From Kitchen to Clinic: A Culinary Conversation with Chef Emeril Lagasse and The Wellness Kitchenista
Join world-renowned Chef Emeril Lagasse and PA Jessica DeLuise (The Wellness Kitchenista), for a high-energy keynote at AAPA 2026, the largest national gathering of PAs and PA students. This is a can’t-miss event: Watch a live cooking demonstration featuring Chef Lagasse and PA DeLuise!
Lagasse, alongside a youth participant from Emeril Lagasse Foundation’s signature program, Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen, will address the importance of cooking together as a family. Hear about how connecting to the source of your food, a pillar of the Foundation’s signature program, can be a building block to health and lifetime wellness — a message you can bring back to your patients.
Through real-world dialogue, PA DeLuise will explore how food fuels health and how PAs like you can make nutrition a powerful part of everyday care. Bridging the gap between the clinic and the kitchen, she draws from culinary medicine, lifestyle medicine, and clinical practice and translates it into realistic, approachable guidance that feels doable, not overwhelming. Using relatable stories and practical food strategies, she shows how everyday choices can become powerful tools for chronic disease and long-term wellness.
As a PA, you are uniquely positioned to influence patient behavior, integrate prevention, and lead patient-centered conversations around prevention and wellness.
This session will equip you with practical cooking techniques as well as strategies and motivational tools. You’ll leave ready to champion better health through better food!
Emeril Lagasse
Chef and Restauranteur
Chef Emeril Lagasse is the chef/proprietor of five restaurants in New Orleans and Las Vegas, as well as three restaurants at sea with Carnival Cruise Lines, and restaurant concepts Emeril’s Table at MSY Airport and Emeril’s Kitchen at Caesars New Orleans.
In October 2025, his flagship restaurant, Emeril’s, now helmed by his son E.J. Lagasse, earned two Michelin stars, and his newest restaurant, 34 Restaurant and Bar, received a recommendation from the esteemed guide.
He is an award-winning national TV personality who is widely regarded as a pioneer in food television in America. Throughout the years he has hosted more than 2,000 shows on the Food Network and served as food correspondent for ABC’s Good Morning America. He also hosted Eat the World, an award-winning Amazon original series, and Emeril Tailgates and Emeril Cooks airing on The Roku Channel.
Lagasse has received accolades and lifetime awards for his contributions to the American culinary industry including the “Distinguished Service Award” from Wine Spectator, the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from Food Network’s South Beach Wine & Food Festival, and the “Humanitarian of the Year” by the James Beard Foundation for his dedicated efforts to further the culinary arts in America, as well as his philanthropic work.
Jessica DeLuise
MHS, PA-C, Certified Culinary Medicine Specialist
Jessica DeLuise, MHS, PA-C, CCMS, is a nationally recognized, Emmy Award-winning culinary medicine and lifestyle medicine expert who believes food is a foundational pillar of chronic disease prevention and lifelong physical and mental wellness. She bridges evidence-based medicine with practical, real-world nutrition, empowering others to use food as a powerful tool for health.
She earned her Master of Health Science and Physician Assistant Studies from Drexel University. She is a Certified Culinary Medicine Specialist through the American College of Culinary Medicine (ACCM), where she also serves on the ACCM Advisory Board and various committees. In 2022, she completed the highly competitive AAPA PA Foundation Nutrition Fellowship, expanding her expertise of nutrition science and sustainable behavior change. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Medical Science (DMSc) in Lifestyle Medicine at the College of Idaho.
DeLuise is deeply committed to public education and health equity, specializing in approachable, nutrient-dense recipes and realistic lifestyle strategies that meet people where they are. Her ability to translate complex medical and nutrition science into engaging, actionable guidance has positioned her as a trusted voice in culinary medicine and preventive health.
She was awarded a Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award in 2021. She currently serves as the Food and Wellness Contributor for the ScrippsNews Group, hosting cooking segments and appearing in live broadcasts nationwide. In addition, she is a recurring on-air guest for QVC.
Find her at @thewellnesskitchenista on all social platforms.
Generational Myths, Research Truths: Building Connections in Every Exam Room
At our second AAPA 2026 keynote, join nationally recognized generational researcher and bestselling author Jason Dorsey for a high-energy, data-driven session on insights into bridging generational divides. You’ll learn how to better connect and communicate with every age group—in clinical practice and beyond!
In today’s exam rooms, it’s not uncommon to care for a Gen Alpha child, a Millennial parent, and a Gen X or Baby Boomer grandparent—sometimes all in the same visit.
As they navigate the healthcare system, each generation brings different expectations, communication preferences, and lived experiences. Dorsey will unpack how these generational differences present—and how you can address them with empathy, clarity, and trust.
Drawing from more than 150 original research studies and delivered with his trademark humor and fast-paced storytelling, Dorsey will equip you with tools to better connect with your patients and fellow clinicians. Learn how to adapt your communication style without compromising authenticity, build rapport faster across age groups, and motivate meaningful behavior change by meeting each generation where they are.
Practicing in all settings and specialties, PAs care for patients across the generational spectrum, and are positioned to lead impactful, patient-centered conversations.
You’ll leave informed, inspired, and ready to connect with every generation you serve.
Jason Dorsey
Researcher
Speaker Jason Dorsey’s passion is uncovering hidden insights and new strategies that future-proof organizations. He has led more than 150 benchmark research studies on four continents to separate myth from truth for leaders. Known for his unique, interactive, content-rich presentation style, he has received more than 1,000 standing ovations at events around the world.
Dorsey has been featured on more than 200 TV shows such as 60 Minutes, The Today Show, CNN, CNBC, and hundreds more media interviews, including a New York Times cover story. He is President of The Center for Generational Kinetics (CGK), the leading generations and emerging trends research, strategy, and speaking firm. CGK has worked with more than 700 companies around the world to drive innovation, growth, and research-based thought leadership.
Dorsey wrote his first bestselling book at age 18. His latest bestseller is Zconomy: How Gen Z Will Change the Future of Business and What to Do About It.
