The Keynote Session
The Power of Lifestyle Medicine: Transforming Patients and Practice
Chronic, lifestyle-related diseases remain a leading driver of poor health outcomes and rising costs — especially in Community Health Centers. Evidence-based lifestyle medicine offers a practical, scalable approach to addressing root causes through intensive, therapeutic interventions that improve outcomes, enhance patient and clinician experience, reduce costs, and advance health equity across the Quintuple Aim. This keynote session features lifestyle medicine board-certified practitioners who will highlight practical strategies, team-based care models, and the role academics and residency play in ensuring that lifestyle medicine is the standard of all health and health care.
Learning Objectives:
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Describe the principles of evidence-based lifestyle medicine and its role in preventing, treating, and reversing chronic lifestyle-related diseases.
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Recognize how lifestyle medicine supports improved patient outcomes, clinician well-being, reduced health care costs, and health equity through the Quintuple Aim.
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Identify practical strategies and team-based care models that Community Health Centers can use to integrate lifestyle medicine into everyday practice.
The Speakers
Jessica Jolly, MPH, MHA is an accomplished health care executive, lifestyle medicine practitioner, and health equity advocate with more than 19 years of experience leading innovation across health care, public health, and community sectors, including leadership roles within a large HCCN, an FQHC and a large public health department. She currently serves as Senior Director of Practice Advancement at the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, where she leads national initiatives that advance the integration of lifestyle medicine into health systems, academic institutions, and community settings. Jessica is also the Founder and CEO of Nourish & Flourish, LLC, a consulting and health coaching practice that supports organizations and individuals in achieving greater well-being, leadership effectiveness, and organizational transformation. Holding dual master’s degrees in Health Administration and Public Health from The Ohio State University, Jessica is a Diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) and a National Board–Certified Health and Wellness Coach. She is passionate about empowering others to lead healthier, purpose-driven lives through the principles of lifestyle medicine, equity, and servant leadership.
Ruth Michaelis MD, DipACLM is a practicing family physician working at HealthPoint Kent CHC for over 24 years where she has served in a variety of roles and is currently the Clinical Director of Academic Programs. She has garnered further skills through the Well Coaches curriculum, Mindfulness Northwest’s Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher training program and the Enneagram in the Narrative Tradition teacher certification. She is a certified diplomate of The American College of Lifestyle medicine (ACLM) and believes in the joys of wellness - especially mindfulness, exercise and nutrition as superpowers for our CHC patients and staff. She has been a keynote panel presenter at ACLM’s national conference and an ACLM webinar discussing her passion for the integration of lifestyle medicine, underserved care, and education in CHCs. She recently started shared medical appointments in MBSR and nutrition where she cooks meals and talks about whole food plant-based eating with her CHC patients, all while wearing a kale costume.