Abstract
With this AJLM issue dedicated to highlights of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine’s LM2021 conference, it seems only fitting to spark the interest of the journal’s readership with plans for our upcoming LM2022 conference in Orlando, Florida, scheduled for November 13–16, 2022. And could there not be a better conference theme than “Redesigning Healthcare Better” as we collectively refashion for a world grappling with solutions for the intersection of infectious disease, chronic disease, health equity, and escalating healthcare costs?
The ACLM organization and its members have been deeply focused on the solutions with which lifestyle medicine can accomplish the Quintuple Aim of improved patient outcomes, better patient satisfaction, health equity, reduced healthcare costs, and a more fulfilled provider workforce. This year’s conference will bring further expertise to these important topics so that members will be armed with advanced knowledge and skills to redesign their own healthcare communities.
While in-person attendance will be limited to 1900 persons, this year’s conference will become our first hybrid in-person and virtual conference to foster what we have found to be enormous interest from attendees in the US and abroad to consume increasingly rich lifestyle medicine education. In-person attendees will enjoy ACLM’s tradition of sharing soul-satisfying and nourishing meals together, silent auction, and live networking.
Feedback from last year’s participants shaped this year’s format to provide not just the latest research and clinical trends, but concurrent sessions for the first time will be offered in four different tracks: Allied Health Professionals, the Business of Lifestyle Medicine, the Science of Lifestyle Medicine, and the “How-To” of Lifestyle Medicine.
The Allied Health Professionals track will have topics of relevance to the clinical practice of registered dietitians, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, pharmacists, behavioral health providers, and health and wellness coaches. The Business of Lifestyle Medicine will have presentations designed to demonstrate the value of LM approaches to health systems executives, employers, insurance companies, and entrepreneurial start-ups as well as presentations on clinical models that are successfully creating improved health outcomes while being financially sustainable. The Science of Lifestyle Medicine track will provide attendees with innovative, evidence-based scientific updates to incorporate into practice, to educate patients and colleagues, and to advance their own research projects. The “How” of Lifestyle Medicine Track will have presentations related to shared medical appointments, team-based care, and health equity programs that reach vulnerable populations.
What would an ACLM conference be without hearing from iconic keynote speakers? To kick off the conference, 20th U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams will join a panel of our Health Equity Achieved Through Lifestyle Medicine (HEAL) leaders to discuss the role of lifestyle medicine in health equity. Author and gut health expert Will Bulsiewicz and food policy expert and author Marion Nestle will both be welcomed to the keynote stage. From the health systems integration angle, CEO Michael Katz, who is leading the integration of lifestyle medicine across New York Health Plan and Hospitals with the help of former ACLM board member Dr. Michelle McMacken, will tell us how this amazing development became possible and is progressing. Other keynote presentations will center on the business of redesigning healthcare by Forbes contributor, author, Stanford Medical School faculty member, and former CEO of The Permanente Medical Group, Robert Pearl, as well as Institute for Advancing Health Value (formerly Accountable Care Learning Collaborative) Executive Director, Eric Weaver.
The 2022 conference format will for the first time allow all in-person and virtual registrants to attend the annual awards event without added ticket pricing. We will be presenting the awards during a reception on Tuesday evening. Honorees will include the legendary Dr. Kenneth Cooper of the Cooper Institute (“father” of aerobic exercise) and, posthumously, exercise icon Jack LaLanne.
As is ACLM’s conference tradition, pre- and post-conference workshops will provide in-depth dives into a variety of topics at an additional registration charge. Topics include lifestyle medicine in community healthcare as well as in healthcare systems and behavior change science, workforce well-being, pediatric obesity, the lifestyle medicine education spectrum, women’s health, lifestyle medicine protocols and standardization in care, shared medical appointments, and optimizing exercise for all.
To those who are already registered for the conference as well as those who are considering registration: Do not miss the opportunity to immerse and enrich yourself with this year’s inspiring content and rich networking. Advance your LM career and lead forward to help redesign healthcare better!