Medical Obesity Care Providers for Organizations that Need Them
We’re a team of metabolic health experts focused on treating obesity one patient, and one personalized treatment journey, at a time.
World-Class Clinical Experts are Here to Help
What sets Flyte Medical Services apart is the combination of expertise and passion our providers bring to the global concern of obesity as well as the individuality of each human being who needs care. Every body consists of emotions, behaviors, biology, environmental factors, and genetics. Our providers account for each of these factors as they treat the whole person.
Flyte enables healthcare systems to increase capacity while reducing risk or provides a turnkey metabolic health program to employer’s wellness offerings.
Meet the Flyte Medical Leadership Team
Flyte’s team is composed of industry-leading practitioners known for their research, outcomes, and empathy toward treating a complex disease and chronic condition.
Leon I. Igel
MD, FACP, FTOS, DABOM
Dr. Leon Igel specializes in the care of patients with obesity and a broad spectrum of associated endocrine conditions. His primary areas of expertise include: weight management, post-bariatric surgery care (including treatment of inadequate weight loss or weight regain after surgery), type 2 diabetes, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), and disorders of the thyroid (hypothyroidism).
Dr. Igel received his medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine with special distinction in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism. He completed his internship and residency training in Internal Medicine (Primary Care) at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine, where he served as ambulatory chief resident. He subsequently completed a combined Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism fellowship at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and the Hospital for Special Surgery.
He has lectured and published broadly on the topics of obesity medicine, pharmacotherapy for the treatment of obesity, and obesity-associated endocrine conditions. He is a fellow of The Obesity Society (FTOS), and a fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP).
Dr. Igel lives in New York City with his wife, who is a high-risk obstetrician at Montefiore Medical Center, their son, and their Havanese dogs.
Katherine Saunders
MD, DABOM
Dr. Katherine H. Saunders is a physician entrepreneur and a leading expert in Obesity Medicine. She is on the cutting edge of effective and compassionate obesity treatment. Dr. Saunders is on faculty at Weill Cornell Medicine, where she teaches and precepts.
Dr. Saunders received her undergraduate degree Phi Beta Kappa/Summa Cum Laude from Dartmouth College and her medical degree from Weill Cornell Medical College, where she became a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. She completed her internship and residency training in Internal Medicine (Primary Care) at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine, where she served as ambulatory chief resident. Dr. Saunders was the first clinical fellow in Obesity Medicine at the Comprehensive Weight Control Center at Weill Cornell Medicine.
Dr. Saunders is a diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Obesity Medicine. She hosts the Weight Matters podcast with Dr. Louis Aronne, she regularly speaks at international conferences, and she publishes extensively on Obesity Medicine and weight management. She has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. Additionally, she has been featured in multiple national media outlets, including Women’s Health, USA Today, Medical News Today, and NY Post. Dr. Saunders also makes frequent guest appearances on a variety of podcasts and radio shows.
Dr. Saunders’ recent awards and recognition include the Women at Weill Investment Competition, Brown Brothers Harriman 22 Women to Watch in 2022 and Medika Life Top 30 Influencers Transforming Wellness in 2023.
Whitney Strelkoff
MSHA, MBA
Mary VanNortwick
DCN, MS, RDN, NBC-HWC
Over the course of her 35-year career, Mary has experience with diabetes case management, operational oversight of a fresh food manufacturing start up, and project management for comprehensive military food and nutrition systems. She has also worked with university students, faculty, and staff for 15 years, providing health and wellness coaching to help them establish healthy or corrective patterns of living and eating.
Mary earned a doctorate of Clinical Nutrition. She is an Integrative and Functional Nutrition Certified Practitioner, a board-certified health and wellness coach, and has a CT in adult weight management from the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics.
Mary has two grown daughters, Sarah and Olivia, and lives in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with her two German Shepherds.
Meet a Few Members of the Flyte Practice Team
Flyte’s nationwide network of clinical and practice management professionals are focused on providing individualized care and support.
Kajal G. Zalavadia
MD, DABOM
Dr. Kajal Zalavadia specializes in the care of patients with obesity and weight-related complications. Her areas of expertise include post-bariatric surgery weight management and creating comprehensive but individualized lifestyle programs while optimizing medication regimens.
Dr. Zalavadia received her undergraduate degree from Emory University and her medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine. She completed her residency training in Internal Medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, and she completed her fellowship in Obesity Medicine-Nutrition Support at Geisinger Medical Center in Pennsylvania. Dr. Zalavadia is a diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Obesity Medicine.
Dr. Zalavadia has a decade of experience developing and leading comprehensive medical weight management programs at multiple large Bariatric Centers while also providing direct clinical care.
Dr. Zalavadia lives in North Carolina with her husband and their two daughters.
Ilana P. Redmond
MD, DABOM
Dr. Ilana Redmond specializes in the care of patients with obesity and weight-related complications. Her areas of expertise include medical weight management and the primary care of patients with obesity.
Dr. Redmond received her undergraduate degree from Middlebury College and her medical degree from Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College. She completed her internship and residency in Internal Medicine (Primary Care) at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine. She subsequently completed a fellowship in Obesity Medicine at the Comprehensive Weight Control Center at Weill Cornell Medicine. She is a diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Obesity Medicine.
Dr. Redmond lives in New Jersey with her husband, two children, and dog, Bowie.
Amy Laktash
MSN, APRN, NP-C
Amy Laktash has been in healthcare for 14 years and a nurse practitioner for 6 years. Her experience in weight management includes specializing in bariatric surgery, as well as leading a patient safety and quality improvement program for metabolic and bariatric surgery patients. She currently serves as an executive officer and Integrated Health Chair for the Ohio/Kentucky state chapter of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Amy earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Miami University and Master in Nursing from The University of Akron. She is certified as an Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.
She lives in Northeast Ohio with her husband Mike, son Milo, and twins Margot and Louie.
Nathan Lesch
MSN, APRN, FNP-C, BC-ADM, CDCES
Nathan Lesch has been practicing in healthcare for 14 years. For the past seven years, he has worked in private practice in Texas. He is a certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, board certified in Advanced Diabetes Management, and a certified Obesity Specialist by the World Obesity Federation. He is passionate about preventing disease and reversing existing health conditions by utilizing evidence-based practices and partnering with patients to assist in medically managed weight loss. Prior to becoming a nurse practitioner, Nathan worked as a registered nurse in the Transplant Medical/Surgical units at the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin; the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, Colorado; and the Transplant and Cardiovascular/Thoracic surgery ICUs at the University Hospital in San Antonio, TX. He has a Master of Science in Nursing from The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio.
Nathan lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife Annie and their dog Blanca.
Dana Cizinski
RDN
Dana Cizinski is a registered dietitian and nutrition professional specialist with more than 14 years of experience. She uses her background in evidenced-based clinical dietetics and sound understanding of wellness coaching to help people make healthy lifestyle changes. After a dietetic internship with the Cleveland Department of Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Dana earned a masters degree in nutrition from Case Western Reserve University.
Julie Schwartz
MS, RDN, CSOWM, CSSD, LD, ACSM-EP, NBC-HWC
Over her 25-year career as a registered dietitian, Julie has worked in a variety of settings, including bariatric centers, outpatient clinics, a military clinic, worksite wellness, school nutrition, and private practice. Julie holds an MS in Sports Nutrition from Georgia State University and a Bachelor of Science in Health Education/ Health Promotion from the University of Florida.
As an active member leader in the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics serving on several committees, Julie was integral in the development and continues to serve as a subject matter expert for the Commission on Dietetic Registrations Certified Specialist in Obesity and Weight Management, an interdisciplinary credential to support the physician ABOM credential.
Julie lives in the Tampa Bay area of Florida with her husband and their black lab Milo. She has two grown children, Stephen and Alexis.
Paul Buchanan
LPN
Paul has been an LPN for over 13 years, working in urgent care, neurology, neurosurgery, primary care, endocrinology, and presurgical screening department. He was in the U.S. Army for 13 years where he first trained for computer systems. He spent the last five years of his service as an LPN. At Flyte, his focus is pre-authorizations, pre-visit chart preparation, coordination with providers and patients, remote patient monitoring, as well as training and managing other nurses in these areas.
Paul lives on Long Island with his wife and their two cats.
Tara Jadun
Tara has 17 years of experience working in medical practices, including at the Comprehensive Weight Control Center at Weill Cornell Medical. She received a bachelor of arts in Psychology and English from Baruch College.
At Flyte, Tara’s focus is on making each individual’s care experience seamless. Her team facilitates patient onboarding and clinical care coordination, making healthcare headacheless.
Tara lives in Miami, Florida with her partner, toddler son, and their two dogs.
Flyte Medical services are powered by Intellihealth Evolve, the leading clinical enterprise software platform for treating individuals with overweight and obesity.
