About Us
Meet Your Plant-Based TeamExperience from the hospital, the clinic and the bedside
Our Mission
Increase Your Quality Years
We’d love to decrease the amount of chronic disease in our community. Being ill not only affects you, but your family, finances and general happiness with life.
Our goal is to bring you hope and help you age well
Reading the research and seeing the results brings us hope that you can live a healthy life without physical restrictions. Hope that we can make our patients better.
Chronic disease plagues over half the American population and costs over a TRILLION dollars per year
We need to do something about it.
So we are. We’ve created a space in our community where we provide the tools for longevity and the safe space for you to receive extraordinary care.
Who we Are
The Plant-Based Doctor Nearby you’ve been Looking for
We are health care professionals who understand that you are more than just a disease or a number on a scale. We spend time getting to know you and what makes you tick.
We provide evidence-based options, personalized medicine and common sense tools to address your health.
Dipak N. Patel, DO
Co-Founder, Family Physician
Dr. Dipak Patel, DO, DipABLM is a board certified family medicine physician and practices the full-spectrum of family medicine, including pediatrics and women’s health.
For the past 10 years, he has worked at the Community Health Center, Inc in Meriden, CT as a family medicine physician and onsite medical director.
He has further certification and experience with addiction medicine and mental health conditions. Dr Patel also works as a hospitalist physician at Midstate Medical Center.
In 2017, Dr. Patel earned his most precious board certification – from the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine.
As the physicain of our practice, Dr Patel enjoys spending time and talking with our patients to help them restore their health.
Dr Patel has lived in Middletown, Connecticut for the past 10 years with his wife and 3 young children.
Catherine O'Rourke, RN
Co-Founder, Nurse
Catherine O’Rourke, BSN, RN, DipACLM has been a nurse since 2005, where she’s had extensive experience in the ICU nurse and other acute care areas.
As she’s worked with this acutely sick patient population, she realized the growing need and importance for prevention of disease.
Catherine has earned aCertificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and has completed studies on “Diet and Lifestyle Intervention” from Wellness Forum Health.
Most recently, Catherine joined her collegues to earn her board-certfication from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.
Along with her husband Doug, Catherine is raising four young children, so she is no stranger to the busy family dynamic and brings that experience to her teaching with patients.
Nancy Hwang, APRN
Team Member, Nurse Practitioner
With 30 years of primary care experience, Nancy brings an unmatched blend of dedication and loyalty to everything she does. She isn’t just passionate about lifestyle medicine—she lives it, empowering patients to build healthy habits that last.
Why patients love her: Nancy sees beyond symptoms. She provides compassionate, evidence-based care and gives people the tools and hope they need to live their healthiest lives—without judgment, just real support.
Paula Agogliati, RN
Team Member, Nurse
Paula Agogliati, MSN, RN-BC has extensive experience as a nurse. She’s worked in and managed many areas of the hospital, including the cath lab, ICU, cardiac rehab, home care and behavioral health.
With her experience, Paula has been an incredible asset to the practice. In 2023 she started running our Chronic Care Management (CCM) program, talking with patients monthly about their health and the pillars of lifestyle medicine.
She also teaches classes, where talks candidly about her experience as a Type 1 diabetic and learning about a plant-based diet.
Paula and her husband have raised four children and are currently enjoying their time traveling, hiking, kayaking and playing pickle-ball.
Ilona Margison
Team Member
Ilona joined our team in early 2024 to help with all things admin and billing. She has over 20 years of practice management experience. But most exciting is her five years of experience eating whole-food, plant-based and earning the T. Colin Campbell Plant Based Nutrition Certificate.
Cindy Swienton
Yoga Instructor
Cindy began practicing yoga over twenty years ago in order to help with the stress of her day job, and quickly fell in love with the movement of the body linked to the breath.
She attended regular classes from local teachers, as well as yoga and meditation trainings and seminars at Kripalu Yoga Center. She studied with Seane Corn, Stephen Cope, Jillian Pransky, and Sharon Salzberg.
In 2019 she received her 200 hour yoga teacher certification from Kripalu.
Cindy believes that yoga is for every body, and encourages a practice that is mindful, focused and compassionate. Her classes incorporate meditation and movement, and offer a wide range of postures that are accessible to everyone.
She is passionate about her belief that yoga is available to everyone, no matter their age or ability.