Is Your Doctor ‘Blue Zones’ Certified?

“ACLM and Blue Zones share a common goal of creating healthier, stronger, and more resilient communities,” says ACLM Executive Director Susan Benigas, discussing the new partnership. According to Benigas, this vision can only be realized “if the physicians and medical professionals in those communities are trained not only in evidence-based lifestyle medicine clinical interventions but also in understanding the principles of Blue Zones.”

Ben Leedle, CEO of Blue Zones, emphasizes that the organization has been a leader in achieving significant, population-level improvements in well-being, resulting in healthier and happier communities, along with substantial healthcare savings, increased productivity, and positive regional economic impact. “At the same time, ACLM has been advancing the field of lifestyle medicine for the past two decades, working to transform healthcare from within hospitals and clinics,” Leedle states. “This partnership marks a paradigm shift by combining the power of lifestyle medicine with community-driven well-being improvement.”

Dr. Kerry Graff, a lifestyle medicine physician and Medical Director of the Rochester Lifestyle Medicine Institute in New York, expressed her enthusiasm about the collaboration, stating she was “thrilled” to hear about the partnership between ACLM and Blue Zones. She plans to be among the first group of doctors to apply for the new certification.

“This is truly a powerful combination,” says Graff. “I see this as the next crucial step in advancing [lifestyle medicine].”

Graff points out that doctors often face the challenge of knowing what will make their patients healthier, yet they operate within communities where various factors promote unhealthy habits instead of healthy ones.

“It makes much more sense to address this on a broader, community-wide level, rather than focusing solely on individual patients,” she explains.

Research has consistently shown the long-term health benefits and disease prevention that stem from lifestyle choices. For instance, a recent study revealed that while genetic risk is associated with a 21% increased risk of death, an “unfavorable lifestyle” raises that risk by 78%, independent of genetic factors.

The study also found that a “favorable lifestyle” centered around factors like sleep, diet, and physical activity can reduce the impact of genetic predispositions by as much as 62%.

According to Michelle Tollefson, MD, a lifestyle medicine physician in Colorado and lead faculty for the Blue Zones training, the curriculum for the new certification is still being developed but is expected to be available by 2025.

“The curriculum will build on the knowledge our ACLM, ABLM, and IBLM physicians and health professionals already bring to their patients,” Tollefson says. “They already have that solid foundation, but we’re adding an extra layer of Blue Zones research and a deep community focus. This will enable our lifestyle medicine physicians and health professionals to make a broader impact in their communities, beyond just the clinical setting.”

Doctors and health professionals interested in lifestyle medicine certification can find more information on the ACLM website. Since 2017, the college has certified approximately 6,700 clinicians, including 5,000 doctors and 1,700 health professionals.