Meet the physicians behind Balance Health MD

Dr. Jacob A. Vella leads Balance Health MD patients through physician-guided medical weight loss, combining clinical evaluation, metabolic health review, and medication when clinically appropriate to help patients reach sustainable results.

His approach to weight care centers on individualized plans, steady follow-up, and treating weight as a chronic medical condition rather than a matter of willpower. He brings years of experience managing complex patients and a research-minded focus on evidence-based care.

Dr. Vella is double board certified (American Board of Anesthesiology and American Board of Pain Medicine) and completed his medical training at the State University of New York Upstate. Originally from California, he now lives in Auburn, Alabama. War Eagle!

Dr. Bradley Katz provides physician-led medical weight loss at Balance Health MD, helping patients improve weight and metabolic health with personalized plans, medication when clinically appropriate, and consistent virtual follow-up.

He takes a multidisciplinary view of weight care, drawing on decades of clinical practice across anesthesia, neurology, psychiatry, and physical therapy settings, and on his years as a U.S. Air Force physician, where he attained the rank of Major.

Dr. Katz is a board-certified anesthesiologist. He graduated cum laude from Rice University and earned his medical degree from UT Southwestern Medical School.

Dr. David Herrick helps Balance Health MD patients pursue lasting weight loss and better metabolic health through physician-supervised care, including medication when clinically appropriate and ongoing virtual check-ins.

A longtime Alabama physician and leader in organized medicine, he served fourteen years on the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners, State Medical Association, and Public Health boards, and was the 150th president of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama (2016–2017).

Dr. Herrick is board certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology. He earned his undergraduate degree at Auburn University and his MD at UAB on a U.S. Air Force scholarship, serving three years of active duty as a Major. He is also an Eagle Scout.