American College of Lifestyle Medicine announces

The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) today announced the 26 recipients of the Health Equity Achieved Through Lifestyle Medicine (HEAL) Fellowships that support lifestyle medicine leaders working to reduce health disparities. healthcare in historically underserved communities across the United States.

HEAL Fellowships provide financial support for recipients to obtain training and certification in lifestyle medicine and help them build relationships in the field that lead to an exchange of ideas and innovations to create health equity solutions. They also support the diversification of the lifestyle medicine clinician workforce.

More than 60% of the American adult population and 25% of children suffer from at least one chronic disease. Chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes disproportionately affect vulnerable populations such as black and Latino communities. Additionally, in communities where access to health care, healthy food, and strong educational and economic opportunities is reduced, people often must overcome significant barriers to making healthy, evidence-based lifestyle choices. that have been shown to prevent, treat and even reverse chronic diseases.

“For many chronic diseases, medical guidelines recommend addressing lifestyle as a first treatment option, but far too many healthcare professionals lack the knowledge and training to help patients perform lifestyle interventions. successfully or fail to recognize the social determinants that make these lifestyle changes difficult for patients to achieve,” said ACLM President Cate Collings, MD, MS, FACC, DipABLM. “The class 2022 of HEAL Scholars represents a diverse healthcare workforce who understands these challenges and is motivated to become certified in lifestyle medicine to educate, empower and encourage the communities they serve.We are proud to support these future leaders in medicine of lifestyle.

The ACLM founded the HEAL initiative to promote health equity through lifestyle medicine. Fellows receive a one-year ACLM membership, registration and a travel allowance for the organization’s annual conference, and registration for the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine exam. HEAL Fellowships are made possible through the financial support of the Ardmore Institute of Health, the Martin Family Foundation, and other generous donors.

The ACLM will accept applications for the next cohort of HEAL Scholars in early 2023.

2022 HEAL Scholarship Recipients

Alyssa Hernandez Pena, AP-C

Otorhinolaryngology, Head and neck surgery

Associates in Ear, Nose, Throat and Plastic Surgery

Advent Health Hospital

Orlando, Florida

Annalissa Vicencio, MA, LCAT, MT-BC, NBC-HWC

Registered Creative Arts Therapist – Board Certified Music Therapist; National Board Certified-Health and Wellness Coach, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY PhD Student in Rehabilitation Sciences at New York University – Steinhardt,

New York, NY

Benjamin Hayes, MD

Senior Faculty Physician, Internal Medicine Residency, Northside Hospital Gwinnett

Lawrenceville, Georgia

Brittany Wilkerson, MPAS, PA-C

Assistant Professor, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Little Rock, Arkansas

Chaka Brittain, DNP AGPCNP-BC

Assistant Professor, University of North Florida

Jacksonville, Florida

Charlene Edwards, RN, MA, MSBS

Outreach Clinical Educator, Basic Health and Community Development Services

Dayton, Ohio

Chimene Castor, PhD, RDN, CHES

Associate Professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences

College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences

Howard University, DC

Jamal Lawrence, MD

Family Physician and CEO, Harvest Health MD

Savannah, Georgia

Joseph Salami, MD, MPH

Internal medicine resident

Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, Florida

Kamilah Williams, MD

Metabolic Health Consultant

New Albany, Ohio

Kortnee Roberson Cooper, MD

Senior Vaccine Defense Provider, Heartland Alliance, and Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

Lataya De Jesus, BSN, RN, FNP-DNPS

PhD Candidate, Ohio State University

College of Nursing

Cutler, Ohio

Latoya Johnson, PA-C

Copiah Comprehensive Health Center,

Hazlehurst, MS

Lauren B. Johnson, PhD, MEd

Clinical Psychologist, Robins Air Force Base

Warner Robins, Georgia

Lisabeth M. Alvarez, RN, BSN

DNP Student, Florida International University

Miami, Florida

Marcqwon Daywalker, MD

Director of Health and Wellness

Integrative family physician

AccessHealth Community Health Centers

Margarita Ramos, MD, MPH

Advanced Specialist in Skin and Wound Reconstruction, Board Certified in Preventive Medicine, CEO and Founder of PRVN MED

Dorado, Puerto Rico

Margarita Schneider-Munoz, MD, MPH

Internal Medicine, San Ysidro Health Center

San Diego, California

Maria Lohr, MD

Family doctor, SAC health system

San Bernardino, California

Mechell Duran, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, BC-ADM, CDCES, NBC-HWC

President, Healthy Yields

Pembroke Pines, Florida

Nana Yaa Kwarteng, FNP

Wildwood Institute of Health

Wildwood, Georgia

Randi Howard, physiotherapist

Head of Industrial PT Clinic, BMW-Plant Spartanburg

Sole Owner of Covenant Care Solutions, LLC

Duncan, South Carolina

Rosandra Daywalker, MD, Ph.D. (c)

physician in occupational and environmental medicine; NIOSH CDC Total worker health®Expert

Houston, TX

Sarah Yancey, AP-C

Capital Region Health Network (RCSA)

Richmond, Virginia

Tanyka Sam, MD, MPH

Internist

Brooklyn, New York

Bisi Alli, DO, MS, FACP

Founder and Owner, WellNEST Medicine

Assistant Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, expert in quality improvement and patient safety as a LEAN Six Sigma Black Belt,

AWMA Board of Directorss

Phoenix, Arizona area

About the ACLM

The ACLM is the medical professional society that provides quality education and certification to those dedicated to the clinical and workplace practice of evidence-based lifestyle medicine as the foundation of a transformed and sustainable healthcare system. The ACLM educates, equips, empowers and supports its members as they provide evidence-based lifestyle medicine as the first treatment option in clinical practice and workplaces through live events and online CME and CE accredited and educational offerings, certification, clinical practice tools, patient education resources, economic research, networking opportunities, and advocacy efforts. ACLM members are united in their desire to identify and eradicate the root cause of disease and restore health.

###

---

---