Our Team
Sasha High MD FRCPC ABOM
Dr. Sasha High is the Founder and CEO of the High Metabolic Clinic. She was born and raised in Ottawa, Canada. She first undertook a Bachelor of Sciences from the University of Ottawa then completed her medical doctorate (MD) and Internal Medicine residency (FRCPC) at the University of Toronto. She is certified as an American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM) diplomate and holds a Lecturer appointment with the University of Toronto. Dr. High has been practicing bariatric medicine since 2013.
Dr. High has a special interest in nutrition and mindset. She is a huge proponent of personal development and loves empowering people to thrive in their life by transforming from the inside out. She is a certified Life Coach and Weight Loss Coach, and has additional training in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), acceptance commitment therapy (ACT) and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT).
You can find her online on Youtube, Tiktok and Instagram, or listen to her on the High on Life Podcast.
Dr. High is a wife and mother of three young children. In her spare time, she enjoys running, veggie gardening, and kitesurfing with her husband.
Sharon Sadry MD FRCPC
Dr. Sadry is an Endocrinologist who is passionate about combining her expertise in the endocrine system with her interest in mindset coaching to manage chronic disease, motivating patients to live their most healthy life.
Dr. Sadry completed her undergraduate, medical degree and Internal Medicine training at the University of Toronto. She went on to complete her fellowship in Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of Toronto where she served as Chief Resident. Subsequently she went on to pursue a Masters in Healthcare Quality from Queen's University. She has published in the area of obesity in Nature Reviews Endocrinology.
In her free time, Dr. Sadry focuses on building meaningful connections with her friends and family. She loves to spend time outdoors in nature, to stay active, and to explore music, food and culture. She is in a choir of female physicians. Her two young children keep her on her toes and are a constant reminder to appreciate all of life's beauty, big and small.
She is excited to provide virtual care at the High Metabolic Clinic, helping patients reach their goals.
Navreet Deol MD FRCPC
Dr. Deol is a board certified Endocrinologist with an interest in managing metabolic diseases, including obesity and diabetes. She completed her Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Ottawa and her Endocrinology and Metabolism Fellowship at Dalhousie University.
She devotes her work to preventing chronic disease, and minimizing chronic disease complications through identifying and encouraging healthy behaviours for her patients to adopt. She has undertaken additional training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help patients embark upon behavioural changes so they can achieve their best weight. Her goal is to support patients on their journey to achieve their healthiest and happiest version of themselves.
Dr. Deol passionately educates other health care professionals, including family physicians, through speaking engagements and presentations. She also enjoys mentoring medical students, and currently provides mentorship through the Ontario Medical Students Association.
In her free time, she’s happiest when spending quality time with her family and friends. She also loves the Canadian outdoors. You can find her exploring and hiking new trails and biking in her spare time.
Nathalie Ranger MD CCFP (AM) ABOM
Dr. Nathalie Ranger is a primary care physician providing psychotherapy to support sustained lifestyle change in treatment of obesity and related metabolic conditions. She completed a Bachelor of Science in Psychology at Western University, and subsequently earned her medical doctorate (MD) at McMaster University. She completed her family medicine residency at Queen’s University, followed by an addiction medicine fellowship in the University of Toronto PGY3 Enhanced Skills program. She is certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada, with a Certificate of Added Competence in Addiction Medicine (CCFP (AM)). Dr. Ranger is also a staff physician in the Addiction Medicine Service at Homewood Health Centre.
Following her passion for mental health, goal-oriented behaviour change, and pursuit of a meaningful, healthy lifestyle, Dr. Ranger has expanded her practice to utilize psychotherapeutic techniques to support sustainable lifestyle change. She has gained valuable knowledge through obesity medicine mentorships and ongoing medical education. She is certified as an American Board of Obesity Medicine diplomate.
In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, staying active, and experimenting with nutritious baking recipes.
Michael Beyaert MD FRCPC
Dr. Michael Beyaert is a General Internist who completed his MD, Internal Medicine Residency, and General Internal Medicine Fellowship at the University of Toronto, with a special interest in cardiovascular disease. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from Western University and a Master's degree in Neuroscience from McMaster University, giving him a unique perspective on metabolic health. He is excited to bring his knowledge and experience to the High Metabolic Clinic to provide personalized treatment plans and empower patients to improve their overall health and quality of life.
Dr. Beyaert's professional interests include medical education and interprofessional collaboration. He serves as a Lecturer and Clinical Supervisor for the University of Toronto’s MD and Internal Medicine training programs, and created a course on collaborating with Registered Dietitians, which he teaches as part of the University of Toronto’s Interprofessional Education curriculum.
Outside of medicine Dr. Beyaert enjoys fitness, cycling, golf, hiking, cooking, and playing guitar.
Sheliza Lalani MD MPH ABIM
Dr. Sheliza Lalani is a board certified Endocrinologist and Internist with an interest in diabetes, obesity and nutrition.
She completed her Internal Medicine Residency and Fellowship in Endocrinology and Metabolism at the George Washington University in Washington, DC. She has a Masters of Public Health from Boston University where her thesis focused on the impact of nutrition on chronic disease and food security. She was born and raised in Toronto and is excited to be practicing back at home.
She has taken additional courses including the Yale Happiness Course and training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help her patients achieve their best life.
She enjoys spending her free time with family and close friends. You can also find Sheliza out for a run, slowing down with her yoga practice or curled up on the couch catching up with her latest book club selection.
Catherine Barrett MD FRCPC
Dr. Barrett is a board-certified Endocrinologist. Originally from Ottawa, Dr. Barrett completed her undergraduate degree in Medical Sciences at Western University. She met her husband, now a practicing family physician, while completing her medical doctorate (MD) at the University of Ottawa. She happily moved back to London, Ontario to complete her Internal medicine training (FRCPC) and fellowship in Endocrinology and Metabolism at Western University.
Dr. Barrett has been seeing patients in her community Endocrine practice since 2017 where she discovered a passion for helping patients make meaningful and sustainable behaviour changes. Early on she realized that many of her patient referrals were experiencing symptoms and/or complications from untreated obesity as a chronic disease. In order to support her patients better, Dr. Barrett has pursued additional training in the area of Acceptance Commitment Therapy.
In her spare time, she is busy with her two young children exploring new parks and trails. With two picky eaters, Dr. Barrett understands the challenge of meal time. She enjoys physical fitness and aims to incorporate movement into her daily schedule.
Ina Benkova Registered Dietitian
Ina is a Registered Dietitian (RD) in Ontario, specializing in emotional eating and binge eating disorder, nutrition management for menopause, fitness nutrition, and family meal planning.
Ina has additional training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) for emotional eating and binge-eating disorder.
Her approach is warm, non-judgmental and direct. She strives to offer a new perspective on eating patterns, lifestyle choices, and mental health challenges that are standing in the way of achieving lasting weight loss and a healed relationship with food.
Olivia Cook MD FRCPC
Dr Cook completed her medical doctorate at the University of Ottawa. She then went on to complete a residency in Internal Medicine as well as a fellowship in Endocrinology and Metabolism at McMaster University.
Tedi Nikova MPH, Registered Dietitian
Tedi obtained her Master’s of Public Health in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Toronto. During her internship, she had the opportunity to work at North York Generals’-Centre for Complex Diabetes Care, where she applied her skills in nutrition therapy for patients diagnosed with diabetes, obesity, and other metabolic diseases. Tedi began her dietetics career in the Obesity field, using nutrition therapy combined with behavioural techniques to motivate patients in achieving a sustainable, healthy, and values-aligned lifestyle.
Tedi obtained her Specialization in Women’s Health from the Women’s College Hospital, during her master’s degree. Tedi has a passion, and commitment in educating women on the large role of nutrition in common conditions including PCOS, and hypothyroidism. Tedi’s goal is to aid women in gaining their energy, confidence, and ambition, so her patients can show up to life as their best self!
Tedi is a certified Craving Change Facilitator, and works collaboratively with patients utilizing motivational counselling and cognitive behavioural techniques. Additionally, as a recipe developer, she has a huge passion, and commitment to make healthier desserts taste great!
Julie Mai, Registered Dietitian,Binge Eating Coach
Julie is a Registered Dietitian specializing in eating disorders, weight management, and counselling for health behaviour change. She practices in Ontario as a member of the College of Dietitians of Ontario. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition & Dietetics, as well as a Post-Graduate Diploma in Dietetics from Western University. She then completed her internship training with Hamilton Health Sciences, where she worked in several areas from the intensive care unit to women’s health clinics.
Julie is also a Certified Life Coach with a background in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT-T) for binge eating disorder. Her goal as a Binge Eating Coach is to empower others to work through unhelpful behaviours and beliefs around food. She is an advocate for self love and uses a compassionate approach to support people towards a healthy relationship with food.
Andrea Florez Office Administrator
Andrea is responsible for overseeing and managing the overall administrative tasks at High Metabolic Clinic. She is passionate about empowering women to take control of their health and well-being. She believes that the combination of medical and coaching programs is an innovative
approach to addressing women's healthcare needs, and she is excited to be part of this mission.
Andrea is deeply passionate about all aspects of human health and finds the brain extremely interesting, so much so that she went back to school to pursue her psychology degree. She sees this field as a vehicle that she can use to help others. Andrea has a background in CBT coaching and extensive customer service experience. She is excited to be part of a team that empowers individuals through comprehensive wellness support because it resonates with her enthusiasm for delivering exceptional service, building meaningful relationships, and promoting overall well-being.
In her spare time, Andrea enjoys exercising, reading about personal growth, hiking with her golden doodle and playing pickle ball.