Nimali Fernando, MD, MPH
is a pediatrician practicing in Fredericksburg, VA at PL Pediatrics and founder of the website doctoryum.com and The Doctor Yum Project. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh school of Medicine and School of Public Health with an M.D. and Masters in Public Health. She completed residency and chief residency in Pediatrics at The University of Texas Health Sciences Center Houston and served there for two years as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the department of Pediatrics. In 2005 she and her husband, also a physician, moved their family back east to Fredericksburg, Virginia. She is a Board Certified Pediatrician and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics. As an active member of the Subcommittee on Obesity Prevention for the Virginia Chapter of the AAP, she is currently at work on a website and toolkit to help providers counsel on Obesity prevention. Besides practicing pediatrics Dr. Fernando stays busy raising two boys, Zane (9) and Asa (5) and the family cats Lucky and Gizmo. She also enjoys gardening, running, and cooking healthy food for her family.
Heidi DiEugenio
is at her core, passionate about connecting busy families with great resources available to make their lives easier, healthier and all around more fulfilling. In her current position as the Director of Operations and Marketing for Fredericksburg Parent and Family Magazine, Heidi has spearheaded many programs helping local families feel more connected with the community, including Play with your Plate, a partnership with Doctor Yum where in area restaurants rehabilitate their kids menus to offer healthier dining options. Prior to her time with FredParent, Heidi was the founding Executive Director for Blue Star Families, a non-profit organization created to support, empower and connect military families. Her background also includes eight years in roles as a Shopping Center Marketing Director in California, Maryland, Virginia and Hawaii, and 13 years as a small business owner with Barefoot Moments Custom Photography. In her personal life, Heidi and her husband Dave stay busy with their active sons aged 13 and 9 with the typical school, sports and extra-curricular activities and enjoy making time to run, hike, surf, ski and travel as much as life allows.
Denise Hwang
is a fundraising and strategic development consultant. She has worked with both established non-profits and those in their infancy to broaden and refine programming, raise funds and build marketing and support networks. Denise began her career working in the political arena, where she managed record-breaking finance campaigns at local and national levels. Through direct mail, high-dollar events and personal solicitation, Denise has managed and met budgets from $250,000 to upwards of $10 Million. Denise moved to Fredericksburg in 2010, with her husband Eddy, a physician. She has one daughter, the coolest kid on the planet, Chelsea.
Santhi Nair, MD
was born in India. Her family moved to the United States
when she was 5 years old. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Science
from The George Washington University. She earned her Medical degree
from Ross University School of Medicine (Dominica, West Indies). She
completed her Pediatric Residency and Chief Residency at Crozer Chester
Medical Center in Pennsylvania. She went on to work as an Attending
Physician in General Pediatrics at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. In 2006 she and her husband moved to Fredericksburg, VA to be close to their families. Currently she is practicing pediatrics at The Community Health Center of the Rappahannock Region in Fredericksburg, VA. She is Board Certified with the American Board of Pediatric and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Nair is very passionate about fighting the epidemic of Obesity. She is and wants to be involved in promoting a Heart Healthy Lifestyle for her patients and her community. Her husband Sudeep Menachery is a physician at the Hematology Oncology Associates of Fredericksburg. Together they have two daughters, Riya and Rehka. She enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, gardening, reading, travelling and experiencing different cultures.
Daryle Darden, MD
is a local physician and devoted spouse of Dr. Yum. He is also known to his children as “Dr. Yuck” for being caught red handed with junk food on a few occasions. In his defense, he tries to lead by example and devote a lot of his diet to veggies, green smoothies, and drinking clean refreshing H2O. He works at a local Fredericksburg medical imaging practice (Radiologic Associates of Fredericskburg). When not goofing around with the kids, he assists the Dr. Yum Project with accounting, website work, and general IT related issues.
Shelby Gleason, MPH
is passionate about all things health (and the University of Michigan). Shelby earned both her undergraduate degree and her Masters in Public Health from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She spent five years working for United States Senator John D. Rockefeller IV in both his official Washington office and as Deputy Campaign Manager. Through this experience she became acutely aware of the impact of personal behavior and environment on overall health status. Her graduate studies and professional experience as the Manager of Safety Net Services at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan only strengthened her commitment to addressing the need for better health policy and community health education. Shelby currently works in the Community Benefit Department at Mary Washington Healthcare. Shelby and her husband, John, moved to Fredericksburg in July 2009 and have one furry child, Maizey Blue. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, Pilates, yoga, laughing with friends and spending time in West Virginia – her home state.