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Lifestyle medicine for students & trainees: A fulfilling career path awaits

Are you a resident, student, or fellow interested in the field of lifestyle medicine? You’re not alone. As the fastest-growing medical specialty, lifestyle medicine (LM) is reshaping the future of healthcare, improving lives through evidence-based, whole-person approaches and offering a purpose-driven career path tied to tangible impact.

Explore lifestyle medicine

We know you might have lots of questions. Find some answers that will help guide your investigations below.

Lifestyle medicine (LM) is an evidence-based medical specialty that uses therapeutic lifestyle interventions to treat, reverse, and prevent chronic conditions, including cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.

It is a vast, innovative field of medicine that’s experiencing rapid growth. LM supports behavior changes through the six interconnected pillars of lifestyle medicine: optimal nutrition, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, connectedness, and risky substance avoidance. With therapeutic goals of health restoration and medication de-escalation, lifestyle medicine offers hope and healing for clinicians and patients.

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Practicing lifestyle medicine strengthens the therapeutic relationship between clinician and patient through a collaborative process focused on treating and reversing chronic disease, restoring health, and improving overall patient outcomes.

Many healthcare professionals find that this approach brings renewed meaning to their clinical practice. It not only enhances patient outcomes but also improves job satisfaction, reduces burnout, and supports a more connected, purpose-driven approach to care.

More than 300 academic programs across the U.S. incorporate lifestyle medicine. ACLM maintains a list of approved schools here (updated yearly).

Academic Program Directory

Lifestyle medicine offers a pathway to a meaningful, fulfilling career. There are many jobs available to certified lifestyle medicine professionals around the country and at all points in the career path – including both part-time and full-time work.

For a more comprehensive discussion of career opportunities, see  Care Through Collaboration: Lifestyle Medicine Career Panel.

As a student or trainee, you can visit ACLM’s Academic Program Directory to learn more about lifestyle medicine certification pathways in medical schools, residency programs, and health professional programs. Upon graduation and completion of an approved pathway, you can become certified in lifestyle medicine as a physician or health professional.

Lifestyle Medicine Residency Curriculum

Preparing residents for what’s next in healthcare

The Lifestyle Medicine Residency Curriculum (LMRC) enables institutions to deliver a comprehensive, evidence-based educational experience that prepares tomorrow’s physicians to not only treat, reverse and prevent chronic disease, but also to enhance outcomes for themselves and the communities they will care for.

Upon completion of the LMRC and graduation from residency, residents are eligible for lifestyle medicine certification.

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Join ACLM as a student, resident, or fellow member

Join our community at a discounted rate, participate in Member Interest Groups (MIGs) related to your career interests, and get expert advice through our Mentor Match program.

Join Today

Other ways to engage

Attend our annual conference

Receive significantly discounted registration or scholarship to join virtually or in-person and experience LM in action.

Conference 

Listen to our Podcast

Next Gen LM: Mentorship in Medicine – learn from professionals in the field about their experience.

Listen on Spotify

Watch us on YouTube

Sit back and watch our video series that explores a wide range of lifestyle medicine topics.

Watch on YouTube

Lifestyle Medicine Interest Groups

Campus Life

Start a Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group (LMIG)

Across the country, students are leading the charge by launching lifestyle medicine interest groups on their campuses—creating spaces for learning, advocacy, and connection. ACLM is proud to support these student-driven initiatives.

Ready to start one at your institution? Begin by accessing our LMIG Toolkit, find faculty support, and engage peers who share your passion.

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Scholarships

We are committed to expanding access to lifestyle medicine education and certification. Through our scholarship opportunities, we support students, trainees, faculty, and professionals in advancing their lifestyle medicine journey by removing financial barriers.

Learn about Scholarships

Leadership Opportunties

Student and Trainee Executive Board

As an ACLM student member there is an opportunity for you to serve on the Trainee Executive Board. This group advances the field of lifestyle medicine through mentoring, and networking opportunities across the health professional education continuum.

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