Geeta Maker-Clark, MD

Dr. Geeta Maker-Clark is the Director of Integrative Nutrition and Advocacy at Endeavor Health and Clinical Assistant Professor and Co-Director of the Culinary Medicine program at the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine. Geeta has spent two decades studying integrative medicine, nutritional science, botanical medicine, dance, mind-body medicine, and natural childbirth in health clinics all over the world. She started the Food is Power program on the South Side of Chicago in Chicago Public Schools to empower youth with health literacy, through a curriculum that focuses on decolonized food education, food justice and sovereignty. Geeta was recognized as a national leader in food justice activism with a Castanea Fellowship from 2019-2022 and the Mesa Refuge Michael Pollan Fellowship in Food Journalism in 2021. Dr. Geeta dances with the acclaimed Chicago African dance company Ayodele Drum and Dance and has performed on some of Chicago's largest stages with this women led ensemble. She believes that food, plants, dance, music, and art are necessary, daily medicines.

Dr. Maker-Clark believes in transforming the way we think about medicine and looks to ancient wisdom and modern struggles as opportunities to heal with the medicines that are all around us. As a woman of color, a community organizer, and integrative physician and leader in the food as medicine movement ,her work aims to help communities be well nourished- the heart of healing in our society and country.