Lifestyle Medicine Residency Curriculum Expands Nationwide, Empowering Future Physicians

The continued expansion of the Lifestyle Medicine Residency Curriculum highlights a growing interest and commitment to evidence-based lifestyle medicine, with programs at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston just two examples of programs transforming residency education and equipping future physicians to promote whole-person health. 

As the new academic year begins, the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) is excited to celebrate the continued growth of the Lifestyle Medicine Residency Curriculum (LMRC). Now contracted into 170 residency sites and available to 368 residency programs across the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada, the LMRC continues to expand its reach, equipping the next generation of physicians with the tools they need to practice evidence-based lifestyle medicine and transform healthcare for the better.

About the Lifestyle Medicine Residency Curriculum 

The LMRC was initially launched in 2018 to fill the gap in lifestyle medicine and nutrition education in graduate medical education (GME). The LMRC has grown, evolved, and exponentially expanded since its debut. Upon completion of the LMRC, residents qualify to sit for the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine (ABLM) certification exam.  

The LMRC consists of both educational and practicum components. Its educational component includes 40 hours of interactive virtual didactic material and 60 hours of application activities designed to be completed over a one- to three-year period. The practicum component includes 400 lifestyle medicine-related patient encounters, 10 hours of either intensive therapeutic lifestyle change (ITLC) or therapeutic lifestyle change (TLC) program experience, and 10 hours of group facilitation experience. 

The program’s structure is designed to be flexible, allowing residency programs across diverse medical disciplines to incorporate the curriculum in ways that meet the needs of their residents and faculty. While family medicine residencies and internal medicine residencies are the most common, the LMRC is also available in a broad range of residency program specialties, including physical medicine and rehabilitation, psychiatry, preventive medicine, and more. 

Program Highlights: Implementing the LMRC

ACLM spoke with two of the newest programs to learn about their experience implementing the LMRC and the impact it’s already having on their residents. 

Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System
Program: Internal Medicine 

Irene Grundy, MD, FACP, DipABLM, chief of staff for education at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, introduced the LMRC to their Internal Medicine program after becoming certified in lifestyle medicine herself and recognizing its potential to transform patient care. While she oversees the educational programming for the more than 2,300 medical students, nursing students, and residents in the VA’s New Orleans region, she knew successfully integrating lifestyle medicine hinged on training those at the frontlines of patient care: the residents. 

Dr. Grundy also recognized she couldn’t do it herself. Her first step was to build a base of support within her local VA. She leveraged an existing network of champions of the VA’s Whole Health program, which mirrors the pillars of lifestyle medicine. This alignment made it easier to gain internal buy-in. She was also strategic in promoting the LMRC, using every opportunity to highlight the value of a formal lifestyle medicine curriculum, especially in improving veterans’ health through frontline care. She emphasized that leveraging the existing Whole Health framework helped secure funding by positioning LMRC as an expansion of this successful initiative. 

“For us, it was about getting underlying support by emphasizing that Whole Health already exists,” Dr. Grundy said. “Lifestyle medicine is an extension of that—we wanted to formalize it into a curriculum to help residents deliver better care, linking the two together.” 

Once she built internal support, she introduced the LMRC to affiliates at Tulane and LSU, where residents eagerly embraced the opportunity. “The residents are driving the excitement,” Dr. Grundy shared. “They’re hungry for this.” 

The program is still in its early stages, but the response from residents has been overwhelmingly positive. “I’ve already had residents enroll—they want to start right away. Seeing their excitement makes me feel like all the effort was worth it. It’s been beautiful to watch them engage, texting and emailing me about the program. It’s really great to see it all come to fruition,” she said. 

Her advice for other programs? Find advocates within your institution, use your voice to promote the program at every opportunity, and be persistent when navigating challenges. Dr. Grundy emphasized, “It’s important to think outside the box and creatively find ways to move forward, even when you encounter obstacles.” 

University of Texas Medical Board at Galveston
Program: Family Medicine 

A committed team of lifestyle medicine champions at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston worked for several years to bring the LMRC to their family practice residents. Motivated by the belief that lifestyle medicine is essential to primary care, they aimed to provide residents with a structured curriculum that equips them with the knowledge and skills to address root causes of health issues—such as poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and stress—while also preparing them to lead and advocate for lifestyle-based approaches in their future medical practices. 

“Ultimately, our commitment to integrating LMRC reflects our dedication to preparing well-rounded primary care physicians who can deliver holistic and patient-centered care,” said  Ernst J. Nicanord, MD, ABFM, assistant professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. 

Although they encountered some initial challenges, such as identifying funding and securing internal support, the team is thrilled by the enthusiastic response from the residents as the curriculum takes shape. 

While many residents were unfamiliar with lifestyle medicine initially, they quickly embraced it, energized by its potential to transform their practice and improve patient care. 

“The idea of focusing on prevention and actually reversing chronic diseases caused by unhealthy lifestyle choices sparked a sense of timeliness and hope among them,” Dr. Nicanord said. “They are really looking forward to learning and using these new ideas, imagining a future where they could make a big difference for their patients.”  

Some early wins for the program? Their Lifestyle Medicine Journal Club is active and engaging. One resident, after completing the nutrition module, developed personalized patient education materials that are now included in after-visit summaries. Additionally, the residents are working on a project to launch community lifestyle medicine education classes for the patients they serve in their clinics. 

“Residency programs considering the addition of the LMRC will find it a worthwhile investment,” said Dr. Nicanord. “It significantly enhances resident education by providing comprehensive knowledge on the lifestyle management and potential reversal of chronic diseases. This program not only equips residents with essential medical insights but also promotes physician wellness, aiding them in managing stress and maintaining a healthy work-life balance.” 

Embracing Lifestyle Medicine in Medical Training 

The continued growth of the LMRC underscores the growing interest in lifestyle medicine as a core component of medical training. Programs at institutions like the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston are demonstrating that integrating lifestyle medicine into residency training is not only achievable, but transformative. These programs join a rapidly expanding network of institutions committed to preparing future physicians to treat the whole person, not just the symptoms of disease. 

For programs considering adding the LMRC, now is the perfect time to explore how lifestyle medicine can enrich your residency offerings and enhance the quality of care your residents deliver. Learn more here.