Padmaja Patel is a board-certified internist, specializing in lifestyle medicine and
healthcare transformation strategies. She currently holds the position of President-
Elect at the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM), as well as the Vice
President role at the World Lifestyle Medicine Organization. In addition, Dr. Patel
serves as Vice President of Midland Quality Alliance, an ACO-REACH located in
Midland, TX. She is also a member of the National Quality Forum’s 2024 Healthcare
Professional Stakeholder Advisory Council and the Endorsement and Maintenance
Committee of the Partnership for Quality Measurement. Dr. Patel was a founding
member of the advisory board of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine’s Health
Systems Council, and she is currently serving as the Chair of ACLM’s Clinical Practice
and Quality Committee.
Dr. Patel is a pioneer in the field of Lifestyle Medicine (LM) and has developed
innovative care delivery models. Her work includes designing a physician officebased
intensive cardiac rehabilitation program and serving as Medical Director of the
Lifestyle Medicine Center at Midland Health. She has also held the position of
lifestyle medicine Medical Director at Wellvana, a national value-based healthcare
organization. Dr. Patel has successfully delivered LM-based ITLC programs for chronic
disease remission in both in-person and virtual settings. She is a strong advocate for
LM integration within health systems across the patient care continuum and in
employee and population health. Her efforts to integrate lifestyle medicine into
employee health have resulted in significant cost savings. Additionally, her work in
population health helped move the county health rankings for Midland, TX, from #40
in 2016 to #27 in 2022. During her time with Wellvana, Dr. Patel designed LM care
delivery models to integrate LM within ACOs and Medicare Advantage. Her
contributions have been instrumental in advancing the integration of LM into
healthcare systems and improving patient outcomes.
Dr. Patel has been awarded the prestigious title of Fellow of ACLM, in recognition of
her remarkable contributions to the field of Lifestyle Medicine. Additionally, she has
been honored with the 2023 AMWA Inspire Award, which acknowledges her as a
source of inspiration for others through her dedication to healthcare, compassionate
treatment of patients, leadership, advocacy, and community service. Dr. Patel is a
Certified Lifestyle Medicine Intensivist, which is a recognition given to those who
have successfully used Lifestyle Medicine as a therapeutic intervention to prevent,
treat, and even reverse chronic diseases in individuals, populations, and
communities. She is also a co-founder of Healthy City, a non-profit organization
aimed at raising awareness of the benefits of plant-based nutrition within her
community.