A Texas-sized revolution in lifestyle medicine  

Clinicians, hospital leaders and public health officials are turning the Lone Star State into a hotbed for lifestyle medicine innovations that can be implemented at scale. Three ACLM members in Texas recently shared examples of how they are applying the six pillars of lifestyle medicine in communities that need them the most.  

By Alex Branch | ACLM Director of Communications 

September 11, 2025

When most people think of Texas, they envision football tailgates and beef brisket—not a hotbed of lifestyle medicine innovation. But from West Texas to Dallas and to the southern border, passionate clinicians, hospital leaders and public health officials are proving the Lone Star State to be fertile ground for lifestyle medicine. 

That momentum is reflected in the state’s growing lifestyle medicine community: ACLM has 834 active members, 304 certified diplomates, 14 academic institution partners and eight health system partners. In November, Texas will host ACLM’s annual conference, Lifestyle Medicine 2025, in Dallas-Fort Worth, where some 5,000 clinicians and health leaders will connect in person or virtually to ignite transformation in healthcare. 

Even Texas policymakers are encouraging the practice of evidence-based lifestyle interventions to treat, reverse and prevent chronic disease. This year, the state was the first to pass a law requiring nutrition education for healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, and other health professionals.   

ACLM President Padmaja Patel, MD, DipABLM, FACLM, CPE, has pioneered the integration of lifestyle medicine in the West Texas city of Midland. She designed an office-based intensive cardiac rehabilitation program for physicians and successfully delivered intensive therapeutic lifestyle change programs for chronic disease remission in both in-person and virtual settings. 

“Texas has become home to a number of bold initiatives, dedicated teams, and communities, demonstrating that lifestyle medicine can be implemented at scale,” Dr. Patel said. “It is exciting to see my colleagues finding new and unique ways to bring the six pillars of lifestyle medicine into communities that need them most.” 

An interprofessional approach to lifestyle medicine  

At one of the nation’s largest academic medical centers, Jaclyn Lewis Albin, MD, DipABLM, CCMS, is proving that lifestyle and culinary medicine is scalable and sustainable. The founding director of the UT Southwestern Culinary Medicine Program has built a model that blends medical education, patient care, and community partnerships.  

Her team takes an interprofessional approach, bringing together medical, dietetics, and other health professional students into the same teaching kitchen. There, they learn not just how to prepare nourishing, delicious meals, but also how to confidently talk with patients about nutrition and other pillars of lifestyle medicine. Students partner with local food pantries, offering samples and recipes to show clients how healthy food can be both affordable and enjoyable.  

“Interprofessional engagement is a powerful tool to build momentum across health systems,” Dr. Albin said. “Imagine the power of our patients hearing the same messages about nutrition everywhere they go in a healthcare system. That is how you make real change.” 

Dr. Albin’s team extends this work directly into patient care, leasing space from partner churches in fellowship halls and kitchens where people with type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure take hands-on cooking classes, practice mindfulness, and learn the benefits of physical activity. These sessions are billable to health insurance. Results from the model were recently published in NEJM Catalyst, highlighting its promise for replication. A newly launched “nutrition market” next door to a UT Southwestern clinic provides food and will soon offer cooking classes for referred patients.  

For Dr. Albin, the journey began in a simple way. “I started teaching nutrition because I brought my lunch, and people noticed I ate differently. They wanted to know more,” she recalled. “Sometimes it’s as simple as living your own story and letting people ask questions. I’m so grateful UT Southwestern has given me the opportunity to build this unique approach that I believe can scale.” 

Making patients active partners in their health 

For Midland Health’s Vice President of Community Health Marcy Madrid, MBA, the path to lifestyle medicine was personal. The healthcare administrator suddenly found herself on the other side of the system in 2015 after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. 

“I understand what it’s like to be on the patient side with a hopeless diagnosis,” she said. “It feels like your whole life story gets rewritten on a prescription pad.” 

She took the medications but that same month her health system held a meeting about lifestyle medicine. She did her research, spoke to physicians about the connection between food and health, and by Thanksgiving had stopped all medications and switched to a plant-based diet. Six months later, her follow-up MRI showed improvement.  

Her personal healing ignited a professional mission. With the support of leaders like Dr. Patel, she worked to embed lifestyle medicine into her health system. The changes started small—community film screenings, healthier cafeteria food, and a community garden—and grew into larger efforts like the Healthy City nonprofit and the opening of the Lifestyle Medicine Center at Midland Health in 2018. 

Now, through innovative initiatives like food pharmacies, community paramedics, and behavioral health integration, she is helping her system align lifestyle medicine with new payment models.  

“We can’t just keep doing things to patients,” she said. “We have to engage them, help them take care of themselves again, and make them active partners in their health. That’s a lot easier said than done, as anyone who treats patients probably knows, but there’s more emphasis on that now than ever.” 

Alignment with public health 

As Executive Director of Public Health for the city of Laredo, Richard Chamberlain, DrPH, MPH, DipACLM, is embedding lifestyle medicine principles across a municipal health department. Under his leadership, programs that once operated in silos are being reframed around prevention and whole-person care. Staff are cross-trained, new initiatives are designed with lifestyle factors at the center, and partnerships with schools and providers are expanding. 

“Why lifestyle medicine and public health?” he said. “Because we know that there is a chronic disease epidemic in the United States and that the vast majority of chronic diseases could be prevented through lifestyle changes that address poor nutrition, inactivity, chronic stress, poor sleep, risky substance use, and social isolation. Lifestyle medicine perfectly aligns with the public health mission.” 

One high-profile initiative, the Lifestyle Medicine Community Challenge, invited residents to take part in modules on nutrition, movement, sleep, stress, and social connection. Participants not only reported healthier habits but also improved mental well-being, a crucial outcome in a community that faces significant health disparities. 

Dr. Chamberlain and his team are also building a new primary care lifestyle medicine program to serve Laredo’s under- and uninsured residents. The model will be staffed by a multidisciplinary team of physicians, dietitians, counselors, and other specialists, ensuring patients have access to comprehensive, evidence-based prevention and treatment. 

“Here in Laredo, our health report card is not in the best standing,” Chamberlain said. “But we’re making small steps every day. Lifestyle medicine isn’t optional—it’s foundational to a healthier, more equitable future.” 

About the author