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HEAL Scholarship Program

ABLM/ACLM Board Certification Exam and Preparation

Description

The HEAL Initiative (Health Equity Achieved through Lifestyle Medicine) launched the HEAL Scholarship Program as part of its mission to address health disparities through lifestyle medicine (LM). Supporting a diverse health care workforce and delivering particular support to those providing care to marginalized people is the mission of this scholarship program. In recognition that achieving a diverse LM workforce is essential to that mission, this scholarship awards underrepresented in medicine (URM) clinicians with need-based scholarships to assist applicants with the costs associated with attaining education and certification in lifestyle medicine. This opportunity is open to applicants practicing in the United States.

HEAL Scholarship Timeline

  • Open: January 20, 2025 
  • Deadline: March 1, 2025 (11:59 PM PST) 
  • Notification: April 15, 2025 

The Program will support full (100%) scholarships based on need and funding availability to cover certification expenses, where certification expenses include:

  • One-Year ACLM Membership ($249 value)
  • LM2025 Online Conference Registration ($949 value)
  • Foundations of Lifestyle Medicine Board Review Course, 4th Edition ($899 value)
  • ABLM Exam Registration and Certification Fees ($1,798 value) 

Total Value: $3,895*
*Based on 2024 retail pricing

Eligibility

Individuals eligible to apply will be a US-based physician, professional, or practitioner who:

  • Self-identifies as a member of a racial or ethnic group historically underrepresented in medicine (URM) as defined by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)- Underrepresented in medicine means those racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented in the medical profession relative to their numbers in the general population. Specifically, research shows that individuals who identify as Black, Hispanic, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander are more likely to be underrepresented in medicine relative to their numbers in the general population. Thus, individuals from these groups that practice in the U.S. are strongly encouraged to apply for the HEAL Scholarship Program.

  • At ACLM, our work is guided and informed by our beliefs and commitment to five core values, one of which is health equity. Health equity: We recognize the impact of social determinants of health and strive to make lifestyle medicine accessible and effective for all.

    Community-Engaged Lifestyle Medicine is a pathway to health equity. In 2019, then co-chairs of ACLM’s Community-Engaged Lifestyle Medicine Member Interest Group, now the HEAL Initiative of which the HEAL Initiative scholarship is a focus area, published “Community-Engaged Lifestyle Medicine as a Framework for Health Equity: Principles for Lifestyle Medicine in Low-Resource Settings.” The paper explores “evidence that organized, multilevel and tailored disease prevention efforts targeting health equity are feasible on local, national, and global levels and can successfully narrow disparities in diverse groups around the world.” This framework, known as Community-Engaged Lifestyle Medicine or CELM, is defined as “the practice of preventing chronic disease and promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors via collaborative, multistakeholder, and community-engaged delivery of LM in diverse, low-income populations. Learn more about CELM

    In your application, you will be required to answer one of the below prompt questions:

    1) How does your interest in and desire to practice lifestyle medicine in under-resourced patient populations align with CELM?

    2) How does your innovative programming and work-to-date in under-resourced patient populations align with the CELM framework?

1. Create or sign in to your ACLM account and complete all required application questions.

2. Customize your personal statement as follows:

  • As applications to the HEAL Scholarship Program will be subject to a double-blind review, please do not provide any personally identifying information in your Personal Statement. To further assist this process, please omit names and affiliations. (For example, replace mention of a specific university with “a large, US-based research institution”; replace mention of a specific community health center with a brief description, e.g., “a federally qualified health center providing primary care in an urban community”). 
  • Please take this personal statement as an opportunity to describe your professional journey and how HEAL scholarship support would assist you as you further your practice. Consider including information along the following topics:  
    • What drew you to your chosen field or specialty? What drew you to LM within that work? 
    • Any LM work you have done in your community, workplace, health system, individual practice, or educational institution 
    • Specific ways you plan to utilize your training to benefit your patients, colleagues, and/or community 
    • Any examples of leadership and/or demonstrated commitment to health equity

3. Submit your application by March 1, 2025 (11:59 PST).

For questions, visit the ACLM Help Center. 

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