Hello, my name is Dr. Sheri Marshall, I am a dietitian who became a physician and is now a functional medicine coach.

My health journey began when I was a junior in high school, at which time I was borderline obese. Around the same time, my Dad came home from the doctor.  The doctor had told him, “your cholesterol is high. If you don’t change your diet, you are going to have a heart attack.”  Our whole family changed how we ate to support him. I was amazed and excited to learn that changing our lifestyle could improve our health. I thought,"The whole world needs to learn about this!"  I decided to go to college and study nutrition. .My love and passion for health and wellness started.

Once I became a registered dietitian, the only opportunities for dietitians were in the hospital.  I got a job at Princeton Medical Center.  One day, I went to see a patient who had had a heart attack.  He looked me in the eye and angrily said  ”I don’t care if I eat baked or fried chicken!”  Then he asked quietly, “Am I going to live until tomorrow?”  It was clear to me that when patients are sick enough to be in the hospital, they are often not in the right frame of mind for discussing food choices.  I knew I had to find a more effective way to help people earlier.

I thought, “If I become a physician, I can find and help people with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and make lifestyle changes to prevent heart attacks.” I went to medical school and then went into private practice as a family practice physician.  When I recommended lifestyle changes, many patients told me, “ Just give me pills.” It made me sad for them, as they did not see the value of the information I was providing them. Most people were not ready to make a change.  Again, I knew I had to find a more effective way to help people.