Transforming Healthcare with Lifestyle and Food as Medicine: The Impact of ACLM’s Essentials Course 

The “Lifestyle Medicine and Food as Medicine Essentials” course is transforming healthcare by equipping thousands of clinicians with the knowledge and confidence to address the root causes of disease. From improving clinician well-being at University Hospitals to empowering patients at Atrium Health, this free course is making a tangible impact—and helping drive true health restoration.

The “Lifestyle Medicine and Food as Medicine Essentials” course is empowering thousands of healthcare professionals with the knowledge and confidence to integrate evidence-based lifestyle interventions into their practice—unlocking the potential to address the root causes of disease and drive true health restoration.

Since its launch, more than 56,000 clinicians have registered for the Essentials course. Offered at no cost as part of ACLM’s commitment to the 2022 White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, this initiative aims to train clinicians across the country in lifestyle medicine and food as medicine. The goal? A healthcare system that prioritizes prevention and reversal of disease through nutrition and lifestyle interventions. 

Real-World Impact: How Clinicians Are Using Essentials

The Essentials course isn’t just another online training—it’s a versatile tool that organizations, physicians, and healthcare leaders are creatively applying to improve patient care, enhance clinician well-being, and address public health challenges across the country. 

University Hospitals: Using Essentials to Support Clinician Well-Being

University Hospitals (UH) integrated Essentials as part of a clinician wellness initiative, helping providers improve their own health while gaining the skills to support their patients. Since launching the program, UH has trained more than 2,100 clinicians, representing nearly 10% of its care team. 

Chief Whole Health & Well-Being Officer Francoise Adan, MD, credits the program’s success to strong leadership support, frequent communication, and integration into existing initiatives. Originally introduced as an employee well-being offering, Essentials quickly became a system-wide initiative after securing buy-in from key stakeholders, including top executives. The program was promoted consistently through weekly communications from leadership across multiple departments, ensuring broad visibility and engagement. By aligning Essentials with UH’s existing well-being program, the organization also incentivized participation through its established rewards system, making it easy for clinicians to take advantage of the opportunity. 

What started as a free course has now grown into a thriving community of providers who share stories, successes, and new initiatives inspired by Essentials. Leaders across UH have embraced the program, further amplifying its impact. Reflecting on the program’s success, Dr. Adan encourages others to take the leap. “A few resources are required to get started, but it’s been absolutely wonderful,” she said. “It’s taken on a life of its own. Do it, do it, do it!” 

Kentucky Medical Association: Training Physicians to Improve Public Health

The Kentucky Medical Association (KMA) is leveraging Essentials to train physicians as part of a statewide public health initiative, ensuring a consistent, evidence-based approach to lifestyle medicine. With 80% of chronic diseases and 40% of cancers linked directly to lifestyle choices, KMA recognizes the urgent need to equip physicians with the tools to address these root causes. 

After being elected KMA president, ACLM member Evelyn Montgomery Jones, MD, made improving Kentucky’s health a top priority. In August, she issued an innovative challenge to KMA’s 7,000 members: complete the “Lifestyle Medicine and Food as Medicine Essentials” course and apply its principles in clinical practice. To encourage participation, KMA partnered with ACLM to offer exclusive incentives, including complimentary registrations for ACLM’s 2024 annual conference, the Foundations of Lifestyle Medicine Board Review course, and the Remission of Type 2 Diabetes and Reversal of Insulin Resistance with Lifestyle Medicine course. 

Momentum is building, with KMA already announcing its first prize winners and continuing to drive interest in Essentials. Discussing the initiative’s significance, Dr. Montgomery Jones said “I’m excited to be able to offer this opportunity from ACLM to KMA physicians, especially as we look for ways to improve the health status of our patients and our state.” 

Atrium Health: Empowering Patients Through Education

Andrew Nance, MD, DipABLM, saw firsthand how lifestyle medicine could transform lives, but he also recognized the challenge of equipping patients with the knowledge they needed to take charge of their health. That’s when he turned to the “Lifestyle Medicine and Food as Medicine Essentials” course as a patient education tool. After introducing his patient, Ebony Benjamin, to small, realistic lifestyle changes, he realized she was eager to learn more. He offered her the 5.5-hour course, and to his surprise, she completed it over a single weekend. The course gave her the confidence and knowledge to take her health journey even further—eventually leading her to start a walking group and become a peer support specialist. 

For Dr. Nance, the course provided structured, evidence-based education that reinforced the principles he introduced during his visits. By combining personalized guidance with accessible learning, he empowered Ebony to take ownership of her health—proving that education is a powerful catalyst for lasting lifestyle change. 

Research Confirms the Impact

The Essentials course has shown significant benefits for clinicians. A study published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine found that those who completed the course reported notable improvements in: 

• Knowledge of lifestyle and food as medicine interventions 
• Confidence in discussing and implementing lifestyle medicine in practice 
• Frequency of applying lifestyle medicine principles with patients 

This research reinforces the idea that when clinicians are equipped with the right education and tools, they can more effectively support lifestyle changes that lead to better patient outcomes and help shift healthcare toward a focus on health restoration. 

Getting Started with Essentials

Access to the “Lifestyle Medicine and Food as Medicine Essentials” course remains available for free until September 2025. This is a valuable opportunity for clinicians to enhance their practice and improve patient care with practical, evidence-based lifestyle interventions. Whether you’re an individual provider or part of a healthcare organization, now is the time to explore how this course can help support better health outcomes for patients and the broader community. 

Enroll today or contact us to learn how to deploy the course within your organization.