Academic Lifestyle Medicine

There is no longer any serious doubt that what individuals do in their daily lives profoundly impacts their short and long-term health, quality of life, and risk of developing chronic disease. Despite overwhelming evidence in this area, physicians often feel inadequately prepared to discuss these issues with their patients. This results from the relative lack of education for physicians in these components of lifestyle medicine. Authored by renowned cardiologist and lifestyle medicine researcher, Dr. James Rippe and lifestyle medicine education and behavioral medicine expert, Dr. Beth Frates, Academic Lifestyle Medicine: A Curriculum for Medical Educators blends state of the art information on the robust medical literature supporting lifestyle medicine with an innovative approach to medical education.

The books starts with an extensive discussion of the robust evidence that underlies the major components of lifestyle medicine including physical activity, nutrition, weight management, substance abuse and addiction, sleep, and positive connections to others. This information is then linked to how this evidence can be used to lower the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, the metabolic syndrome, brain health, cognitive function, and many other health issues. The authors then provide a specific framework for applying the principles of lifestyle medicine to all stages of medical education—from undergraduate to graduate training and continuing medical education. Additional specialty topics include the evidence supporting lifestyle medicine practice to assure healthy aging, the unique lifestyle challenges for women and how lifestyle medicine applies to healthy habits amongst children and families. Other topics include how lifestyle medicine components interact with planetary health, health equity and advocacy to numerous professional and regulatory groups.

A volume in the Lifestyle Medicine Series, this book is a must read for physicians wishing to understand the robust academic foundations of modern lifestyle medicine practice. It also provides an authoritative guide for physicians who are tasked with preparing the next generation of physicians in lifestyle medicine.

James M. Rippe

Dr. Rippe is an honors graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Medical School with post graduate training at Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He is currently the Founder and Director of the Rippe Lifestyle Institute and Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) at the UMass Chan Medical School.

Over the past 30 years Dr. Rippe has established and run the largest research organization in the world exploring how daily habits and actions impact short and long-term health and quality of life. This organization, Rippe Lifestyle Institute (RLI), has published hundreds of papers that form the scientific basis for the fields of lifestyle medicine, risk factor reduction and high performance health. Rippe Lifestyle Institute also conducts numerous studies every year on physical activity, nutrition and healthy weight management. Dr. Rippe has written over 500 academic papers and abstracts and written or edited 62 books including 39 for health care professionals and 23 for the general public.

Dr. Rippe is the Editor of the major academic textbook in lifestyle medicine with the eponymous name Lifestyle Medicine (4^th edition, CRC Press, 2024). The first edition of this textbook which was published in 1999 named the field “lifestyle medicine” in the academic literature. Dr. Rippe is Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, the only academic journal in lifestyle medicine. Dr. Rippe is also Editor in Chief of the Lifestyle Medicine Series, which is a series of smaller, single topic books. Currently 13 books have been published in this Series with four more anticipated in the next 18 months. Dr. Rippe is also senior editor of the major intensive care medicine in the United States (Irwin and Rippe’s Intensive Care Medicine) which is now in its 9^th edition.

Dr. Rippe has won numerous awards for his work and publications. Two of his books on fitness walking won American Health Magazine book awards. He was one of ten Healthy American Fitness leaders named by the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. He won Lifetime Achievement Awards from the International Dance, Exercise Association and the Lifestyle Medicine University. He also received the Annual Trail Blazer Award from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine in 2024.

A lifelong and avid athlete Dr. Rippe maintains his personal fitness with a regular walk, jog, swimming and weight training program. He holds a black belt in karate and is an avid windsurfer, skier and tennis player. He lives outside of Boston with his wife, television news anchor Stephanie Hart and their four children, Hart, Jaelin, Devon and Jamie.

Beth P. Frates

Beth Frates, MD is a trained physiatrist and a health and wellness coach, with expertise in Lifestyle Medicine. She has received several teaching accolades from Harvard Extension School and Harvard Medical School, where she is an Associate Professor, Part-Time. Most recently, in spring 2025, Dr. Frates received the Petra Shattuck Excellence in Teaching Award.

Dr. Frates is one of the first women to be recognized as a Fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, and she is a pioneer in lifestyle medicine. In 2008, Dr. Frates created the first Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group at Harvard Medical School. In 2014, she developed and taught a bachelor’s and master’s level Lifestyle Medicine curriculum at the Harvard Extension School, which is still one of the most well-received courses offered at the school. In 2017, Dr. Frates was selected to be one of four item writers for the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine’s inaugural exam for certification in this specialty. She was voted President of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine in August 2020. Dr. Frates served as President until November 2024, and now serves two years as Immediate Past President.

Dr. Frates co-authored The Lifestyle Medicine Handbook: An Introduction to the Power of Healthy Habits, which was ranked in the top 20 by Book Authority for medical books released in 2018. To accompany the syllabus and handbook, she also co-created Lifestyle Medicine 101, a full bachelor’s and master’s level curriculum with 12 modules of material, including PowerPoints for each week and a teacher’s manual. Dr. Frates has made this resource free, and it is accessible through the ACLM website. In addition, Dr. Frates co-authored The Teen Lifestyle Medicine Handbook, published in October 2020 which when paired with the Teen Curriculum consisting of a Teacher’s Manual and 12 PowerPoint decks can be used to teach and empower middle-school and high school students to adopt and sustain healthy habits. In 2023, Dr. Frates co-authored The Lifestyle Medicine Pocket Guide and co-edited the book Empowering Behavior Change in Patients. Most recently, in June 2024, she co-edited the book Essentials of Clinical Nutrition in Healthcare, published by McGraw Hill.

Dr. Frates has created and implemented a 12-Step wellness program, PAVING the Path to Wellness™ for patients and providers. Most recently, she co-authored the book PAVING the Path to Wellness Workbook: A Guide to Thriving with a Healthy Body, Peaceful Mind and Joyful Heart. In addition, Dr. Frates has