Medical Education

Lifestyle Medicine and Integrative Health

The Concentration on Lifestyle Medicine and Integrative Health seeks to encourage scholarly work in lifestyle medicine, which encompasses a wide variety of preventive modalities and methods in order to better educate and equip medical students with the knowledge and experience to become future leaders in the field of prevention of chronic disease.

Concentration Directors

Mariah Stump, M.D., MPH, FACP, DipABLM
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Clinician Educator 
The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Medical Acupuncturist, Certified Yoga and Mindful Movement Instructor
Diplomate, Integrative and Lifestyle Medicine
Mstump@lifespan.org

 

Introduction

Despite the major advances of biomedical science during the 20th century, physicians have become increasingly burdened by the difficulties and challenges of treating chronic illnesses, and patients have grown wary of medicine’s over-reliance on technology and of the potentially harmful side effects of pharmaceuticals and invasive procedures. The field of lifestyle medicine is the use of evidence-based lifestyle therapeutic interventions—nutrition/dietary choices, physical movement/exercise, reduction of toxins (substances and environmental), social connectivity/stress reduction and restorative sleep as a primary modality to prevent, treat, and even reverse chronic disease. 

While the term “Lifestyle Medicine” is relatively new in its branding/labeling, the concept of prevention are the roots and foundation of conventional medicine. Almost all major chronic disease guidelines support lifestyle measures as the first line of treatment for the prevention and management of chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and many common cancers such as breast cancer. The rise in chronic disease trends and related healthcare spending in the United States and in many other countries is unsustainable. However, given that 80% or more of all healthcare spending in the U.S. is tied to the treatment of conditions rooted in poor lifestyle choices, a focus on medical students being aware of the evidence-based guidelines in the practices of lifestyle medicine is paramount.

This scholarly concentration seeks to encourage scholarly work in lifestyle medicine which encompasses a wide variety of preventive modalities and methods in order to better educate and equip medical students with the knowledge and experience to become future leaders in the field of prevention of chronic disease. While often thought that this field is only applicable to future primary care providers this is not the case—nearly every specialty in medicine can glean value and benefit from putting prevention and lifestyle measures more paramount in their discipline. 

 

 

Description 

Areas of interest  considered in this concentration include nutrition, exercise, sleep, weight loss, stress management, and evidence-based integrative health approaches (e.g., acupuncture, tai chi, yoga, mindfulness training). Other topics of interest within the realm of lifestyle medicine and integrative health can be discussed with the directors on a case-by-case basis. 

To facilitate the students’ choice of the best way to deepen their interest in a specific discipline, we have identified two tracks. Within each track, didactics and plans will be tailored to the needs and interests of each student. Coursework is entirely optional. 

Once students have selected a field of interest, they will work with the Directors to choose the track that best matches the student’s interest, choose a Mentor, and develop a didactic plan in collaboration with the Mentor. For both tracks, deliverables must include a scientific abstract and/or manuscript.

 

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I. Research track

This track emphasizes research and methodological approaches to lifestyle interventions and integrative health. Possible projects include secondary data analyses from existing projects and datasets; summer research assistantships on existing projects; conducting systematic literature reviews. Studies involving collection of new data are allowed but have to be discussed with the Mentor and the Directors on a case-by-case basis.

 

Resources:

 

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II. Community project track

This track emphasizes volunteer work and advocacy in the Brown community and in the Providence and Rhode Island community at large.  Projects include, for example, launching a project involving minorities or underserved populations; volunteering at food banks, the Providence Community Acupuncture Center; offering lifestyle or integrative medicine interventions at community centers; delivering a sustainable intervention to underserved areas in collaboration with RI Parks and Recreation. 

 

 

Year 1: Summer project. The project lasts 18 weeks and has to be completed within the summer. Competitive applications for funding ($3,750 per student) are due in February.

Year 2-4: Students continue working on their projects using protected time (Wednesdays).

Year 4: All students will give a presentation describing findings, accomplishments, and challenges encountered during the Concentration.

  • Monthly Concentrators’ Meetings: held in person or remotely every first Tuesday (TBD) of the month to discuss new ideas, scientific papers, project issues, and schmooze! 
  • Journal Club (led by concentrators) 
  • Mentors (alphabetical order): 

Ellen Flynn, MD is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Dr. Flynn received a medical degree from University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Massachusetts. She completed a residency in adult psychiatry at University of Massachusetts Medical School. She trained in psychosomatic medicine, completing a fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, and holds a master of theological studies degree from Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Dr. Flynn was awarded formal certification as a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) instructor from the Center for Mindfulness, Oasis Institute at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. eflynn@lifespan.org

Nancy Lasson, DO, FACP, DipACLM is the Director of Primary Care at the Women’s Medicine Collaborative.  She is board certified in Internal Medicine and an American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) certified Diplomat of Lifestyle Medicine.  Dr. Lasson’s clinical interests include preventive medicine, especially cholesterol management; coronary artery disease and cancer screening; end-of-life care for patients and their families; and mindfulness practices. She is currently pursuing certification to be a facilitator for Unwinding Anxiety, a habit change program (health value aware winner 2019 and 2020) and is running a Shared Medical Appointment for anxiety patients.Nlasson@lifespan.org

John McGonigle, MD. Clinical Assistant Professor of Family Medicine, Director of Sage Collaborative Health Clinic. Clinical interests include integrative medicine, homeopathy, natural medicine and mind-body medicine.  John_Mcgonigle@brown.edu

Elena Salmoirago-Blotcher, MD, PhD, FAHA is a Senior Research Scientist at the Centers for Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, The Miriam Hospital; an Associate Professor of Medicine & Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the Brown University School of Medicine; and an Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the Brown University School of Public Health. She is also Senior Faculty at the Center for Mindfulness, Brown University and a mindfulness instructor. After a 20-year experience as a cardiologist in her native Italy, Dr. Salmoirago-Blotcher came to realize that efforts to treat cardiovascular (CV) disease cannot be successful without lasting and sustainable change in lifestyle. This prompted her to launch a research career in behavioral cardiology. Her research program focuses on the role of psychosocial factors in the development of CV disease and on novel strategies targeting psycho-behavioral factors to promote CV health. 

Elena_Salmoirago-Blotcher@brown.edu
https://vivo.brown.edu/display/esalmoir 
https://mindandheartlab.org

 

Mariah Stump, MD, MPH, FACP is an attending physician in Women's Primary Care at the Women's Medicine Collaborative and a medical acupuncturist at the Brown University Health Lifestyle Center. Dr. Stump is an Assistant Professor of Medicine, Clinician Educator at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. Dr. Stump’s research interests include non-pharmacologic approaches to Fibromyalgia including the shared medical appointment model for the treatment of chronic pain, acupuncture in postpartum depression and movement and yoga and its role in women’s health conditions. She is fellowship trained in Integrative Medicine through the Weil Center for Integrative Medicine. She is the co-faculty mentor for the Lifestyle Medicine Interest group and the Course director for the Introduction to Lifestyle Medicine elective as well as the pre-clinical elective Food and Health. She is passionate about educating medical students and residents in Lifestyle Medicine and Integrative Medicine as well as implementation of these into the medical student and resident curricula. A certified yoga instructor and mindful movement practitioner she enjoys spreading joy, empowerment and healing through movement. 

Mariah_Stump@brown.edu  
Mstump@lifespan.org