Continental Who's Who

Dr. Natalie Geary

It has been said that you can learn a lot about a person by the way that they treat those among us who are most vulnerable. With that said, it is imperative that we take care of the children of the world, for they are the future of civilization.

A firm believer in this doctrine is Dr. Natalie Geary, a seasoned Pediatrician with over three decades of experience in the field, who has dedicated her life’s work to the wellbeing of children. She has a particular interest with infusing proper nutrition among the youth of our world. Beginning her exploration into the health care arena over 30 years ago, Dr. Geary started her studies in the field of medical anthropology at Harvard University. Still relatively in its infancy at the time, modern medical anthropology, which is defined as the study of human health and disease, health care systems and biocultural adaptation, was developed in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Examining humans from multidimensional and ecological perspectives, medical anthropology is one of the most deeply advanced areas of anthropology and applied anthropology.

This branch of social and cultural anthropology which analyzes how culture and society are related to issues of health, health care and related issues, armed Dr. Geary with a solid background to build upon in her quest for a broader knowledge of how the human body functions. These studies afforded her the opportunity to analyze access to health care, health care practices and utilization trends. This was a catalyst which lead to her spending a large part of her career traveling the world in order to serve a broader community. This has allowed her to work towards the promotion of children’s health and improved access to care across the globe.

Following the completion of her medical anthropology degree at Harvard University, Dr. Geary earned her Doctor of Medicine degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. From there, she went on to complete her residency at New York University’s Bellevue Hospital Center. While studying at Harvard University, Natalie did her thesis research on the comparison of the health care beliefs and utilization practices in cancer patients. Dr. Geary is a board certified pediatrician and Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She also sits on the Committees of International Health, Child Abuse and Neglect, and Adolescent Health. Dr. Geary is the founder of such charities as ONCALL4KIDS and she is a former member of the board of directors for Containers 2 Clinics (C2C). Additionally, Natalie is the former Executive VP of The Diabetes Research Institute Foundation and presently serves as a Medical Advisor to the Katie Ford Foundation, Freedom for All, an organization which partners with on the ground organizations that create long-term, systemic changes to end slavery in the countries where they work and to save lives by freeing people who are held in slavery.

After several years as a practicing pediatrician in New York City hospitals, Dr. Geary moved to New Mexico to work in a hospital-based clinic and study public health. Driven by the fact that New Mexico is one of the poorest states in America, she founded a nonprofit organization known as Mobile Pediatrics. In the time she had away from her busy schedule at the clinic she worked for, she would drive into the small towns of northern New Mexico to screen children and give them vaccines. She would set up portable clinics in schools, post offices and any other place where it was possible to serve the children of the area. Eventually, Natalie moved back to her hometown of New York, where she established a large private practice. While putting in long hours at the practice, she found the time to travel on behalf of nonprofit organizations, to various areas throughout the world to care for children, including India, Indonesia and Thailand. Among other things, while in India she studied Ayurvedic medicine. During that time period, Dr. Geary also managed to stay in the Republic of Malawi, in southeast Africa, for three months in order to develop a clinic for children orphaned by AIDS. Once her two older children were settled into college, Natalie decided it was time to relocate to Miami, along with her 4-year-old daughter. Working as the director of Executive Medicine at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine, Natalie helped establish a program in which busy executives could discretely, efficiently and comfortably receive a complete physical, with a full battery of screening tests, preventive medicine counseling and lifestyle review. Drawing upon her wealth of research and experience as a doctor and a mother of three, as well as the years she has spent reflecting on the impact of nutrition on children and on this country, Dr. Geary set forth to combat the associated problems facing us. She strongly believes that nutrition is a lifetime commitment that must start from the very beginning and be a family commitment. Perturbed by the level of nutrition-related illness that is supported, enabled and subsequently payed for in the United States, Natalie knew that something had to be done about it.

In 2010, Dr. Geary went on to establish GOOD BAG™ For Kids in order to fight against the growing epidemic of childhood obesity through the provision of nutritional education and healthy snacks. The program consists of an organic snack concept that provides a day's worth of carefully planned snacks, probiotics and fish oil. It also includes educational information on nutrition as well as fun surprises and activities for kids, all in one convenient bag.

Along with her partner and business manager, Tammany Atkinson, Dr. Geary operates under the belief that it should not be difficult to feed your kids healthy food while on the go and that nutrition should never be sacrificed for convenience. Atkinson, a mother and entrepreneur, was also the inventor of Bee’s Knees baby pants, a patented product for babies with neoprene padding to protect their knees while crawling. Parents can be comforted by the fact that the ingredients of the snacks in a GOOD BAG™ have been reviewed by a pediatrician/expert on nutrition. They have also taken into account that several of our children have certain food allergies that can have a devastating effect on their health. For that reason, they have developed snack bags that are guaranteed safe, including nut free and or nut/gluten free. Providing the essential supplements that all children should be consuming on a daily basis, GOOD BAG™ For Kids is fully dedicated to the integration of data that reflects the pivotal role that “snacks” play in children’s nutrition and overall well-being.

They are also devoted to educating parents about the critical factors involved in children’s nutrition. In addition, the organization pays strict attention to current research performed involving pediatric nutritional requirements. The mission of the company is to provide toddlers and kids with natural, organic, nut-free, healthy snacks that are palatable, convenient and fun. As such, all of the ingredients in a GOOD BAG™ are carefully chosen by a pediatrician who has reviewed all the nutritional information. They also aim to encourage and enable parents to provide their children with a healthy snack alternative on the go and to truly understand the nutritional impact their choice can make. GOOD BAG™ For Kids simplifies, for parents, the regularly time-consuming process of preparing snacks for their kids at school and during other activities away from home.

In the interest of further establishing themselves as a reliable entity in the proper nutrition of children now and into the future, the company has assembled an impressive panel of experts with their Board of Consultants. Serving on their consultative roster is fitness expert and author, Lisa Druxman, founder of some of the country’s largest fitness programs for moms, including Fit4Baby, Stroller Strides and Body Back. The consulting board also includes Eric Cohen, a speaker and certified personal trainer, who currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer of Macaroni Kid, llc, which is a nationwide publishing platform that promotes family events and activities. Well-respected, National Academy of Sports Medicine certified Personal trainer, Michael Gonzalez-Wallace, rounds out the roster on their impressive Board of Consultants.

Always with a vision of alleviating poverty, illness and despair for the millions of children who are missing out on their chance at a happy childhood, GOOD BAG™ For Kids provides a percentage of each sale to www.marysmeals.org. Mary’s Meals is an organization dedicated to providing one good meal to some of the world’s poorest children every school day.

This encourages children to attend school and through education, create a better future for themselves and their communities. A true innovator, Dr. Geary is also the creator of the vedaPURE brand, which serves as an alternative for families seeking simply natural and honestly pure skincare. After realizing that many of the infants and new mothers who came to see her had similar skin problems, Natalie felt the need to create a healthy solution. This collection of skincare products is formulated with organic plant and fruit extracts, soothing oils and gentle ingredients. The line is comprised of vedaBaby, vedaMama, vedaDude and vedaRX, and has had such high profile clients as Mariska Hargitay and Liv Tyler. In addition to her work as a Pediatrician and entrepreneur, Natalie is the author of The Food Cure for Kids: A Nutritional Approach to Your Child's Wellness, which is a must-have resource for any parent whose child has chronic ear infections, bronchitis, stomach aches, or skin rashes. The book shows parents how they can minimize such ailments and symptoms by making minor changes to their child’s nutrition that have a real and lasting impact.

Written along with Oz Garcia, PhD, The Food Cure for Kids gives a straightforward explanation on how a nutritional imbalance can have a dramatic effect on a child’s health, while highlighting the difference between allergies and dietary intolerance. Dr. Geary also co-authored the book, The South Beach Diet Gluten Solution, with Dr. Arthur Agatston, the Medical Director of Wellness and Prevention for Baptist Health South Florida as well as a clinical professor of medicine at Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine and an associate professor of medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. The book works to demystify the effects of the difficult-to-digest protein in wheat and some other grains. Based on proven South Beach Diet eating principles, the book's phased Gluten Solution Program assists readers in determining their own levels of gluten sensitivity, helping them to lose weight and live healthier lives. Everybody that goes through the trials and tribulations of medical school is clearly dedicated to helping others in achieving and maintaining optimal health. But there are always going to be some that rise above and reach for new heights in helping others in need to get the most out of life. Dr. Natalie Geary is one of those who has always put the needs of others at the forefront of her work.

Utilizing her extensive training and experience in medical anthropology, psychology and pediatric medicine, Dr. Geary has spent a good part of her career dedicated to providing as much time and resources possible to the needs of impoverished children, both in the United States and overseas. She has also remained steadfast in her quest to provide others with the information necessary to raise children that are happy and healthy, leading to future generations that are informed and prepared to get maximum performance from the biological vessels in which we live. We live in a day and age where materialism has run rampant and status is the ultimate goal of far too many. A lot of the people that we look up to are not worthy of our accolades as they only seek to advance their own position in society. Therefore, it is refreshing to see someone who has experienced a great deal of success and has utilized that platform to better the lives of others. Dr. Natalie Geary is one of the true heroes among us who deserves to be celebrated and used as a source of inspiration to us all.