Lifestyle Medicine Initiative
Our aim is to educate GWI delegates and the world about the importance of lifestyle and behaviors for health, longevity, mental health, and overall well-being. We will be bringing the best minds in Lifestyle Medicine, the ancient lessons of identification and research of the world’s healthiest, longest-lived communities, and principles of positive lifestyle habits. Combining the lifestyle approach to medicine and an evidence-based approach to well-being therapies and treatments along with 21st-century longevity research and diagnostics to identify ways to sustainably improve well-being.
The Latest News and Resources
INITIATIVE RESOURCES INITIATIVE TRENDS INITIATIVE ARTICLES
Initiative Leadership
Initiative Co-Chair
Melissa Sundermann, DO, FACOI, DipABLM, FACLM, Medical Director, Lifestyle Medicine, Corewell Health, USA
Dr. Melissa Sundermann is a double board-certified physician in Internal Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine with more than 25 years of clinical experience and advanced training in Integrative and Mind-Body Medicine. Known as “Doctor Outdoors,” she is a nationally recognized leader in Nature as Medicine, serving as Founding Chair of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine’s Nature as Medicine Subcommittee and Co-Chair of the Global Wellness Institute’s Lifestyle Medicine Initiative. She is currently the Medical Director of Lifestyle Medicine for Corewell Health System and previously practiced Longevity and Lifestyle Medicine at Lifespan Medicine and Canyon Ranch Wellness Resort. She also serves as an advisor to Social Prescribing USA, WalkFully, and InCaria. A sought-after speaker, author of *Doctor Outdoors’ Guide to Nature and Lifestyle Medicine*, and co-founder of REVIVE! Lifestyle Medicine Well-Being Coaching and Retreats, Dr. Sundermann is passionate about helping people optimize health through evidence-based lifestyle medicine and the healing power of nature. An accomplished endurance athlete, she is a 13-time Boston Marathon finisher, 3-time Ironman, and ultramarathon runner who inspires others to embrace her philosophy that “age is not your cage.” Connect with me on LinkedIn.
Initiative Co-Chair
Prof. Dr. Sunil Kumar, MD, Board-Certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician, United Kingdom
Objectives
Our goal is to foster sustainable services around wellness and lifestyle medicine to enhance and extend life, and to find the pressure points where healthcare and self-care intersect. Evidence-based lifestyle medicine has emerged as the future of healthcare, as it controls costs and delivers better health outcomes by treating root causes of disease. We are excited to exchange ideas and initiatives and build a bridge to/with other Initiatives to cross-pollinate and take advantage of the intersections of well-being innovations.
Initiative Members
Meet the renowned thought leaders in this field who are collaborating to educate and evolve wellness in this area of global importance.
Initiative Resources
View the research, trends, whitepapers, infographics and more from this Initiative, as well as a curated list of third party resources.
