American College of Lifestyle Medicine

American College of Lifestyle Medicine

The ACLM is the nation’s medical professional association representing the interdisciplinary field of lifestyle medicine. The ACLM is composed of members who are passionate about the urgent need to transform health and healthcare. Lifestyle medicine uses therapeutic lifestyle interventions as a primary modality to treat chronic conditions including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and Alzheimer’s disease. Lifestyle medicine–certified clinicians apply evidence-based, whole-person, prescriptive lifestyle change to treat and, when used intensively, often reverse such conditions.
American College of Lifestyle Medicine logo

As the nation’s only medical professional association representing the interdisciplinary field of lifestyle medicine, the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) represents a galvanized force for change; members are united in their dedication to identify and eradicate the root causes of chronic disease, with the clinical outcome goal of health restoration. The ACLM closes the gap in evidence-based education in lifestyle medicine across the spectrum of pre- and post-professional training. Along with training and support of its members in their individual practices, the ACLM advocates for lifestyle medicine as the first and optimal whole-person treatment option for all people, mitigating much of the noncommunicable, chronic disease epidemic.

Lifestyle medicine–certified clinicians are trained to apply evidence-based, whole-person, prescriptive lifestyle change to treat and, when used intensively, often reverse such conditions.

Applying the six pillars of lifestyle medicine — a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, positive social connections, and avoidance of risky substances — also provides effective prevention for these conditions. Through the development and promotion of educational events, tools, resources, and campaigns, the ACLM supports its members in their practices and in their collective desire to promote lifestyle medicine as the first treatment option for chronic disease.

Featured Resources

Find a Lifestyle Medicine Clinician

Search in your area for a physician or other health professional certified to practice lifestyle medicine.

Blue Zones-ACLM Partnership Information

Learn how ACLM and Blue Zones are transforming health and healthcare, and about the opportunity for lifestyle-medicine clinicians to become “Blue Zone Certified.”

American College of Lifestyle Medicine Website


Discover evidence-based education, practice resources, and a network of colleagues that support the therapeutic use of lifestyle change as the foundation of healthcare.

ACLM Food as Medicine Resources

Through research, education, and clinical integration, ACLM contributes to advancing the understanding and implementation of lifestyle-based approaches to achieve optimal health, with an emphasis on the pivotal role of nutrition.

Lifestyle Medicine and Food as Medicine Essentials

A 5.5-hour accredited online CME/CE course that introduces you to the therapeutic use of lifestyle medicine. This is your first step in enhancing existing practices so your patients are empowered to mitigate many of the risks and symptoms of their own illnesses.

Contributing Experts

Kayli Anderson, RDN

Kayli Anderson has over a decade of experience in nutrition, culinary education, and lifestyle medicine. She believes that eating well should be simple, pleasurable, and sustainable. Anderson has worked with clients from all walks of life, but she currently specializes in nutrition therapy and lifestyle medicine for women. She’s the founder of PlantBasedMavens.com, a hub for women to get evidence-based, practical, and woman-centered guidance ...
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Kayli Anderson, RDN

Kara Andrew, RDN, LDN

Kara Andrew, RDN, LDN, is the director of health promotion for Memorial Hospital in Carthage, Illinois. She is also licensed as an exercise physiologist and certified in lifestyle medicine by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Her experience includes corporate wellness, teaching for the American College of Sports Medicine, sports nutrition, weight management, integrative medicine, oncology support, and dialysis.
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Kara Andrew, RDN, LDN

Sandy Bassin, MD

Sandy Bassin, MD, is an endocrinology fellow at Mount Sinai in New York City. She is passionate about incorporating lifestyle medicine and plant-based nutrition into endocrinology, particularly for diabetes and obesity management. She trained at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, where she taught culinary medicine classes to patients and medical trainees. She continued her training at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School....
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Sandy Bassin, MD

Beth Biggee, MD

Beth Biggee, MD, is medical director and an integrative rheumatologist at Rheumission, a virtual integrative rheumatology practice for people residing in California and Pennsylvania. This first-of-its-kind company offers whole person autoimmune care by a team of integrative rheumatologists, lifestyle medicine practitioners, autoimmune dietitians, psychologists, and care coordinators. Dr. Biggee also works as a healthcare wellness consultant ...
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Beth Biggee, MD

Allison Buttarazzi, MD

Allison Buttarazzi, MD, is board-certified in internal medicine and lifestyle medicine, and is a certified health and well-being coach. In her primary care practice, Dr. Buttarazzi focuses on lifestyle medicine to help her patients improve their health and longevity, and her passion is helping patients prevent and reverse chronic diseases (like heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes) by improving their lifestyle habits.... 
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Allison Buttarazzi, MD

Reyna Franco, RDN

Reyna Franco, RDN, is a New York City–based dietitian-nutritionist, certified specialist in sports dietetics, and certified personal trainer. She is a diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and has a master's degree in nutrition and exercise physiology from Columbia University. In her private practice, she provides medical nutrition therapy for weight management, sports nutrition, diabetes, cardiac disease, renal disease, gastrointestinal disorders ...
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Reyna Franco, RDN

Heidi Green, MD

Heidi Green, MD, is board certified in psychiatry, addiction medicine, and lifestyle medicine. She currently divides her time between maintaining a small private practice and working at specialized opioid treatment programs in North Carolina.
In her private practice, Dr. Green provides psychiatric consultative services and offers an office-based buprenorphine maintenance program to support recovery from opioid addictions. ...
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Heidi Green, MD

Russell H. Greenfield, MD

Russell H. Greenfield, MD, is senior physician consultant for the Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation for the Veterans Health Administration and maintains a consultative integrative medicine private practice. He previously served as senior director of employee whole health for Whole Health Institute (WHI), where he was responsible for developing corporate partnerships and implementing programs in support of employee health ...
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Russell H. Greenfield, MD

Sean Hashmi, MD

Sean Hashmi, MD, is an experienced nephrologist and obesity medicine specialist based in Southern California. As the regional director for clinical nutrition and weight management at a prominent healthcare organization in Southern California, Dr. Hashmi oversees the development and implementation of cutting-edge nutritional programs and weight management strategies. With his innovative approach and unwavering commitment ...
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Sean Hashmi, MD

Natalia Johnsen, MD

Natalia Johnsen, MD, practices internal medicine and lifestyle medicine. She works as an internist for the Vancouver Clinic in Vancouver, Washington. Johnsen trained and worked as ob-gyn in Russia before coming to the United States in 2000. Subsequently, she interned in internal medicine at the University of Nevada and completed her residency at a Stanford-affiliated program in Santa Clara, California. After that she worked as a general internist ...
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Natalia Johnsen, MD

Jessica Lee, MD

Jessica Lee, MD, practices general otolaryngology at Charleston ENT and Allergy in South Carolina. After several years in clinical and surgical practice, Dr. Lee wanted to learn more about the impact of nutrition, activity, and sleep on general health and ear, nose, and throat health, so she pursued additional training in integrative, lifestyle, and functional medicine topics and became board-certified in lifestyle medicine in 2021. ...
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Jessica Lee, MD

Simran Malhotra, MD

Simran Malhotra, MD, DipABLM, CHWC, is a triple board-certified physician in internal medicine, hospice and palliative care, and lifestyle medicine, as well as a certified health and wellness coach. She is currently practicing part time as an inpatient palliative care physician at Medstar Health after serving as the palliative care medical director at Franklin Square Medical Center in Baltimore for a little over four years. ...
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Simran Malhotra, MD

John Paul McHugh, MD

John Paul McHugh, MD, is an obstetrician-gynecologist and lifestyle medicine specialist in southern California. He has always placed wellness at the center of his work, in both delivering babies and improving practice standards. Dr. McHugh believes that bringing lifestyle medicine to the center of health and wellness empowers patients to make the change they seek and enjoy the benefits of true wellness. He is a graduate of Harvard Medical School ...
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John Paul McHugh, MD

Alison Ozgur, RDN

Alison Ozgur, RDN, is a wellness expert with advanced training in whole-food, plant-based nutrition. She is also an adjunct instructor of nutrition at Jersey College in Teterboro, New Jersey, and a board-certified lifestyle medicine professional through the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. In 2012, she coauthored her first book, Go Beyond Good: The Trail to a Lifetime of Health and Vitality! That same year, she joined the online instructor team ...
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Alison Ozgur, RDN

Jennifer Rooke, MD, MPH

Jennifer Rooke, MD, MPH, is an associate professor of community health and preventive medicine at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. She is board-certified in both preventive medicine and occupational and environmental medicine. She is also certified in lifestyle medicine and plant-based nutrition. She founded and currently directs the Optimal Health and Wellness Clinic at Morehouse Healthcare. She helps her patients to prevent ...
Jennifer Rooke, MD, MPH

Deepa Sannidhi, MD

Deepa Sannidhi, MD, is board-certified in family medicine, obesity medicine, and lifestyle medicine. She is an associate clinical professor in the department of family medicine at UC San Diego and serves as assistant program director for the UCSD-SDSU general preventive medicine residency. She serves as a concentration lead for the UCSD Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health. She teaches students and trainees at all levels of training....
Deepa Sannidhi, MD

Melissa Sleight, RDN

Melissa Sleight, RDN, is a board-certified lifestyle medicine dietitian with over 15 years of experience. She has a passion for educating her clients about improving their health through nutrition and lifestyle changes, and seeing them motivated to improve their health each day. Sleight earned her bachelor's in nutrition and food science from Utah State University. She is a member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and the Sports ...
Melissa Sleight, RDN

Walter Tsang, MD

Walter Tsang, MD, is a board-certified medical oncologist, hematologist, and lifestyle medicine specialist. Inspired by the ancient Eastern philosophy of yang sheng ("nourishing life"), Dr. Tsang has developed a unique whole-person oncology approach that tailors cancer care and lifestyle recommendations to each patients’ biopsychosocial-spiritual circumstances. He partners with patients on their cancer journeys, emphasizing empowerment ...
Walter Tsang, MD

Allison Young, MD

Allison Young, MD, is a board-certified psychiatrist providing services via telehealth throughout New York and Florida. In addition to her private practice, Dr. Young serves as an affiliate professor of psychiatry at Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. She previously taught and mentored medical trainees at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She speaks at national conferences and has published scientific articles ...
Allison Young, MD

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