Our Medical Advisory Board

Avery Faigenbaum, Ed.D, C.S.C.S., F.A.C.S.M., F.N.S.C.A.
Strength and Conditioning, Pediatrics

Dr. Avery Faigenbaum is a Professor in the Department of Health and Exercise Science at The College of New Jersey. He is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and of the National Strength and Conditioning Association. As a leading researcher and practitioner in the field of pediatric exercise science, he has developed successful strength and conditioning programs for school-age youth and has authored over 120 scientific publications, 25 book chapters and eight books including Youth Strength Training and Progressive Plyometrics for Kids.


Todd Schlifstein, D.O.
Sports Medicine

Dr. Todd Schlifstein is a physiatrist who is a consultant at Manhattan Orthopedics at Lennox Hill Hospital. A physiatrist is a medical doctor who specializes in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. He is a Diplomate of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and a Fellow of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation for more than 10 years. He was on the Faculty and an Asssistant Professor at New York University School of Medicine for more than 10 years. As a faculty member he participated in many of the Hospital’s and Medical School’s programs. He has been a medical expert at the United States Congress for the Steroid Hearings in 2005 and Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sports in 2008. He has been named in America’s Top Doctors by the Reserach Council of America for 2006, 2007, and 2008. He has been named Patients Choice Award for Top Physican in 2008 and 2009.
The RUSK Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine is one of the oldest and largest Rehabilitation Hospitals and Departments in the World. He teaches residents, medical students and fellows at NYU Medical Center and lectures to the Orthopedic Department at Lennox Hill Hospital.  He is a consultant and speaker for 12 pharmaceutical companies.

He has had many media appearances including:
ABC News, NBC News , CBS News,Fox News, CNN, CNN Headline News, New York Times, NY1, Discovery Channel, ESPN, New York Daily News, New York Post,LA Times, Miami Herald, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Newsday, Maxim Magazine, USA Today, Good Morning America, Today Show, Sports Illustrated, WebMD, Healthday.com, and many others.

Joel Schwartz, M.D., FACOG
Women’s Health

Board Certified in Ob/Gyn and MFM. Dr. Joel Schwartz received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and his medical degree at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. He completed his residency training at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City and subsequently became Fellowship trained in Maternal Fetal Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Dr. Schwartz was also an instructor for the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Adept at all aspects of treating the high-risk pregnant woman, Dr. Schwartz has a particular interest in intrauterine growth retardation, diabetes, prematurity and the effects of altitude in pregnancy. His research work has been published in Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology and been presented at the annual meetings of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation and the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine.
Before joining Desert Perinatal Associates, Dr. Schwartz was an attending physician for Porter Adventist Hospital and Parker Adventist Hospital in metro Denver. He currently is board eligible by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
He was a college basketball coach prior to attending medical school. Dr. Schwartz has run several marathons, including the Boston and New York City marathons. He is married with three daughters.

Michael Wein, M.D.
Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology

Michael Wein, M.D. is board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and also by the American Board of Allergy and Immunology. He graduated Magna Cum Laude and with honors in Biology from Brown University and completed postgraduate training at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, then served as a Fellow in the Department of Medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital where he studied immunology. He has served as President of the State of Florida Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology Society and has been a Fellow of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology for over a decade. Currently he is on the medical school faculty and teaches medical students at the Port St Lucie / Fort Pierce campus of the Florida State University School of Medicine and also works as Chief of Allergy and Clinical Immunology at the Indian River Medical Center in Vero Beach. He is frequently asked to consult on the well known Physician’s Letter/Prescriber’s Letter and is the author of the chapter on allergy in the 2005 and 2006 editions of the well-known medical textbook Conn’s Current Therapy. He has served as a speaker or consultant for several Fortune 500 companies in the pharmaceutical industry and has published in several scientific journals including European Respiratory Journal, Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, American Journal of Respiratory Cell Biology, Journal of Immunology. Currently he is collaborating with researchers at FSU to study the molecular mechanisms of food allergy. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Allergy.

Wayne Wescott, Ph.D., C.S.C.S.
Exercise Physiology, Fitness

Wayne L. Westcott, Ph.D., directs the Fitness Research Programs at Quincy College in Quincy, MA, where he also developed the Exercise Science Major. He has been a strength training consultant for the United States Navy, the American Council on Exercise, the YMCA of the USA, and Nautilus. He is an editorial advisor/reviewer for many publications, including The Physician and Sportsmedicine, ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal, Prevention, Shape, and On-Site Fitness magazines, and has authored 24 books and textbooks on strength training. Dr. Westcott serves on the Board of Advisors for the International Council on Active Aging and the New England Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine. He was recently honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association of Fitness Professionals, the Healthy American Fitness Leader Award from the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Governor’s Committee on Physical Fitness and Sports, and the Alumni Recognition Award from the Pennsylvania State University.