Student and Trainee Executive Board

The mission of the ACLM Trainee Executive Board is to advance the field of lifestyle medicine through the establishment of Lifestyle Medicine Interest Groups and Trainee lifestyle medicine education, leadership, scholarship, mentoring, and networking opportunities across the health professional education continuum. If you are interested in becoming involved with the ACLM Trainee E-Board and/or would like to learn more about Trainee-led initiatives, please reach out to trainees@lifestylemedicine.org.

Apply to join the ACLM Trainees Executive Board for 2025! Applications due Nov. 17th by 11:59 PM

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We extend our sincere appreciation to the Herzberg Family Wellness Foundation for generously supporting ACLM Student and Trainee Executive Board conference scholarships. Their contribution enables our dedicated board members to connect, share accomplishments, network for career development, and learn from leaders in the field of lifestyle medicine, fostering the growth of future healthcare leaders.

Meet the 2024 Trainee Executive Board Members

Brent Gawey 2
Trainee Executive President

Brent Gawey MD, MSCR

Lauren Vanderpool
Trainee Executive Vice President 

Lauren Vanderpool

Madeline Wong
Trainee Secretary

Madeline Wong

Laila Abujuma
Trainee VP of Development 

Laila Abujuma, CPT

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Trainee VP of Development 

Liz Marcedes 

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Trainee VP of Development 

Emily Ubbens 

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Trainee VP of Communications 

Amanda Orme 

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Trainee VP of Communications 

Kasandra Sanidad 

Gottfredson Nathan
Trainee VP of Education 

Nate Gottfredson

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Trainee VP of Education 

Yoav Jacob 

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Trainee VP of Research 

Kenny Kusnadi 

Justin Charles, MD – Trainee Executive President

Madeline Wong – Trainee Secretary

Thea Lananh Swenson – Trainee VP of Partnerships

Abby Joy Garcia – Trainee VP of LMIG Development

Nilofer Khan Habibullah, MD, MA, DipIBLM – Trainee VP of LMIG Development

Lauren Vanderpool – Trainee VP of Research

Elena Colussi-Pelaez – Trainee VP of Communications

Annika Lintvedt-Miller – Trainee VP of Communications

Tyler Anderson – Trainee VP of Education

Brent Gawey, MD, MS – Trainee VP of Education

Nathan Gottfredson – Trainee VP of Education

Jasmin Hundal MS, MD – Trainee VP of Education

Laila Abujuma, CPT – Trainee MIG Liaison

Matthew Zahn – Trainee MIG Liaision

 

Jadon Neuendorf – Trainee Executive VP of Education

Stas Amato – Trainee Executive VP of Research

Abby Joy Garcia – Trainee Executive VP of LMIG Development

Lora Stoianova – Trainee HEAL Liaison

Justin Charles, MD – Trainee Executive VP of Partnerships

Rianna Goetting Capelj – Trainee Executive VP of Communications

Leonie Dupuis – Trainee VP of Communications

Gabriella Hall – Trainee VP of Communications

Jasmin Aldridge – Trainee VP of Communications

Albert Barrera – Trainee Executive VP of Research

Stas Amato – Trainee VP of Research

Ashten Duncan – Trainee VP of Research

Megan Alexander – Trainee Executive VP of Education

Alexander Teshon – Trainee VP of Education

Kelsea Sendefur – Trainee VP of Education

Jadon Nuendorf – Trainee VP of Education

Robert Bhatia – Trainee VP of Development

Alyssa Kramer – Trainee VP of Development

Emmanuel Akpan Jr. – Trainee VP of Development

Ryan Herring – Trainee Residency Liaison

Richard Wolferz – Trainee Residency Liaison

Alex Kees – Trainee Co-president

Renae Thomas – Trainee Co-president

Renae Thomas – Trainee President

Ryan Herring – Trainee Executive Vice President

Alexandra Kees – Trainee Executive Vice President

Zach Burns – Trainee VP of Development

Tatiana Znayenko-Miller – Trainee VP of Development

Genevieve Saliuk – Trainee VP of Development

Aneeha Dalal – Trainee Executive Assistant

Megan Alexander – Trainee VP of Communications

Taylor Collignon – Trainee VP of Communications

Stephanie Looi – Trainee VP of Communications

Andrew Mock – Trainee VP of Education

Erica Veazey – Trainee VP of Education

Rianna Goetting – Trainee VP of Education

Joshika Money – Trainee Secretary

Albert Barrera – Trainee VP of Research

Brent Gawey 2

Brent Gawey MD, MSCR is a resident at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and is the current President of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine Trainee Executive Board. He sees Lifestyle Medicine as an encouraging and accessible approach to promoting systemic equity and global health-span. Through his role as president, he hopes to grow the awareness and practice of Lifestyle Medicine through supporting the next generation of healthcare professionals currently at the trainee level through increased access to ACLM educational resources, clinical fellowships, research opportunities, and networking events. He is excited to realize a future where preventative health is a core focus in the healthcare system and providers are empowered with the knowledge and tools provided by the ACLM to affect change. 

Lauren Vanderpool

Lauren Vanderpool is a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) student at Loma Linda University. She has been extremely passionate about Lifestyle Medicine since working on her Master’s in Nutrition at Clemson University. She is dedicated to improving population and community health through implementing Lifestyle Medicine efforts toward chronic disease prevention and reversal. Lauren is DipACLM certified and very much looks forward to advancing the field of Lifestyle Medicine through her involvement as an ACLM Trainee VP of Research.

Madeline Wong

Madeline Wong is a first year osteopathic medical student at Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine. As the Secretary for the Trainee Executive Board, she is looking forward to making contributions to further the mission of the group. Maddy’s lifestyle medicine journey began witnessing firsthand the impact that lifestyle had on the health of her family. Maddy is passionate about spreading the message of lifestyle medicine to promote the health and well-being of marginalized and vulnerable communities.

Laila Abujuma

My name is Laila Abujuma, and I am currently a second-year medical student at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. I am thrilled to serve on the ACLM Students & Trainee E-Board again this year as one of the VPs of Development!  

I’m originally from Southern Maryland and completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Maryland, where I earned a dual degree in Nutrition and Biology. While there, I worked as a fitness instructor, which sparked my initial interest in health and wellness. This interest led me to become certified as a Personal Trainer and after graduating, I continued to work as a personal trainer but later transitioned to working as a virtual health coach during the height of the pandemic.  

Through my roles, I had the opportunity to work one-on-one with individuals to help them reach their health goals, which solidified my desire to become a physician. I wanted to nurture similar meaningful relationships while being equipped with many more tools to improve patients’ health outcomes. The year before I started medical school, I had the privilege of working with Dr. Aruna Nathan who showed me Lifestyle Medicine in practice and inspired me to want to implement it into my future career. Going into medical school, I made it my goal to promote Lifestyle Medicine, and I became the founder and president of the Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group at our institution. Although I am not sure what area of medicine I want to eventually practice (PM&R is at the top of my list!), I want to be able to utilize effective coaching to help my patients prevent, treat, and reverse their conditions while improving their overall quality of life and well-being. 

Outside of academics, you can find me at the gym squatting, benching, or deadlifting in preparation for a future powerlifting meet or outside on a restorative walk. I love staying active, cooking healthy meals, and practicing balance by trying new restaurants and bubble tea spots with friends and family. 

I am grateful for the opportunity to serve on the Students & Trainee E-Board for a second time and look forward to working with my colleagues to promote Lifestyle Medicine within the Students and Trainee community! 

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My name is Liz Marcedes, and I am a second-year medical student at the University of South Carolina – School of Medicine Greenville (USCSOMG) in Greenville, South Carolina. I am excited to be serving this year as the Trainee VP of Development for the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. My interest in lifestyle medicine stems from my diagnosis of Crohn’s Disease when I was only 15 years old. With the support of my family and an amazing physician, I was able to forego a lifetime of medication in hopes of a lifestyle medicine-friendly option. I decided to try the specific carbohydrate diet (SCD) which is a diet designed to help relieve symptoms from Irritable Bowel Disease by eliminating complex carbohydrates. Discovering that food is medicine has completely changed my life. In less than a year on the SCD, I went into full remission from Crohn’s Disease. Lifestyle medicine has had such a positive impact on my well-being and has made me very passionate about bringing awareness of its benefits to others.  

During my first and second years of medical school at the USCSOMG, I have had the opportunity to serve as the President of our Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group (LMIG) under the council of Dr. Jennifer Trilk, PhD, FACSM, DipACLM from 2023-2024. I lead a team of six executive board members, and together we have hosted different events for our medical students and community based around the six pillars of lifestyle medicine. My experience serving as the President of our medical school’s LMIG has furthered my passion for leading and uniting others with a common interest in lifestyle medicine. I am very excited to work with other leaders who are passionate about lifestyle medicine at the national level.  

My goal as a future physician is to incorporate lifestyle medicine into my day-to-day work with patients. I want to educate and empower people to restore their own health by treating and reversing chronic diseases with the power of lifestyle medicine. Outside of medical school, I enjoy spending time with my loved ones, playing pickleball, hanging out with my friends, and practicing hot yoga. 

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Emily Ubbens is a second year medical student at the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, where she is the founder and outgoing president of the Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group. She has always been obsessed with all things Lifestyle Medicine, including plant-based cooking, yoga, meditation, and community service, and as soon as she found out it was a career path in 2019, she knew it would be a big part of her future. She hopes to be able to complete the lifestyle medicine residency curriculum upon graduation from MSUCOM. Emily is currently serving as a VP of Trainee Development on the ACLM Trainee E-Board. 

 

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Amanda Orme is a second-year medical student at Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine in New Jersey and will be serving on the VP of Communications team this year. Her experience with lifestyle medicine started in March of 2023 when she first learned of the ACLM, and her involvement in the organization has rapidly accelerated ever since. That same month, she founded an LMIG at her medical school and is serving as the president for the 2023-2024 academic year. Before starting an LMIG, Amanda had been involved in the wellness space for many years as a fitness instructor, intern with the Food and Wellness Network of Philadelphia, and volunteer at a local health clinic, Bienestar Pharmacy and Wellness Center.  

As a result of her leadership in these programs and establishment of an LMIG, she was awarded the 2023 Donald A. Pegg Student Leadership Award. This gave her the incredible opportunity to attend the 2023 Lifestyle Medicine conference in Denver, Colorado which inspired her to apply for the 2024 Trainee Executive Board.  

While she is still exploring residency options and future directions, Amanda cares most about providing specific, whole-person care to patients with an emphasis on meeting patients where they are at and helping them incorporate lifestyle medicine into their lives at their own pace.  

Amanda lives in South Jersey with her husband Christopher, who is an organic chemist, and their dog Otis. She enjoys playing with her pup, going on daily runs (currently on a streak of over 1 year running every day!), and crocheting stuffed animals. She is also currently pursuing a RYT-200 certification. 

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Kasandra Sanidad OMS-II, ACLM Trainees VP of Communication. D.O. Candidate, Class of 2026 at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. As a dedicated second-year medical student with a passion for lifestyle medicine, I am thrilled to be part of something much greater than myself. Within my family, I have seen heart disease and other chronic ailments harm the people I love most. I now know that many of these conditions could have been improved, prevented, or even reversed by Lifestyle Medicine. It has been a privilege to learn alongside such caring individuals in the lifestyle medicine community and it is my hope that I will be able to teach my family, future patients, and the world about all there is to know about ACLM and all we have to offer! 

Gottfredson Nathan

Nathan (Nate) Gottfredson was born in 1996 in the state of Washington, but moved to Saint George, UT when he was just 12 days old. There, in southern Utah, he developed interests in the outdoors including hiking, boating, fishing, and camping. He has also enjoyed playing all kinds of sports throughout his life and enjoys staying active and healthy. After graduating from high school with a 4.0 GPA, he put his education on hold while he served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Atlanta, Georgia. During his two years of service, Nate developed a deep passion for serving those in need and sought a career where he believed he could make the biggest difference in the world. Realizing the importance of health, he pursued a career in medicine and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science from Dixie State University in southern Utah. Nate was accepted into medical school at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine and is currently in his second year. He plans to pursue a career in Sports Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine as a physician. Along the way, Nate married his high school sweetheart, Skylar. They now how have two children, a girl and a boy, and plan to have several more kids during Nate’s medical training.

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Yoav Jacob is a third-year medical student at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, he’s excited to be serving as a Trainee VP of Education. Before medical school, Yoav attended a culinary program to receive a health-supportive culinary arts diploma. He loves exploring other cultures through their cuisine and hopes to build a future where the values of preventive and lifestyle medicine are engrained in both the health and food systems. He’s excited to get to work on furthering lifestyle education and promote its recognition in medical education system-wide. 

 

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My name is Kenny Kusnadi and I am a senior finishing up my Undergraduate studies in Lifestyle Medicine (minor in pre-healthcare and public health) in MSU Denver. I am currently serving as the Trainee VP of Research. My initial interest in Lifestyle Medicine stems from my dad who got type 2 diabetes who eventually got better because of his visit to a nutritionist where he implemented lifestyle medicine. With this in mind, some of my interest in Lifestyle Medicine includes WFPB nutrition, physical activity, and sleep. My current plan with Lifestyle Medicine is to go into research or a more public health intervention setting. With that being said, I am still open to other possibilities that Lifestyle Medicine holds. 

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