Dr. Conrad Lai, Founder
Dr. Lai has dedicated his career to improving other people’s health. After medical school at the University of California at San Francisco and residency training in emergency medicine at Stanford University, Dr. Lai entered the field of emergency medicine and witnessed firsthand the personal and societal costs of being overweight and obese. Nearly every system in the body was negatively affected by excessive weight. Wouldn’t it be more rational, he queried, to treat the underlying condition rather than associated debilitating diseases?
Conviction in hand, Dr. Lai designed a straightforward, easily understandable, and scientifically based program, Jumpstart Medicine. Jumpstart aggregates best practices in nutrition education, exercise physiology, and behavioral modification to help others achieve a degree of health and wellness that they once thought unobtainable.
Dr. Lai has subsequently gathered like-minded physicians who share his passion for helping others change their lives through healthy habits. Together, our physicians and team of experts aim to provide the highest level of safe, effective, and long-term weight reduction available.
Dr. Sooji Rugh
Dr. Sooji Rugh shares Dr. Lai’s passion for helping others achieve better health through safe and effective long-term weight reduction. As an internist, she’s seen both the positive and negative effect of weight on diabetes, and hypertension, and has always been an advocate of primary prevention through nutrition and fitness education.
Dr. Rugh received her BS degree from MIT and completed residency training in internal medicine at Harbor-UCLA. After distinguished careers as an internist in private practice, and as a Principal Investigator for over 50 clinical research studies, she joined Dr. Lai in 2007. She is deeply committed to using current and scientifically based best practices to develop the finest weight reduction center in our land.
Dr. Sean Bourke
Dr. Bourke received his BA from Yale College and completed his residency training in emergency medicine at Stanford. After a career in emergency medicine, the U.S. Air Force, and the biomedical device industry, Dr. Bourke devoted himself to helping others improve lives and prevent disease through the Jumpstart Program.
Dr. Bourke is also interested in the link between obesity and both corporate and societal healthcare cost. He remains committed to the belief that the rising morbidity, mortality, and costs of healthcare in America will be controlled through the prevention and treatment of obesity. Similarly, he is committed to the development and integration of innovative corporate health and wellness initiatives that will help companies retain top talent while improving productivity and profitability.
Each of the above physicians is a member of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians (www.asbp.org)
Dr. Kane Lai
With an extensive background in physiology and pharmacology as a board-certified actively practicing anesthesiologist, Dr. Kane Lai has developed a strong interest and expertise in helping patients lose weight in a safe and effective manner. Dr. Lai received his Bachelor’s degree from Stanford University in Biology, Masters degree from Stanford University in Sociology, and medical degree from Vanderbilt University. He completed his residency training at St Vincents Hospital in Manhattan, New York. Dr. Lai has been in practice for 7 years and is a member in good standing of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians.
