John La Puma

John La Puma is an Italian-American internist, professionally trained cook, and author.

La Puma was born in New York, received his undergraduate degree from the College of Creative Studies in 1978, earned an MD from Baylor College of Medicine and trained in internal medicine in Los Angeles. He completed the first U.S. postgraduate fellowship in medical ethics at the University of Chicago, and became an Clinical Associate Professor. He later graduated from the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago, part of Le Cordon Bleu and became a Professor of Nutrition at Kendall College. He cooked with Chef Rick Bayless at Topolobampo before founding CHEF Clinic, a clinical program to prevent obesity. La Puma practices medicine in Santa Barbara, California, is co-founder of ChefMD, a health and media company, and founder of GlutenFreeQuiz for celiac disease detection. He has authored over 250 original publications, book chapters, abstracts and books. His research interests include weight loss, dietary supplement use and medical ethics. His first book for the general public, written with Dr. Michael Roizen, RealAge Diet: Make Yourself Younger with What You Eat (April 2001) reached The New York Times Bestseller List. His most recent book is Cooking the RealAge Way (May 2003) also written with Dr. Roizen. Dr. La Puma wrote the recipes for YOU: The Owner’s Manual (May 2005), co-authored by Drs. Roizen and Mehmet Oz.

Books and publications

 * YOU: The Owner's Manual: An Insider's Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger, by Michael F. Roizen, Mehmet Oz, 2005, ISBN 0060765313. (recipes)
 * Cooking the RealAge Way: Turn Back Your Biological Clock with More Than 80 Delicious and Easy Recipes by Michael F. Roizen, John La Puma, 2003, ISBN 0060009357
 * The RealAge Diet: Make Yourself Younger with What You Eat by Michael F. Roizen, John La Puma, 2001, ISBN 0060086122
 * Managed Care Ethics: Essays on the Impact of Managed Care on Traditional Medical Ethics John La Puma, 1998, ISBN 1578260124
 * Ethics Consultation: A Practical Guide by John La Puma, David Schiedermayer, 1994, ISBN 0867207973
 * Numerous contributions to Men’s Journal, The New England Journal of Medicine, The Journal of the American Medical Association, and The Annals of Internal Medicine

Public appearances
La Puma has appeared numerous times as a keynote speaker. In June 2001, Dr. La Puma was the commencement speaker at the graduation ceremony of the College of Creative Studies at UCSB. He spoke about his path from medical school to cooking school back to medical practice, and expounded on his views on how to eat local.

Television shows

 * "What’s Cookin’ With ChefMD?" on Lifetime Television’s Health Corner Series

Honors

 * Listed in Top Physicians in the U.S., Top Physicians
 * Silver and Bronze Medals, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, 32nd Annual U.S. Amateur Winemaking Competition
 * First Place, National Instructional Journalism Newsletter Publishers Foundation, 1999