Plant Based Health Professionals UK Lockdown has transformed the way healthcare professionals interact with patients, and in June 2020, a group of vegan doctors started to set up a new service for patients – Plant Based Health Online. Born out of the Plant Based Health Professionals UK, PBHO offers lifestyle medicine consultations, including advice on plant-based diets via video consultations. Dr Shireen Kassam, founder of the PBHPUK, details the background and purpose of this ground breaking new initiative.
ORIGINS
I
founded PBHPUK back in 2017 when I realised there wasn’t a health professional organisation providing evidence-based education on whole food plant-based diets. For several years prior I was learning and educating myself on the topic and realised most of this education was coming mainly from the US. I realised there was a gap within the UK and felt compelled to fill this through the work of PBHP UK. We have always modelled ourselves on PCRM.org led by Dr Neal Barnard. He has
52 I Plant Powered Planet
really been a leader in this field and provided the basis for me to start the UK equivalent. I also wanted to provide likeminded health professionals and other individuals a forum and network to belong to so that we could learn and support each other and ultimately have a stronger voice in the area of food and health within the UK.
GROWTH We are a membership organisation, with membership open to all, not just health professionals. This is because we recognise that as
healthcare professionals, we have a lot to learn from ‘ordinary’ people who have used a dietary approach to prevent and management chronic illness. We want our network and education to be relevant to all. We started membership in 2019. Year 1 we gained 200 members, year 2 we totalled 600 members and if we continue at the current pace we will reach over 1000 members by the end of 2021. Approximately two-thirds of members are healthcare professionals, doctors, nurses, dietitians, nutritionists, physiotherapists, pharmacists etc and
