Abstract
It has almost been a year since a wintery storm dropped several inches of snow that covered the grounds at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center as we arrived in Denver for LM2023. The weather did not dampen the enthusiasm and buzz of excitement as we kicked off the annual American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) conference.
Pre-conference workshops spanned the weekend with sold out seats, setting the stage as we welcomed over 2000 participants (plus over 1000 virtually!) arriving from across the country and around the world, checking in for the main event. Watching joyful reunions among the returning attendees and seeing the excitement of those attending for the first time was equally gratifying—the social connections pillar happening in real time!
Speaking of pillars being modeled, nutrition is always well-represented with delicious whole-food plant-based meals served daily as a part of the conference, including many scrumptious desserts! Physical activity opportunities abound with morning group workout sessions, the resort gym, and for those who braved the 10º chill Monday morning, a brisk 5K at 5280 ft above sea level! In true Colorado fashion, the sun and pleasant temperatures soon returned and many ventured outdoors to get a dose of nature in the warm fall sun, enjoying walks around the grounds or even a dip in the outdoor pool. We recognize experiential learning opportunities, both formal and informal, are a vital part of our conference experience!
The didactic sessions occurred in the form of keynote and concurrent session presentations, able to be viewed live either in person or virtually, and then later as recordings, allowing participants flexibility in their conference attendance and continuing education credit accumulation. Four tracks take the conference in multiple directions, allowing participants to attend what appeals to their educational needs. Sessions were given by luminaries and newcomers, individuals, duos and panels, covering the gamut of lifestyle medicine with topics focused on areas such as education, collaboration, business, clinical practice, specific demographics and conditions, research, and of course hitting all the foundational pillars of lifestyle medicine along the way. Our experts represented many professional backgrounds including MD/DO, PhD, Nursing, PA, RDN, PT, OT, Podiatry, MBA, SW, coaches and more. Having representation from such a wide breadth of healthcare professionals is vital, encouraging us to build teams that maximize the effectiveness and delivery of lifestyle medicine.
We saw important themes represented in our sessions, telltale signs of where concerns lie for our population with health equity, health care systems, reimbursement, substance abuse and pediatrics often coming to the forefront. These made us aware of the need for continuing advocacy and policy changes to truly build healthy and sustainable lifestyles for all people from all walks of life. Presenters did not hesitate to point out the institutional and structural inequities that have been built into our systems, showing us communities that have tackled these issues and demonstrating the power of lifestyle medicine to create positive change. We not only learned about better care for our patients, but ways to improve our own self-care, a vital need in the challenging environments healthcare workers are currently experiencing. And speaking of environments, in addition to caring for people, lifestyle medicine embraces ways we can better care for our planet and all who inhabit it.
In between sessions, energetic conversations filled the vendor hall, dining hall, and book signings, spilling out into the common areas where groups gathered for conversations and photo ops with their friends and lifestyle medicine celebrities. Poster sessions drew interested crowds, eager to hear the many presentations or to view the posters on their own. With over 130 posters accepted, 4 oral poster presentation sessions and many trainee posters, it is clear that the future of lifestyle medicine research looks bright. Member Interest Group (MIG) meetings and other networking options were also popular ways to enhance the conference experience.
This brings us to the annual conference edition of the AJLM where we have the honor, as this issue’s guest co-editors, to highlight a selection of our talented lifestyle medicine colleagues and their presentations. It was difficult to choose from so many amazing presentations, so we sought to showcase the interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary nature of the conference, the spectrum of topics, and demonstrate the versatility of lifestyle medicine that was presented this year. We offer our thanks and gratitude to those who took time to not only prepare their presentations, but took the extra step to write what you see in this edition. We hope you are able to experience the breadth of what lifestyle medicine has to offer to a world in need, and enjoy a small sample from LM2023 demonstrating how foundational lifestyle medicine can be for all of us.
There is still much that can be done to show the true power and effectiveness of the evidence based approach of lifestyle medicine with examples rising from clinics and health systems, from research, medical education, implementation science, randomized control trials and more, weaving into all aspects of health care. We hope you are as inspired as we are as we look forward to LM2024, the 20th anniversary of ACLM, and the life changing experiences awaiting us.
Cheryl True, MD, DipABLM, FACLM
Owner/Physician/Independent contractor, True Lifestyle Medicine Clinic, LLC; Medical Director,
Rock Island County Health Department
Hugo Ortega, MD, MSEd,
DipABLM
Associate Program Director Montefiore Moses/Weiler IM program, Assistant Professor Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center