

Allan Kornberg works both on PAN’s programs in the United States and in supporting its international growth, particularly in global south countries.
As a pediatrician, Allan’s clinical work included practicing both primary care and emergency pediatrics. He co-edited Child Abuse and Neglect: A Medical Reference and served as vice chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Buffalo, and chief of Emergency Medicine and General Pediatrics. He was associate clinical professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine at UB, and associate clinical professor of Pediatrics at Brown University. Allan’s additional healthcare roles included co-founder of Orchard Park Pediatrics and first medical director, then CEO, of Network Health – a health plan in Massachusetts serving impoverished individuals.
Dr. Kornberg has held leadership positions with medical, humanitarian, and animal protection organizations, including chief medical officer of the National Initiative for Children’s Healthcare Quality, president of the Erie County (NY) Committee on Rape and Sexual Assault, and executive director of World Animal Protection-USA, and Farm Sanctuary.
He received his BS from MIT in Biology, MD from the Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and MBA from the University of Rochester. He was resident and chief resident in Pediatrics at the University of Buffalo School of Medicine.
Patty Haan brings extensive experience in both corporate and nonprofit management and foundation philanthropy to her role with PAN USA. She is dedicated to promoting the benefits of a whole food, plant-based diet for the health and welfare of individuals, animals, and the planet. Patty earned her MBA in Finance from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and her MPA from Grand Valley State University in Michigan.
Margaret Telfer uses her experience in business and on non-profit boards to grow PAN USA. She is a nationally certified Wellness Coach trained at the Mayo Clinic, a plant-based chef, and deeply committed to the health benefits of good nutrition. As a community volunteer, she has raised millions of dollars for libraries and literary organizations and is using that experience to help find support for PAN USA.
Dr. Tracy Cushing is an emergency medicine physician in Colorado. She served as associate professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, where she was faculty in the section for Climate Change and Human Health, focused on the climate ramifications of standard Western diets. She has been fully plant based for over a decade, and a near lifelong vegetarian for animal ethics. She is passionate about research on clinical nutrition education, clinician’s attitudes toward plant-based diets, and the role of diet in combating climate change. She has partnered with Dr. Eden English to create an evidence-based nutrition podcast for physicians (www.physicianplantpodcast.com) to help educate doctors on the importance of plant-based diets.
Dr. Cushing received her MD from New York University, completed her emergency medicine residency at the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency in Boston, and her MPH at the TH Chan Harvard School of Public Health. She has served on the Boards of the Wilderness Medical Society and the Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance, in addition to PAN USA.
Niklas Oppenrieder is a physician specializing in pediatrics at Aschaffenburg Hospital in Germany. Being both PAN International’s global director strategy & development and a board member of PAN USA, he heads the strategic development of both organizations, applying his medical and scientific expertise as a pediatrician as well as his first-hand technical knowledge as a member of several different medical associations.
Megan Fischer brings two decades of experience in nonprofit administration, communications, and project management to her work with PAN USA, as well as a long-time commitment to the benefits of plant-based nutrition to health and well being. She received a MA in Museum Studies/Public Humanities from Brown University, a certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from Tufts University, and a BA in Sociology from the University of Georgia.
Carissa Pitalo brings years of experience in business management, plant-based education, and public speaking, with a demonstrated history of working in the nonprofit sector, to her role at PAN USA. She is a passionate advocate for a whole food plant-based diet for good health, as well as environmental stewardship. Carissa’s studies include business management, accounting, and plant-based nutrition.
Tami Turner is a Registered Dietitian with a PhD in Nutritional Biology from the University of California, Davis. Her postdoctoral research focused on nutrition and behavior related to obesity and diabetes at the University of Arizona. Her undergraduate degrees are in Biology and Chemistry.
Dr. Turner is a widely-published nutrition researcher and has experience designing health programs with particular work in behavior change. Examples include using plant-based interventions to reduce vitamin deficiencies in breastfeeding women in developing countries, a diabetes prevention program for children and their families, a mindfulness app for teens to foster healthy lifestyle behaviors, and a text message coaching program to promote smoking cessation for the National Institutes of Health.
Tami has many years of experience working in nutrition and public health, including as a nutrition researcher with the USDA and as a dietitian in private practice and for the food industry. She has clinical experience as a registered dietitian and in inpatient and outpatient pharmacies in the US Air Force. Tami also has experience working with children as a K-12 science teacher.