In just two years, ACLM has gone from a newly inducted member of the AMA House of Delegates to an increasingly influential voice in organized medicine. This retrospective recaps ACLM’s presence at the 2026 AMA annual meeting, as well as ACLM’s path to growing policy impact, successful resolutions, expanding representation, and strategic partnerships within the AMA.
The American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates (HOD) is the central policymaking body of organized medicine in the United States. The HOD is where national priorities are debated, policy direction is set, and emerging fields like lifestyle medicine gain recognition and influence.
For the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM), participation in the HOD has been more than a milestone—it has been a catalyst for elevating lifestyle medicine within organized medicine. Since gaining representation in 2024, ACLM has helped shape policy discussions, build strategic partnerships, and increase recognition of lifestyle medicine as the standard of care.
2026: An impactful year for lifestyle medicine
ACLM’s influence was evident throughout the 2026 AMA Annual Meeting June 5-10 in Chicago, where the medical professional society advanced key policy priorities, expanded strategic partnerships, and saw lifestyle medicine recognized at the highest levels of AMA leadership.
ACLM was represented by Delegates Meagan Grega, MD, FACLM, DipABLM, and Andrew Mock, MD, MPH, FACLM, DipABLM, DipABPM, DipABFM, DipABOM, as well as Alternate Delegates Sam Lin, MD, PhD, MBA, MPA, MS, and ACLM’s new CEO John Findley, MD, CPE. ACLM Member and Resident Delegate to the Resident and Fellow Section Shelly Bogue, MD, also participated.
ACLM’s increasing visibility within the AMA was highlighted in Chicago through the inclusion of the topic of lifestyle medicine in the address of AMA President and ACLM Member Bobby Mukkamala, MD, DipABLM.
ACLM sponsored or co-sponsored seven resolutions spanning multiple reference committees. All were either adopted or referred for further study, with none rejected. These resolutions addressed a wide range of priority topics, including:
- Rural health transformation
- Integration of lifestyle approaches with pharmacotherapy in obesity care
- Food quality and safety standards
- Cardiovascular risk reduction through nutrition
- Sleep, circadian rhythm and occupational health
ACLM was also invited to join the AMA Mobility Caucus, a group representing more than 20 specialty organizations focused on physical activity, function, and healthy aging. Additional engagement with cardiology, military medicine, various sections, regional and state delegations, and specialty societies reinforces that lifestyle medicine connects with and applies to many disciplines and specialties across healthcare.
Lifestyle medicine’s influence within the AMA is also reflected in the individuals shaping the future of medicine, with ABLM diplomates increasingly represented across AMA leadership roles, such as the Board of Trustees, councils, and sections focused on science, policy, and physician development. Among these is ACLM Mental and Behavioral Health MIG leader Tiffani Bell Washington, MD, MPH, MBA, FOMA, FAPA, FACLM, FAMWA, DFAACAP, DipABOM, DipABLM, who was named chair of the American Medical Association Women Physicians Section for 2026-2027.
ACLM’s engagement also extends to the next generation of physicians. Through outreach to the Medical Student Section, ACLM is building awareness and interest early in medical careers. These efforts align closely with ACLM’s overarching policy priorities, including the integration of lifestyle medicine education into training programs for physicians and health professionals.
2025: Resolution and education activity
2025 was a pivotal year because ACLM gained its second seat in the HOD. Seats are earned by the number of a group’s reflective AMA membership. A ratio of one seat in the HOD reflects 1,000 AMA members within an organization.
ACLM HOD Delegates, Cate Collings MD, MS, FACC, DipABLM, FACLM, Dr. Grega, along with Alternate Delegates Dr. Lin and Dr. Mock, made a big debut by developing a set of resolutions addressing:
- Medicaid innovation through Section 1115 waivers
- Coverage for food and nutrition services
- Lifestyle and culinary medicine in physician training
- Patient education on ultra-processed foods
Dr. Grega also hosted a well-received and attended education session on ultra-processed food.
2024: Induction into the House of Delegates
ACLM’s induction into the AMA House of Delegates marked a turning point for the field of lifestyle medicine, signaling that behavior change and root-cause care had earned a formal voice within organized medicine. Our seat in the HOD created opportunities to introduce and influence policy, increase awareness and educate others about the field, collaborate with various specialty societies across medicine and elevate lifestyle medicine as a credible and necessary component of high-value care.
We approached entry into the AMA with intentionality. Within the HOD, ACLM established its “home” in the Section Council on Preventive Medicine and Public Health (SCPMPH), engaging alongside peer organizations focused on prevention and health systems improvement.
Looking to the future
ACLM’s trajectory within the AMA is promising. Looking ahead, continued alignment across education, payment reform, and quality measurement will be critical. The opportunity is not just to advance policy, but to reshape how care is delivered, how physicians are trained, and how health is defined.
ACLM’s engagement with the AMA is helping to ensure that lifestyle medicine is not only part of that future but a central driver of it.
ACLM would like to thank and acknowledge the AMA delegates, alternate delegates, and other representatives mentioned in this blog and those who have contributed to ACLM’s advancement within the AMA. We would also like to thank ACLM members who maintain AMA member status, which ensures we can maintain our representation in the HOD.
Become an ACLM Member
Help shape the future of medicine
ACLM’s growing voice within the AMA is powered by an engaged community of physicians and health professionals committed to advancing lifestyle medicine. As a member, you strengthen our collective influence, support representation in organized medicine, and help accelerate the adoption of lifestyle medicine as the standard of care.