Thought Leader Directory | Casey Means, MD

Casey Means, MD

Casey Means, MD is a metabolic health expert who utilizes the animal-based lifestyle to optimize mitochondrial function and glucose. By sharing medical insights and nutrient-dense food strategies, she inspires others. Designed for those seeking a scientific route to health.

18drcaseyskitchen845,900 followersLos Angeles, CA

Interests

Functional Medicine

Diet

Animal-Based

THOUGHT LEADER DIRECTORY

Casey Means, MD

Dr. Casey Means is an American physician, entrepreneur, and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Good Energy. Originally trained as an ear, nose, and throat surgeon, she resigned from her residency in 2018 to focus on reforming the "sick care" paradigm through a systems-thinking approach to metabolic health. In 2019, she co-founded Levels, a health technology company aimed at reversing the metabolic disease epidemic by empowering individuals to monitor key biomarkers. On May 7, 2025, she was nominated to serve as the Surgeon General of the United States.

Casey’s mission is to address the interconnected physiological root causes of chronic Western diseases by scaling functional medicine principles and nutritional awareness. She advocates for total ingredient transparency and the "MAHA" (Make America Healthy Again) framework, focusing on how metabolic dysfunction serves as the foundation for the most common preventable diseases in the United States. Her work integrates the "Medical Humanities" to promote a more holistic understanding of human health, earning her induction into the Gold Humanism Honors Society at Stanford.

Professional Milestones & Research:

Academic Teaching: Served as a faculty lecturer and course director at Stanford University, specializing in food design, technology, and healthspan enhancement.
Policy Advocacy: Published influential op-eds in The Hill and MedPage Today calling for national nutrition wars and reforming USDA guidelines.
Biomedical Research: Published extensive peer-reviewed studies in journals such as Developmental Cell, Stem Cells, Metabolism, and The Laryngoscope covering topics from angiogenic potential to the impact of glucose patterns.
Author: Her book Good Energy became an instant #1 NYT bestseller and has sold over 1 million copies.
Award-Winning Researcher – Recipient of the Stanford Undergraduate Research Major Grant (2008), Stanford MedScholars Research Grant (2012), and First Place Award for Excellence in Basic Science from OHSU (2017)

Awards:

Excellence in Human Biology Honors Research Award – Stanford University (2009)
Young Alumnae Achievement Award – The Madeira School (2020)
Gold Humanism Honors Society – Stanford University School of Medicine (2013)

Education: Bachelor of Arts (with honors) at Stanford University ('09) and Doctor of Medicine (MD) at Stanford University School of Medicine ('14).