Chronic disease accounts for most deaths and healthcare spending in the United States, yet most physicians complete training without the tools to address its root causes. Lifestyle medicine bridges that gap, equipping clinicians with the evidence-based knowledge and practical skills to use nutrition, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connection as therapeutic interventions.
The UConn Internal Medicine Lifestyle Medicine Pathway was co-developed by residents and faculty with a shared commitment to whole-person care. Our program is rooted in the reality of our patient population, Hartford is one of Connecticut’s most medically underserved communities, where lifestyle-driven chronic disease disproportionately affects patients facing food insecurity, housing instability, and limited access to preventive care. This pathway trains residents not just to counsel patients, but to understand and work within those realities.
Residents who complete the program will be board-eligible through the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine (ABLM).
WHO
The pathway is open to all categorical Internal Medicine residents, Primary Care track, Family Medicine and Pharmacy residents. Fellows in medicine subspecialties with an interest in lifestyle medicine are also encouraged to apply. No prior lifestyle medicine experience is required.
WHAT
Participants complete the Lifestyle Medicine Residency Curriculum (LMRC), a nationally recognized program administered by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM), consisting of two components:
Educational Component — 100 Hours
- 40 hours monthly online didactic meetings:
- Nutrition science and culinary medicine
- Physical activity prescription
- Sleep health and interventions
- Health behavior change and motivational interviewing
- Substance use disorders: prevention, diagnosis, and treatment
- Emotional well-being and stress management
- Positive psychology and social connection
- Key clinical processes in lifestyle medicine
- 60 hours of application activities, completed individually and with fellow participants, including:
- Journal clubs on lifestyle medicine evidence
- Motivational interviewing coaching simulations
- Culinary medicine and whole food plant-based meal preparation
- Community fitness events and Walk with a Doc
- Mindfulness and meditation experiences
- National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) site visit
- Local community resource mapping for Hartford-area patients
- 12-step meeting attendance and substance use community engagement
- Shadowing with registered dietitians, physical therapists, sleep specialists, and behavioral health providers
Practicum Component
- 400 lifestyle medicine-related patient encounters
- 20 hours of Intensive Therapeutic Lifestyle Change (ITLC) program experience
- 20 hours of group facilitation experience
WHEN
The pathway spans 36 months beginning of July of PGY-1 and concludes in June of PGY-3.
WHY
Internal medicine training prepares residents to manage disease. Lifestyle medicine training prepares them to prevent and reverse it. Mastery of the six pillars, alongside coaching and behavior change skills, gives physicians a distinct clinical edge, particularly in managing cardiometabolic disease, obesity, and mental health comorbidities.
For many of the patients we serve at Hartford Hospital, these tools are not supplemental. They are the intervention. A resident who can counsel a patient on nutrition, physical activity, sleep, and stress as fluently as they can prescribe a statin is a more complete physician, and a more effective one.
Beyond patient care, lifestyle medicine competencies support your own wellbeing. The curriculum includes a dedicated module on clinician self-care, recognizing that sustainable, compassionate practice begins with the physician’s own health.
HOW
Express your interest in the Lifestyle Medicine Pathway during the residency application process. Formal enrollment takes place after match and program acceptance.
The Six Pillars of Lifestyle Medicine
- Whole food, plant-predominant nutrition
- Regular physical activity
- Restorative sleep
- Stress management
- Avoidance of risky substances
- Positive social connection
What Makes the UConn Pathway Distinctive
- Resident co-designed: the pathway was built from the ground up by UConn IM residents, ensuring the curriculum reflects real training demands and patient care realities
- Hartford-focused: application activities are grounded in the Hartford community, including local resource mapping, food pantry volunteering, and partnerships with Hartford-area DPP programs
- Cardiometabolic emphasis: aligned with UConn’s strengths in cardiology and preventive medicine, with particular attention to heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity management through lifestyle interventions
- Integrated, not added on: scheduled during clinic weeks to minimize scheduling burden
- Board pathway included: eligible graduates sit for the ABLM examination upon program completion
Contact Information:
Director Lifestyle Medicine track: Dr. Narinder Maheshwari – nmaheshwari@uchc.edu
Resident Lead: Abhishek Singh (Chief Resident – Hartford Hospital) – absingh@uchc.edu
Administrative Coordinator: Kim Sibley – ksibley@uchc.edu
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