Meet our team
The HonorHealth Whole Health Institute is guided by a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, researchers and educators committed to transforming the future of healthcare.
Together, they’re redefining what it means to live well by blending scientific excellence with compassion, collaboration and innovation to support your health from every angle.
Leadership team
Shad Marvasti, MD, MPH, DipABFM, DipABLM
Executive Director
Dr. Shad is a nationally recognized leader in integrative health, culinary medicine, and lifestyle medicine who is actively engaged in creating solutions to promote health and longevity. He is a Stanford-trained physician who has over two decades of experience empowering patients and communities to take charge of their health. Acting to transform and redesign medical education, he has served on the faculty at Stanford University and at The University of Arizona (UofA) to train future physicians with the tools they need to prevent and reverse chronic disease by addressing its root causes. At the UofA, he founded the Culinary Medicine Program and his team created a nationally recognized open-access textbook of Culinary Medicine.
As a practicing physician, Dr. Shad provides lifestyle and food prescriptions for his patients to extend their healthspan. He currently serves as the founding Executive Director of Whole Health and the Whole Health Institute at HonorHealth in Scottsdale, Arizona where he is creating innovative clinical models including a longevity program to shift us from “sick” care to health care. Dr. Shad now also serves as Associate Professor of Clinical Practice at the John Shufeldt School of Medicine and Medical Engineering at Arizona State University. Dr. Shad has been featured in national media as a trusted voice on practical, science-based wellness.
Lindsay Bencic
Senior Director of Health and Wellness Operations
Lindsay brings over 24 years of wellness leadership, driving innovative programs and initiatives at HonorHealth. She is recognized for her strategic vision, operational excellence and dedication to enhancing patient and member experiences.
Holding bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communication, Lindsay leads with clarity and builds strong connections across teams and communities.
Outside of HonorHealth, she is a certified cycle and group fitness instructor, inspiring others to embrace movement and strength. Lindsay’s passion for wellness continues to leave a lasting impact on the lives of those she serves.
Manthan Thaker
Director of Medical Fitness
Manthan brings over a decade of experience connecting clinical care with wellness, designing evidence-based programs that support lifelong health.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology, a master’s in sports management, and certifications as an exercise physiologist (American College of Sports Medicine) and medical fitness facility director (Medical Fitness Association).
Grounded in the medical fitness model and the exercise-is-medicine approach, Manthan focuses on disease prevention, rehabilitation, and wellness through movement, nutrition and education.
Clinical team
Shalini Singh-Karnik, MD
Family and Integrative Medicine
Dr. Singh-Karnik specializes in whole-body health, integrating clinical hypnosis, mindfulness, acupuncture, and lifestyle medicine to empower patients on their health journeys.
At HonorHealth Integrative Medicine Clinic, she developed group medical visits, food-as-medicine programs, and the Produce Prescription Program, while launching physician-led wellness walks to promote community health.
Dr. Singh-Karnik serves as Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at Arizona State University’s John Shufeldt School of Medicine and Medical Engineering, principal investigator on a system-wide produce prescription grant, and holds leadership roles that promote culturally respectful, equitable integrative care.
Suzanne Bartlett Hackenmiller, MD
Dr. Hackenmiller is board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology as well as integrative medicine. She specializes in women's health across all ages, utilizing integrative approaches such as nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress management, mind-body techniques and bioidentical hormone therapy.
Dr. Hackenmiller was drawn to integrative medicine after her son was diagnosed with autism and her late husband with cancer. Grounded in nature, her journey inspires a deep dive into patient histories to uncover and address root causes of illness. With extensive training, Dr. Hackenmiller crafts personalized treatments using diverse integrative approaches.
Joby Mathews, MD
Integrative Medicine Physician | Emergency Medicine Physician
Dr. Joby Mathews has practiced emergency medicine since 2008, following his graduation from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. After more than a decade on the front lines, he witnessed firsthand the profound and often preventable impact of chronic disease—an experience that ultimately drew him to the field of Integrative Medicine.
He completed his fellowship through the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine (AIHM) in 2023, where he deepened his commitment to whole-person, evidence guided care. Dr. Mathews believes that he and his patients are true partners in the healing process and works to ensure that every patient feels informed, supported, and empowered in their health journey.
His clinical interests include cardiometabolic health and longevity, with a focus on helping patients prevent disease, optimize well-being, and live with vitality at every stage of life.
Originally from Texas, Dr. Mathews has lived in Arizona since 2015. Outside of medicine, he stays active with daily workouts, enjoys watching his favorite Dallas based sports teams and exploring new cultures through travel with his family.
Mckenzie Dryden, RD
Registered Dietitian
Mckenzie is passionate about making nutrition approachable and evidence-based, helping patients achieve lasting, sustainable changes through a personalized approach.
She works one-on-one with patients on medical nutrition therapy for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, weight management, and more, while also leading cooking demonstrations and group discussions through food-as-medicine programs.
Mckenzie earned her degree in nutritional sciences from the University of Arizona and completed her dietetic internship at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center. She is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and trained in the low FODMAP diet for IBS through Monash University.
