The Starved Brain was written by Dr. Gurpreet Singh Padda, MD, MBA, MHP. The book argues that cognitive decline is substantially a metabolic problem, which is a strong claim, so here is the background behind it.
Board certification
Dr. Padda holds five American board certifications:
- Anesthesiology — American Board of Anesthesiology
- Interventional Pain — American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians (ABIPP)
- Pain Medicine — American Board of Pain Medicine
- Addiction Medicine — American Board of Addiction Medicine
- Obesity Medicine — American Board of Obesity Medicine
He is also a Fellow of Interventional Pain Physicians (FIPP), a Diplomate of the Society of Metabolic Health Practitioners, a Certified Physician Executive (CPE), and a certified rater for the Montreal Cognitive Assessment.
Why this matters to the argument in the book
The book’s case is that the aging brain is not simply running down but is underfuelled — insulin resistance at the cerebral level, impaired ketone use, micronutrient deficiency and chronic inflammation acting together.
That argument crosses metabolic medicine, pain medicine and cognition, and the author’s training crosses the same ground: board certification in obesity medicine, Diplomate of the Society of Metabolic Health Practitioners, and certification as a rater for the Montreal Cognitive Assessment — the screening instrument used to measure the decline the book is about.
Every claim in the book is referenced, and where the evidence is weak the book says so. That is a deliberate choice, and it comes from years of reading trials as a university IRB deputy director and journal reviewer.
Training
- BA in Biology and MD — University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Medicine
- General Surgery residency — Cook County Hospital / University of Illinois at Chicago
- Anesthesiology residency — Illinois Masonic Medical Center
- Anesthesiology residency — Washington University / Barnes Hospital, with pediatric anesthesia at St. Louis Children’s Hospital; Chief Resident, 1991–92
- MBA — Saint Louis University
- Certified Physician Executive — American College of Physician Executives
Academic and professional appointments
- Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology (1992–99) and of Pediatrics (1993–99), Saint Louis University / Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital
- Associate Director of Pediatric Anesthesiology and Director of the Pediatric Acute Pain Service (1995–99)
- Deputy Director, Saint Louis University Institutional Review Board (1998–99)
- Faculty, Kansas City University / Freeman Health System psychiatry residency — pain and addiction (2024–present)
- President, Missouri Society of Interventional Pain Physicians
- Board Member and Examiner, American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians
- Board of Directors, American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians
He has twice delivered the keynote at the ASIPP national meeting, and his work is published in Neuromodulation, Pain Medicine, Critical Care Medicine, Anesthesia & Analgesia and Pain Physician, among others.
Hospital affiliations
- Anderson Hospital, Maryville, Illinois — full staff privileges
- SSM Health St. Clare Hospital, Fenton, Missouri
Credential verification
None of this has to be taken on trust. Dr. Padda is licensed in Missouri and Illinois, and the record is public.
- National Provider Identifier: 1427035955
- Missouri medical license: MD 100572
- Healthgrades profile
- Doximity profile
Other practices under the same physician
This is one of several practices directed by Dr. Padda. For chronic and interventional pain generally, the affiliated practice is the Padda Institute in St. Louis.
Community and charitable work
Dr. Padda serves as Chief Medical Officer of Valor Villages, the St. Louis 501(c)(3) nonprofit that houses veterans and children in crisis.
Board certifications and professional affiliations
Dr. Gurpreet Singh Padda, MD, MBA, MHP holds five board certifications and maintains the professional affiliations below.
