996 and led the project until moving to St. Paul, Minnesota in 2004. Dr. Kottke continues his heart disease prevention and treatment practice at Regions Hospital in St. Paul. The HealthPartners Research Foundation in Minneapolis is the home of his research projects.

Steve DeBoer has experience in medical nutrition therapy and public health nutrition. He is an early riser, going out to run for an hour before work, sometimes longer on the weekends, a habit that places his running among the top 5 streaks in North America (every day since July 20, 1970). Then, most days, he bikes to work. He eats homemade granola for breakfast, including soy nuts, and has at least one serving of fruit with each meal, plus fruit on his frozen yogurt eve snack to give him the energy for next morning’s run. He developed a reputation as a “conejo”, or rabbit, while in the Peace Corps in Ecuador, where he always snacked on carrots, which he continues to have a fondness for. His wife and two small children love his pinto bean burritos, loaded with lettuce, tomatoes, green pepper and a sprig of parsley.

Peggy A. Menzel, RD, LD has been consulting in clinical nutrition for the past 15 years with a special emphasis in cardiovascular nutrition. An avid runner, Peggy runs outdoors year round – 5 days per week, usually before the crack of dawn. In the summer months she supplements her running with biking and hiking and in the winter, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing (often accompanied by their two golden retrievers). Peggy loves to cook and because she adheres to a plant-based diet, getting her 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day is no problem. She also plants her own herb garden each summer and takes full advantage of the farmer’s market each weekend.