DVIDS – News – AF Medical Leaders Host 1st Annual Lifestyle and Performance Medicine Summit

Medical leaders from across the military medical system will gather from February 29 to March 1 for the Military Medical Service's inaugural Lifestyle and Performance Medicine Summit, which will focus on military readiness before, during and after service. A unified effort was made to optimize sexual and overall health.

Held at Defense Health Headquarters in Falls Church, Virginia, experts from various fields will discuss progress in forming new healthy habits and how lifestyle changes can improve the physical, mental, and emotional health of active-duty service members. We shared the lasting positive impact we can have. We also examine the extent to which these effects impact families and communities.

The role of L&PM in great power competition

Gen. James Parry, acting director of medical operations for the Air Force Surgeon General, gave opening remarks at the three-day summit, which was held in-person and virtually for approximately 400 participants.

“When we think about great power competition, we want our Airmen and guardians to be prepared mentally, mentally and physically,” Parry said.

Lifestyle medicine is a medical specialty that focuses on lifestyle interventions in six areas: nutrition, physical activity, stress management, sleep quality, social connection, and avoidance of hazardous substance use.

“When you optimize this hexagon, you optimize posture and readiness,” said Dr. Regan Stigman, L&PM physician and former Air Force flight surgeon.

Stiegman highlighted the evidence-based successes of lifestyle medicine and performance medicine, which are based on current human optimization goals aimed at preventing, treating, and in some cases reversing chronic disease.

Day one's keynote speaker, Dr. Kenneth Cooper, the father of aerobics and a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, championed the recognition that lifestyle choices are an important factor in achieving a holistic approach to personal health. .

“The most underappreciated risk factor for physical and mental health known to humanity is lifestyle. No drug can replicate the benefits of an active lifestyle,” Cooper said.

Through the summit, subject matter experts will improve the lives of service members through a combination of providing lifestyle counseling, choosing whole-food plant-based meals, regular aerobic exercise, and improving access to nutrition and health resources. He cited examples where the quality of the system was optimized overall.

Lifestyle medicine experts including Maj. Valerie Bedsole, 480th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Wing group surgeon at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, and Col. Mary Ann Keel, chair of the Air Force Lifestyle and Performance Medicine Working Group; According to , healthcare professionals are vying for this approach to be at the forefront of patient care.

Since the Air Force Medical Directorate's approval of Lifestyle and Performance Medicine in 2021, individuals are becoming more concerned about their health and proactive in forming and maintaining preventive lifestyle choices that contribute significantly to optimization. We have provided a path for you to become health.

“We need to understand human behavior and what people value. By doing so, we can improve communication, inspire change, set goals, and ultimately lead to healthier lives.” It allows you to form long-term habits,” said Lt. Col. Dan Cassidy, interim commander of the 37th Human Army. Performance Squadron at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, spoke in a presentation about how to change the military's culture of health, starting with behavioral changes at the individual level.

Creating a built environment that supports nutrition, exercise, and most importantly, a healthy lifestyle, despite a family history that suggests a susceptibility to certain chronic diseases or dangerous substance use Much can be alleviated through early lifestyle prevention.

Overcoming patient barriers as a lifestyle practitioner

On the second day of the summit, guest speakers will discuss the importance of recognizing patient barriers to achieving health-related goals and how healthcare professionals can provide comprehensive, long-term solutions. We emphasized how to prepare.

With growing support from medical leaders and providers, the implementation of L&PM within the military health system will provide appropriate training to healthcare workers and foster a culture of holistic approaches to health. is seen as a strategic opportunity to optimize healthcare readiness.

Dr. Brad Moore, keynote speaker and director of the Lifestyle Medicine Program at George Washington University, talked about embracing lifestyle medicine as a healthcare professional to better support patients and demonstrate its benefits. talked about. In his role at George Washington University Hospital, he helped establish a new lifestyle medicine curriculum in September 2022, with electives becoming popular among residents, many of whom choose to become board-certified. I shared the method.

Moore, along with guest speakers Dr. Michael Jarka and Megan Amadeo, who represent the Defense Health Agency's Partnership in Primary Care and Armed Forces Wellness Centers, will discuss how to become more patient-centered and focus on quality of care. , shared the view that a lifestyle-oriented mindset is essential. Care within the military health system.

Across the nation's AFWCs, we combine monthly health risk assessments with self-reported goals, habits, stress management, and nutrition, along with individualized health counseling for our customers, all of which exemplify a lifestyle-oriented approach. The health of our customers has improved significantly.

“What we're really looking for is optimizing their health, improving health literacy, and sustaining behavioral change,” Amadeo says.

As more military health care providers incorporate lifestyle medicine into their patient care, we hope to see more traction from above in standardizing these practices.

The future of lifestyle and performance medicine

The third day began with Dr. Michael Malanosky, Deputy Director of the Defense Health Agency, who provided a preview of the service's future health care delivery.

“What we want as a health care system is to be a patient-centered system that focuses on the health and care of the individual,” Malanosky said.

Currently, the military health system is based on a fee-for-service model. The first phase of change began with five pilot primary care facilities where the patient-centered initiative was being rolled out. There, patients undergo a pre-deployment health assessment and are then monitored and updated monthly throughout their active duty.

The second phase will create a digital mobile app that will allow patients to schedule visits, obtain medical information, view lab tests, and ultimately access a variety of health coaches. The third phase will establish a separate IT and data platform to support individualized care for each service.

“This is a fundamental shift in culture,” Malanosky said. “To make this successful, the entire company needs to recognize that it has relied on old practices that do not support individualized care.” said.

Throughout the final day of the summit, attendees heard from speakers who shared successful practical applications of L&PM at Air Force installations.

At Travis Air Force Base, Lt. Col. Joseph Skye, chief of preventive cardiology at David Grant Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., advocated for the integration of L&PM in 2001 and eventually integrated the approach into behavioral medicine practice. It has been incorporated into. Currently, L&PM is an elective for base residents and exists as a pathway to board certification.

“About 50% of family physicians providing three services report that they are not very confident in providing lifestyle medicine,” he said. “The future direction is to develop and develop a three-pronged curriculum similar to the lifestyle medicine curriculum established at Travis Air Force Base.”

Air Force Surgeon General Lt. Gen. Robert Miller and Chief Sergeant Major Robert Miller, Commanding Officer of the Medical Noncommissioned Officer Corps, concluded the summit by recognizing the urgent need for L&PM practices.

“We understand that this is about great power competition, but it's also about the future after the military,” Korchinsky said. “If we can focus on prevention, we can help people develop good habits. But not everything has to be perfect, and we recognize that.”

Mr. Miller spoke about collaborating with DHA on responsive healthcare delivery and emphasized the need to continue to draw attention to L&PM in order for healthcare professionals to gain traction.

“The way we start is to make the most of the resources we have and standardize as much as possible. And let the results speak for themselves,” Miller said. “When commanders notice these changes, that's when our message gets out.”