Our Team
Susan M. Friedman, MD, MPH
Lifestyle Medicine Director
University of Rochester Professor of Medicine
Highland geriatrician, internist, and University of Rochester Professor of Medicine.
Dr. Friedman is board certified in Internal Medicine, Geriatric Medicine, and Lifestyle Medicine. Dr. Friedman’s consultation services are available for outpatient appointments at the GAMA (Geriatrics and Medicine Associates) clinic and physicians can request that she consult on patients hospitalized at Highland Hospital.
Thomas Campbell, MD
Family Medicine Physician
University of Rochester Assistant Professor of Family Medicine
Board certified in Family Medicine, Dr. Campbell is also certified in obesity medicine by the American Board of Obesity Medicine. He sees consultations at Highland Hospital Lifestyle Medicine with a focus on weight management. He is also founder and co-director of the UR Medicine Nutrition in Medicine Research Center, where he has conducted research on the effects of nutrition on blood vessel health, diabetes, and breast cancer. He has authored or co-authored two popular books about nutrition and health.
Valentin Guset, MD
Highland Hospital Internist and Hospitalist
University of Rochester Assistant Professor of Medicine
Dr. Guset joined Highland Hospital in 2017 and has cared for hospitalized patients since completing his Internal Medicine residency in 2010. He developed an interest in Lifestyle Medicine at Highland and, with the mentorship of Dr. Susan Friedman, pursued further training to become a Diplomate of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine (2019).
Passionate about Quality Improvement, Dr. Guset was appointed the West 5 Unit Medical Director (2020) and the Department of Medicine Director of Quality (2021). Most recently, Dr. Guset has been leading a University of Rochester Quality Institute grant to develop and disseminate Lifestyle Medicine to decrease Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) readmissions. In his work on the grant, Dr. Guset is applying his knowledge of QI and LM to improve the health of patients suffering from CHF.
Sandra Sarnoski-Roberts, MD
Internist
University of Rochester Clinical Associate Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine
Dr. Sarnoski-Roberts is board certified in Lifestyle Medicine. Dr. Sarnoski-Roberts' consultation services are available for outpatient appointments at the GAMA (Geriatrics and Medicine Associates) Clinic.
Joanie Vezelis
Health Coach
Joanie has been a Health Coach since 2014 and is certified by the International Association of Health Coaches (IAHC). She uses the Lifestyle Medicine approach with her clients, empowering them to achieve self-determined goals by tapping into internal resources. She is currently collaborating with Dr. Friedman and Dr. Guset working with patients participating in a program that looks at the effect of Lifestyle Medicine on patients with Congestive Heart Failure.
Joanie holds a Master’s degree in Communication and Media Technology from the Rochester Institution of Technology and a Bachelors in Interdisciplinary Studies from St. John Fisher College.