Next Gen LM: Mentorship in Medicine

What does it take to turn student interest into a lasting, high-impact initiative?

In this episode of LM in Motion, host Dawson Myers sits down with Jillian Lopez, second-year medical student at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, to explore how she helped bring lifestyle medicine education to life across three campuses.

Recognizing a gap in formal medical training, Jillian set out to create a space where students could learn, connect, and engage with lifestyle medicine in a meaningful, practical way. The result: a multi-campus Lifestyle Medicine Mini Conference designed to introduce future clinicians to evidence-based prevention and whole-person care.

Together, they discuss:
How she identified an unmet need within medical education

What it took to plan and execute a multi-campus event

The role of mentorship, teamwork, and early planning

Challenges like scheduling, logistics, and unexpected weather

How this model can be replicated at other institutions

This episode highlights how small, student-led initiatives can create ripple effects—shaping future clinical practice and expanding the reach of lifestyle medicine.

🎧 Whether you’re a trainee, educator, or clinician, you’ll leave with practical ideas for building community, advancing education, and turning passion into action.

Subscribe to ACLM on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsjJsNjWtUf30LiofumGRfQ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) is the medical professional society for physicians and other professionals dedicated to clinical and worksite practice of lifestyle medicine as the foundation of a transformed and sustainable healthcare system. Lifestyle medicine is a medical specialty that uses therapeutic lifestyle interventions as a primary modality to treat chronic conditions including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. 

Lifestyle medicine-certified clinicians are trained to apply evidence-based, whole-person, prescriptive lifestyle change to treat and, when used intensively, often reverse such conditions. Applying the six pillars of lifestyle medicine—a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connections—also provides effective prevention for these conditions.

Connect with ACLM Online!

Visit lifestylemedicine.org: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://lifestylemedicine.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Find ACLM on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/lifestylemed/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Find ACLM on X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/ACLifeMed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Find ACLM on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/aclifemed/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Find ACLM on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/american-college-of-lifestyle-medicine/

In this episode of the Next Gen LM Podcast, we explore how lifestyle medicine can help clinicians provide more compassionate, patient-centered care for people living with obesity and chronic disease. From incorporating lifestyle counseling into busy primary care visits to overcoming stigma, misinformation, and barriers to healthy living, this conversation highlights practical ways physicians can empower patients to make sustainable changes.

We are joined by Dr. Varshi Thanikonda, a board-certified internal medicine physician with Hartford HealthCare Medical Group, whose clinical work focuses on chronic disease management, diabetes care, weight management, and sustainable lifestyle changes. Dr. Konda shares her journey from primary care into obesity medicine and lifestyle medicine, including how her training gave her practical tools to translate evidence-based medicine into language patients can understand and use.

She discusses the importance of starting with one actionable lifestyle change, using person-first language when discussing obesity, listening to patients' priorities, and meeting people where they are—including considering socioeconomic barriers to healthy food, physical activity, behavioral health, and other lifestyle interventions. She also explores the opportunities and challenges of social media in shaping conversations about obesity and health misinformation.

By the end of the episode, listeners will gain practical insights into incorporating lifestyle medicine into time-limited clinical visits, building patient self-efficacy, addressing weight stigma, navigating misinformation, and developing the listening and communication skills needed to deliver truly patient-centered care.

Whether you are a medical student, resident, or practicing clinician, this conversation offers actionable advice for bringing lifestyle medicine into your own career—and starting with small changes that can make a meaningful difference.

Subscribe to ACLM on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsjJsNjWtUf30LiofumGRfQ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) is the medical professional society for physicians and other professionals dedicated to clinical and worksite practice of lifestyle medicine as the foundation of a transformed and sustainable healthcare system. Lifestyle medicine is a medical specialty that uses therapeutic lifestyle interventions as a primary modality to treat chronic conditions including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. 

Lifestyle medicine-certified clinicians are trained to apply evidence-based, whole-person, prescriptive lifestyle change to treat and, when used intensively, often reverse such conditions. Applying the six pillars of lifestyle medicine—a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connections—also provides effective prevention for these conditions.

Connect with ACLM Online!

Visit lifestylemedicine.org: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://lifestylemedicine.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Find ACLM on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/lifestylemed/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Find ACLM on X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/ACLifeMed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Find ACLM on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/aclifemed/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Find ACLM on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/american-college-of-lifestyle-medicine/

What if one of the leading preventable causes of cancer is also one of the most overlooked?

In this episode of LM in Motion, host Dawson Myers sits down with Dr. Elizabeth Farkouh, Internal Medicine resident at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Clinical Fellow at Harvard Medical School, to explore a powerful, trainee-led initiative focused on alcohol use and breast cancer risk.

Despite alcohol being a known carcinogen—and a significant contributor to breast cancer risk—many patients remain unaware of the connection. Dr. Farkouh shares how this gap in awareness inspired her to develop a scalable educational intervention during medical school, using simple tools to create real-world impact.

Together, they walk through:
How she identified the problem and built momentum around it

The process of turning an idea into a funded, research-backed project

The challenges of gaining buy-in and navigating limited resources

Early insights from her ongoing randomized controlled trial

Practical advice for trainees looking to launch their own initiatives

This episode is a reminder that meaningful change in healthcare doesn’t always require complex solutions—it starts with identifying a gap, taking action, and empowering patients with the information they deserve.

🎧 Whether you’re a trainee, clinician, or lifestyle medicine leader, you’ll walk away with tangible ideas for bringing prevention-focused care into practice.

Review Dr. Farkouh's research: ⁠https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf548

Subscribe to ACLM on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsjJsNjWtUf30LiofumGRfQ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) is the medical professional society for physicians and other professionals dedicated to clinical and worksite practice of lifestyle medicine as the foundation of a transformed and sustainable healthcare system. Lifestyle medicine is a medical specialty that uses therapeutic lifestyle interventions as a primary modality to treat chronic conditions including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. 

Lifestyle medicine-certified clinicians are trained to apply evidence-based, whole-person, prescriptive lifestyle change to treat and, when used intensively, often reverse such conditions. Applying the six pillars of lifestyle medicine—a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connections—also provides effective prevention for these conditions.

Connect with ACLM Online!

Visit lifestylemedicine.org: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://lifestylemedicine.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Find ACLM on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/lifestylemed/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Find ACLM on X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/ACLifeMed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Find ACLM on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/aclifemed/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Find ACLM on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/american-college-of-lifestyle-medicine/

In this episode of the Next Gen LM Podcast, we explore how lifestyle medicine is reshaping the future of gastroenterology and empowering the next generation of physicians to transform patient care. From board certification during fellowship to pioneering new models of care, this conversation highlights how evidence-based lifestyle interventions can complement specialty practice and improve outcomes for patients living with chronic disease.

We are joined by Dr. Teresa Da Cunha, a board-certified lifestyle medicine physician and gastroenterologist, who shares her journey from discovering lifestyle medicine during fellowship to incorporating its principles into clinical practice, research, and patient education. She discusses her passion for bringing lifestyle medicine into gastroenterology, her research on inflammatory bowel disease, and her vision for implementing shared medical appointments to help patients achieve lasting behavior change.

By the end of the episode, listeners will gain practical insights into pursuing lifestyle medicine training during residency or fellowship, integrating the six pillars into specialty care, and advocating for a healthcare system that prioritizes prevention alongside treatment. Whether you are a student, trainee, or practicing clinician, this conversation offers inspiration for bringing lifestyle medicine into your own career and creating meaningful change for your patients.
Learn more about the Foundations Lifestyle Medicine Board Review course: https://learning.lifestylemedicine.org/content/foundations-lifestyle-medicine-board-review-course-30-cmece#group-tabs-node-course-default1

Learn more about the Lifestyle Medicine Question Bank: https://learning.lifestylemedicine.org/content/lifestyle-medicine-question-bank

Register for the Lifestyle Medicine 2026 Conference: https://lifestylemedicine.org/lm2026/

Review Dr. Da Cunha's research: https://doi.org/10.1177/15598276261462804

Subscribe to ACLM on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsjJsNjWtUf30LiofumGRfQ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) is the medical professional society for physicians and other professionals dedicated to clinical and worksite practice of lifestyle medicine as the foundation of a transformed and sustainable healthcare system. Lifestyle medicine is a medical specialty that uses therapeutic lifestyle interventions as a primary modality to treat chronic conditions including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. 

Lifestyle medicine-certified clinicians are trained to apply evidence-based, whole-person, prescriptive lifestyle change to treat and, when used intensively, often reverse such conditions. Applying the six pillars of lifestyle medicine—a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connections—also provides effective prevention for these conditions.

Connect with ACLM Online!

Visit lifestylemedicine.org: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://lifestylemedicine.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Find ACLM on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/lifestylemed/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Find ACLM on X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/ACLifeMed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Find ACLM on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/aclifemed/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Find ACLM on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/american-college-of-lifestyle-medicine/

In this episode of the Next Gen LM Podcast, we explore the transformative power of mentorship and the profound impact that guidance, connection, and coaching can have on a career in lifestyle medicine. Through a unique cross-continental mentorship relationship, we examine how mentorship can help emerging leaders navigate uncertainty, uncover new possibilities, and build meaningful careers dedicated to improving health.

We are joined by Simon Matthews, psychologist, lifestyle medicine educator, coach, and Fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, and Dr. Rasarie Wimalana, a lifestyle medicine physician and founder of one of Sri Lanka’s first lifestyle medicine initiatives. Together, they share the story of how they connected through ACLM’s Mentor Match Program and how their relationship evolved into a transformative partnership.

By the end of the episode, listeners will gain a deeper appreciation for the power of mentorship, the importance of seeking support, and the opportunities that emerge when experienced professionals and emerging leaders learn from one another. Whether you are a student, clinician, or seasoned lifestyle medicine practitioner, this conversation offers inspiration for building meaningful connections and advancing the future of health together.

Learn more about ACLM's Mentor Match Program: https://lifestylemedicine.org/fostering-growth-through-connection-a-mentor-match-success-story/

Learn more about the work ACLM is doing for the next generation of healthcare professionals: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://lifestylemedicine.org/student/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with ACLM Online!

Visit lifestylemedicine.org: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://lifestylemedicine.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Find ACLM on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/lifestylemed/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Find ACLM on X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/ACLifeMed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Find ACLM on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/aclifemed/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Find ACLM on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/american-college-of-lifestyle-medicine/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Subscribe to ACLM on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsjJsNjWtUf30LiofumGRfQ⁠