About LHF
Our Vision
A healthy future for ourselves and our community
At Lotus Health Foundation, we are dedicated to modeling and promoting healthy lifestyles to help individuals reduce their suffering from chronic diseases. The lotus flower, a symbol of purity, resilience, and growth, perfectly embodies our mission.
Our Mission
Deliver evidence-based education
Lotus Health Foundation’s mission is to provide evidence-based education to promote healthy lifestyle management that empowers individuals to successfully manage and prevent chronic illness, reduce medical interventions and decrease medical costs. LHF will deliver culturally-sensitive and responsive education for all. We will operate with transparency, integrity, and honesty with all providers, clients, and members of the public.
The Power of Lifestyle of Medicine
Chronic health conditions account for the majority of the health care costs while greatly impacting the quality of life.
Chronic health conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and arthritis account for the majority of the health care costs while greatly impacting the quality of life. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 10% of US population has diabetes or prediabetes. It is the seventh leading cause of death in the US with an annual cost of $500 billion. Similar to other chronic conditions, the costs include the direct care, the complications, the loss of work productivity, and the reduced quality of life.
The current treatments for those chronic conditions have been medications, surgeries, and supportive modalities. They treat the symptoms but not the root causes. It is estimated that 80% of the chronic health conditions are lifestyle related. Much research has shown that adopting a healthy lifestyle is as effective, if not more effective, than current treatment options. More importantly, adopting a healthy lifestyle can frequently arrest, reduce, or even reverse multiple chronic conditions.
Unfortunately, lifestyle medicine and components of a healthy lifestyle are rarely included in health care programs. When health care providers are not educated on the concept of lifestyle medicine, or when they are suffering from the chronic conditions, it is hard to image how they can teach the concept of lifestyle medicine to their patients and reverse the epidemic of chronic health conditions.
The Lotus Health Foundation (LHF) is an emerging nonprofit prepared to undertake this task. Through education, research, and collaborations with community partners, LHF seeks to improve health and wellness of the communities.
Meet Our Board
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Mei Liu, founder of the Lotus Health Foundation and Chief Financial Officer of the Rochester Clinic, earned her master’s degree in Health Care Administration from Des Moines University and an MBA from Drake University. In her current role, Mei champions lifestyle medicine as the most effective approach to reducing chronic disease and addressing crises affecting human health, financial markets, and the environment. As a certified facilitator of the Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP), Mei and the physician team at Rochester Clinic introduced this lifestyle medicine education program to the Rochester community in 2015.
After witnessing the transformation of more than 100 CHIP participants, Mei recognized the need for lifestyle interventions in the community and founded the Lotus Health Foundation, the non-profit arm of Rochester Clinic, in 2016. Mei advocates for health care providers to serve as role models, promoting healthy lifestyles and nutrient-dense plant-based whole foods. She believes lifestyle education empowers individuals to achieve better health. As Mei says, “If I am able to save one person’s life, that person may turn around to save a community. Together, we can make this a healthy world for us and for our next generation.”
Mei channels her passion for plant-based cooking into various community charity activities. She leads volunteer groups in preparing nutritious meals for local organizations such as Ronald McDonald House and Jeremiah's Program, serving up to 80 guests. Additionally, you can find her at the monthly Health Talk and Cooking Show duos with Dr. Jengyu Lai at 125 LIVE. Mei also enjoys collaborating with volunteers at the FarmacyRx Community Garden, where she shares her farm-to-table cooking expertise. Other community charity projects include the ABC 6 Feed the Need Channel One LOCAL CHEF COOKOFF, where Mei showcases humble ingredients for sustainable cooking.
Mei is actively involved in community outreach and advocates for health equity in underserved neighborhoods. She collaborates with local businesses, schools, and partners to expand health and wellness initiatives in the region. Outside of work, Mei enjoys cooking, gardening, and traveling.
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Dr. Jengyu Lai serves as a board member of the Lotus Health Foundation.
Dr. Lai is the Chief Manager of Rochester Clinic and has been providing podiatric and wound care for almost two decades. He earned his DPM (Doctor of Podiatric Medicine) at the College of Podiatric Medicine at Des Moines University in Iowa. After completing a fellowship in Biomechanics Research and a residency in podiatric orthopedics, he accepted a fellowship in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.
Dr. Lai takes a holistic approach to treating common foot and ankle problems. Since many of those problems are associated with chronic diseases, such as diabetes and obesity, he became interested in lifestyle medicine to treat the root cause instead of managing symptoms with medications.
By serving on the LHF board, Dr. Lai hopes to spread the awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle.
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Mary lives in the Twin Cities and is one of the founding members of PlantPureMN, a group of PCRM Building Healthy Communities (formerly Plant Pure Communities Pods). After doing laboratory research for over 10 years she pivoted to a more hands on approach to the science of health and well being and spent over 25 years doing therapeutic massage.
A background in health and wellness along with a strong family history of chronic disease brought her to a plant based lifestyle over a decade ago. A love of cooking, nutrition, health, science, and community building combine to make Mary passionate about things like Lotus Health Foundation’s ‘Community of Wellness’ events.
Always looking to learn more about nutrition and healthy lifestyle, or try a new recipe, she has taken CHIP facilitator training, Dr. Klaper’s Moving Medicine Forward, T. Colin Campbell’s Plant Based Nutrition, Rouxbe’s Intro to Plant-Based Cooking, and is currently enrolled in Rouxbe’s Professional Professional Plant-Based Chef course.
Through a plant based approach to nutrition and an active lifestyle Mary hopes to ‘square the curve’ for herself and members of the community; lengthening not only lifespan, but as importantly, healthspan!
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Todd is a licensed CPA and a certified fraud examiner (CFE); and is currently an auditor with the Office of the Legislative Auditor, State of Minnesota. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Bradley University, an MBA from Benedictine College, and master’s in Accounting and Financial Management from Keller Graduate School of Management. Todd is a combat veteran and is retired from the U.S. Army after serving 20 years.
Todd began his involvement with the CHIP program in the fall of 2016. He completed the program in December 2016 with proven results. He continues to implement and build on lifestyle changes he was introduced to in the program. Todd has taken whole food, plant-based cooking classes through Rouxbe, and has taken the CHIP refresher program. Todd is originally from the Chicago area, but has been enjoying the northern Minnesota lakes from an early age. He relocated to Rochester in 2013, where his fiancé resides.
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Steve retired from a successful career in retail and financial services in 2016.
That year he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. He researched alternatives to drug therapy and discovered a dietary pattern called whole food plant based eating. He changed his diet and was able to reverse his type 2 diabetes and lose 50 pounds. This discovery ignited his passion to dedicate his retirement years to sharing the news that most of our chronic diseases can be avoided and reversed in many cases. In retirement he returned to the U of M and completed a BS in Public Health Nutrition. In 2018 Steve started a local chapter of the non-profit, Plant Pure Communities in Minneapolis which focuses on educating the public about healthy eating and supporting those trying to change. It has grown to 5 chapters in Minnesota. Steve also serves on the board of Mazahua Valley Ministries, works part-time as floor director of Flourish Food Shelf, where they serve a health meal once a month, and volunteers at The Hospitality Center.
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With 31 years of nursing experience, including 24 years at Mayo Clinic, I am deeply committed to patient care and the power of lifestyle medicine. Passionate about empowering individuals to take charge of their health through evidence-based lifestyle changes.