Caldwell Esselstyn

Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr.–an American physician, author and former Olympic rowing champion. His lowfat, whole foods, plant-based diet was advocated by former U.S. President Bill Clinton. Esselstyn graduated from Yale University in 1956 and received his M.D. from the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in 1961.

He completed a tour as an Army surgeon in Vietnam, and served the Cleveland Clinic as the President of the Staff and as a member of its Board of Governors until 2000. He also served as the President of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons in 1991, and contributed to several nutritional publications. In 2005, he received the Benjamin Spock Award for Compassion in Medicine, and in 2009 the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Cleveland Clinic Alumni Association. In 2010 he received the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame Award.