Who We Are

Setting the standard for telemedicine.

Individualized medical care using evidence-based dietary approaches, an app-based community of support and a compassionate healthcare team who have themselves maintained massive weight-loss.

I knew I could do more for my patients.

This practice started when a 350 pound board-certified physician finally had enough. I was previously getting paid a cushy salary in a 9-5 job with an academic institution. I had it all. A nice office, great income… but there was one problem… I knew I could do more for myself and I knew deep down that I could do more for my patients.

The problem with practicing medicine in its current form is that it focuses on short visits, prescriptions and doesn’t put the patient first. Furthermore modern medicine completely ignores diet, lifestyle, community, support and the human spirit! Most doctors don’t have the time or the training to get to the root cause of their patients’ problems. I knew the importance of diet, but when I sent my patients to the nutritionist they were told to eat more grains, fruits and to snack throughout the day “to keep up their metabolism.” Furthermore what position was I in to help my patients improve their metabolic health, if I couldn’t even help myself?

I wanted to change all of that. I wanted to practice medicine the way it deserved to be. I wanted to be the doctor that I wish I had. I started reading about obesity with a fiery passion. I read over 3000 papers on nutrition, diabetes and obesity. I read 3 textbooks on obesity and diabetes, and over 300 books on various corners of the diet landscape. Eventually I would become board-certified in Obesity Medicine.

What I discovered was we had it all wrong. The dietary advice was all wrong, the insurance model for medicine was all wrong. I had enough! I noticed that doctors’ offices and hospitals accept insurance contracts which don’t pay them well but “got bodies in the door,” and so what the hospitals and doctors did was jam in more patients in less time. They started ordering unnecessary tests just to get more money from the insurance company. They would give patients token advice like “eat less, move more and reduce your calories” so that they could bill patients insurance for “preventative care.”

What I saw was a system designed to exchange money from people to insurance companies and doctors, meanwhile the customer, the patients, were not getting the care they deserve. Diabetes and obesity are the dual pandemics nobody is paying attention to. Basically, doctors compromise the quality of their care to get into bed with insurance companies.

So after I reversed my pre-diabetes and obesity, after I lost 150 pounds, I set my sights on changing my practice of medicine for good. My passion has been to deliver a world-class, concierge-level, innovative telemedicine medical practice focused on tackling the most complex obesity and metabolic conditions. Our practice has helped thousands of patients lose over 50,000 pounds, and has helped countless patients put their diabetes, hypertension and obesity into remission.

My goal, and the mission of this practice is to end Type 2 diabetes and obesity, and to be a nationwide medical group that empowers both doctors and patients to be the best they can be, not what the insurance company wants them to be.

Leadership

Dr. Tro Kalayjian

Founder &
Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Tro Kalayjian, founder and Chief Medical Officer of TOWARD Health, is a board-certified physician in Internal Medicine and Obesity Medicine. He is a founding member of the Society of Metabolic Health Practitioners. After losing 150 pounds by challenging conventional medical advice, Dr. Tro is now dedicated to helping others reclaim their health, reverse chronic disease, and reduce dependence on medications.

His practice specializes in treating type 2 diabetes and obesity through a personalized, lifestyle-based approach. Their published 6-month medical weight loss program delivers powerful results, with patients losing an average of 38 pounds, and achieving substantial improvements in A1C, blood pressure, cardiac risk, and annual medication costs. Backed by seven peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Tro’s program emphasizes evidence-based metabolic health interventions that work.

Using remote patient tracking via smart devices, Dr. Tro stays closely connected to patients, providing real-time support and adjustments. Having personally overcome the same struggles, he brings deep empathy and practical insights to his care. His ultimate goal is to help patients improve their health, manage disease, and reduce medication through sustainable lifestyle changes focused on nutrition, movement, and mindset.

Dr. Laura Buchanan

Board-Certified
Physician

Dr. Laura Buchanan is a Board-Certified Family Medicine physician and Metabolic Health Practitioner.

The mission that drives her is to help people age successfully. That passion was initially derived from a love of sports but has since evolved and expanded to include a passion for healthy living generally, including the importance of nutrition, exercise, mental wellness, and an optimal use of the medical system. She sees her role as a doctor being two-fold: promoting prevention and practicing medicine.

Since entering the field of medicine Laura has been interested in the intersections of longevity, metabolic health, lifestyle changes and chronic disease. She spends her free time taking deep dives into the latest research around diet, sleep and other factors that may impact metabolic health.

Laura is a certified metabolic health practitioner (MHP) and a founding member of the Society of Metabolic Health Practitioners. She is a member of the Obesity Medicine Association and will be taking her board examination in the fall of 2022.

She is also a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, AOA and the Gold Humanism Society. Laura sees family medicine as a crucial avenue to help people age successfully because of the deep and lasting connections that can be developed with patients. She thrives when given the chance to make an impact, and especially enjoys being a part of her patients’ journeys to healthier lives.

Amy Eiges

Director of Employee Wellness & Program Director

Amy Eiges is a health coach and reformed chronic dieter who is passionate about helping others recover from the diet-binge-gain-shame cycle she struggled with for years. Since discovering a ketogenic and low-carb lifestyle, she has lost over 200 pounds and has both reversed pre-diabetes and resolved lifelong depression. “When I was just starting out, facing 200 pounds to lose seemed insurmountable, and the idea I would ever be where I am now was unfathomable. Know this: I am not extraordinary. I just finally got the right advice, put one foot in front of the other and didn’t look back. I know now that it can be done, but after battling this war for 40 years I had lost hope that it was really, truly possible. I am living proof that it is.”

Read more about Amy’s story and struggles with food addiction and chronic dieting (“I Am Not Broken”). She also recently wrote a blog entitled “Weathering the Perfect Storm“.

Amy was the featured guest of Episode 84 of the Low Carb MD podcast, and more recently starred in Episode 136 of The Adventures of Keto Woman, a podcast with Daisy Brackenhall.

Taline Boyadzhyan

Director of Operations & Office Manager (NY)

Taline Boyadzhyan was recently diagnosed (2017) with Celiac Disease, which led her to live Low Carb. Growing up in an Armenian household surrounded by rice, bread, and desserts it took her diagnosis to fully understand the negative impact carbohydrates have on us today. She has helped those closest to her change their lifestyle & led them to a healthier life. She implements a low-carb/IF to maintain her weight & migraines. Taline has been working with Dr. Tro since he opened his office in Tappan, NY & runs the day-to-day operations.

Rosette Kalayjian

General Counsel & Director of HR

Rosette Kalayjian is an experienced attorney and entrepreneur. She completed undergraduate schooling at Queens College followed by law school at St. John’s University. Not only does she serve as a legal advisor for the practice, but she has also personally benefited from low-carb dieting and intermittent fasting in managing migraines and for weight maintenance. In 2019, she started ROSETTE’S, a company devoted to providing low-carb baking options to the masses.

Natalie Jourbadjian

Director of Brand Marketing

Natalie is a solution-oriented collaborator with 12+ years of experience as a strategic team leader. With expertise spanning across brand strategy, naming, employee engagement, and brand and visual identity system development, Natalie partners with her team to help identify creatively driven solutions to meet business objectives. Prior to joining Dr. Tro’s Medical Weight Loss and Direct Primary Care, Natalie held the roles of Client Director at MerchantCantos, a creative communications firm and COLLINS, a strategic brand experience design firm where she led strategy and brand development across integrated teams for leading brands including, Philips, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Comcast, Equinox Hotels, HBO, vitaminwater, smartwater, Chobani and Nourish Snacks. Natalie implements a low carb lifestyle with her family and is the Co-Founder of ROSETTE’S, a low carb baking mix company, alongside her partner and sister, Rosette.

Joshua Gaines

Senior Advisor

Josh is a healthcare business leader with more than 25 years’ experience executing complex
corporate combinations, joint ventures, and other growth investments in healthcare.

Josh previously served in senior leadership positions at Cardinal Health, a Fortune 20
healthcare products and services company, where he oversaw the team responsible for the
company’s worldwide acquisitions and investment portfolio. He also led Cardinal’s direct and
private equity fund investment efforts, as well as an internal innovation team charged with
creating disruptive digital healthcare initiatives leveraging Cardinal’s scale.

Prior to his tenure at Cardinal, Josh was a corporate attorney at Morrison Foerster and
previously at Ropes & Gray, where he represented healthcare and technology companies in
M&A, joint venture and strategic alliance transactions.

On the personal side, Josh struggled for more than 20 years with Crohn’s Disease, causing him
to gain and lose (and gain) more than 75 pounds, and resulting in surgery and innumerable
specialty drugs to manage his condition. In 2011, he began his journey to better health,
ultimately learning to manage and reverse his condition through diet and lifestyle. He now eats a
low-carb, whole food diet, maintains a healthy weight, and takes no medications. This
experience fueled Josh’s passion for helping others to reverse chronic disease and optimize
health through diet and lifestyle.

Who We Are

Setting the standard for telemedicine.

I knew I could do more for my patients.