How a personal health crisis led one physician to a career dedicated to lifestyle medicine and patient empowerment.
Daniel Chen, MD, FACP, DipABLM, was a practicing physician in his mid 30s when he suffered a heart attack. With his life in jeopardy, he spent 10 days in the hospital and ended up with nine coronary stents to restore blood flow to his heart. Today, he is a double board-certified internal medicine and lifestyle medicine primary care clinician who serves as the lifestyle medicine program director practicing in Spanish and English at Esperanza Health Center in North Philadelphia.
In a Q&A, Dr. Chen talks about his personal health journey, why he chose to earn lifestyle medicine certification and how it changed the way he cares for his patients today.
How did you find lifestyle medicine?
When I moved to Philadelphia for medical school, I found it to be an amazing food city. The Reading Terminal market inspired me, and I learned to cook. I learned that fat carried flavor, and good recipes started with a big glug of oil. I also ate what was cheap and available, which meant a lot of fast food. I basically lived at Wendy’s. Combined with not being very physically active and the stress of medical school, my lifestyle was putting me at serious risk.
The day I was admitted to the hospital, I started reading a book that my wife, a family physician who also works at Esperanza Health Center, introduced me to: “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure” by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr.
I finished the book in the hospital and began reevaluating my life. My thought was, “I’m supposed to be helping people improve their lives, and yet I’m here.” That’s when I discovered there was a lifestyle medicine training and certification program that was evidence-based and could give people hope and healing.
Where did you start after your health crisis?
The first year of trying to eat mainly whole food, plant-based ingredients, I felt like I was missing out. It seemed not worth it, even with my wife’s support. Eating this way is foreign to most Americans, and I was pretty depressed until I discovered there were others I could connect with, people practicing lifestyle medicine who had been doing it for decades and were really enjoying this approach.
I started learning how to use spices and herbs, how to work with texture, and how to respect, honor and work with plant foods to make them shine, in ways similar to how we are taught to approach animal-based foods. Once I was exposed to people who knew how to cook well with plant-based ingredients, I started enjoying cooking again and wanted to share what I learned with others.
It was exciting and fulfilling to discover what healthy eating means … that it can be delicious and beautiful and good for you.
Why did you choose to become lifestyle medicine certified?
I wanted to journey with my patients, to share what I had discovered for myself, and be a part of truly addressing the root causes of disease for a chance at genuine healing.
The vast majority of us are all too familiar with the New Year’s resolution maxims around health behavior: “get eight hours of sleep,” “eat your veggies,” “exercise more.” Lifestyle medicine certification equips us with the “how,” and instead of empty wishes for optimized health, it provides the framework, the tools and the support to make it a reality.
As a clinician, you can recommend that people eat certain foods, or practice healthy habits, but if they don’t know how to make nutritious meals that taste good, if they buy “the right foods” and don’t like them, or if their kids don’t like them, then there goes their grocery budget for the week. Additionally, no one wants to exercise and hurt, so the goal is to help people get into simple movements that can become a routine and help them feel better.
At Esperanza, a Christian-based, Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) serving a predominantly Spanish-speaking and African American community through three locations in Philadelphia, we have adopted shared medical appointments focused on lifestyle medicine. We offer weekly cohorts where patients come together with a clinician and a behavioral health consultant for two hours in an interactive group setting that includes a culturally relevant cooking session, a workshop around goal setting and behavior change, and a time focused on accessible movement as a group. We have programs on lifestyle medicine for pre-diabetes and diabetes; general health and fiber-focused nutrition; and sleep, stress and spirituality.
By equipping people with skills, tools and experiences they might not have had before, they discover that they have options.
At the end of every session, we provide each patient with a box of local, organic and seasonal produce. Each week’s recipes are based on those ingredients. We also look at ways to elevate culturally traditional foods with more fiber-rich ingredients. Along with the skills and confidence, patients get the actual foods to cook with each week.
How do patients respond to a lifestyle medicine approach?
I’ve found that people are pleasantly surprised when they try the recipes or engage in simple exercise to increase flexibility and accomplish other health goals. The group settings also encourage connectedness, another lifestyle medicine pillar. Better learning happens with other people and is a fun way to start making healthier choices.
How did your practice change after becoming certified?
I became certified after working as a primary care doctor at Esperanza for several years. I did it for myself, for my family, and for my patients. Certification lends a credibility to what we are doing and gives integrity to how we deliver care. Certification gives clinicians experience, training, confidence and knowledge that we can apply to our own lives and effectively pass on to our patients. Patients are more likely to follow clinicians who are doing what they’re prescribing.
Are other members of your team also certified?
Two in our organization are lifestyle medicine certified. Other Esperanza clinicians are plant-based nutrition certified, and many have completed ACLM’s “Lifestyle Medicine Fundamentals: Framework for Success” CME course. All this gives our people the training and know-how to deliver lifestyle medicine-framed care to patients.
Does lifestyle medicine certification build patient trust?
My board certification in lifestyle medicine demonstrates that I’m trained to lead the holistic, evidence-based discussions and answer the questions that patients truly care about. It shows that this is my area of expertise as well as interest and passion. Patients trust and stay engaged more with you when they learn you have the credentials and background to speak to these issues.
Being certified also helps in conversations with leadership, in organizational decision-making, in program development, in funding and staffing investments, and in finding funding.
Board certification also acts as a bridge in collaborating with partners outside the health center, helping translate the medical side of our work into greater impact on broader community wellness.
What would you say to clinicians considering certification?
Patients are genuinely asking for help – they want help with the specifics of how to be healthier, how to address their health goals, and how to address their chronic diseases. They might be doing all they can, yet not meeting their goals. As lifestyle medicine clinicians, we have the recognized training to inspire them, to give them the tools, and to walk together toward healthier communities.
Take the next step
The future of lifestyle medicine is here, shaped by certified clinicians—are you ready to join them?
Use promo code CERTIFY26 to save $50 on your Board Review course or LM2026 Online registration through August 4.