The University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville achieves national certification for lifestyle medicine curriculum
The University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville has earned “Platinum Plus” certification from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) for its undergraduate lifestyle medicine curricula. This makes it one of the first two schools in the country to achieve this distinction. Lifestyle medicine focuses on using lifestyle interventions to treat chronic conditions like cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. Certified clinicians in lifestyle medicine are trained to apply evidence-based lifestyle changes to treat and often reverse such conditions. The six pillars of lifestyle medicine include a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, positive social connections, and avoidance of risky substances, which also serve as effective prevention for these conditions.
Leading the Way in Lifestyle Medicine Education
The University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville is the first U.S. medical school to fully integrate education in nutrition, physical activity, and healthy behaviors into all four years of the medical school curriculum. The school has been actively involved in initiatives such as the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, presenting a vision for ending hunger and reducing diet-related disease by 2030. Dr. Jennifer Trilk, the founder and director of the medical school’s Lifestyle Medicine Programs, has been at the forefront of these efforts and recently participated as a panelist at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Food is Medicine Summit.
Dr. Jennifer Trilk expressed her excitement about the certification, stating, “The University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville is honored to accept this amazing certification from ACLM. I am so excited and thankful to be on this lifestyle medicine journey with our school and our medical students. We started with four hours of lifestyle medicine in our curriculum in our opening year in 2012, and we have worked together to build up the required lifestyle medicine curriculum to over 100 hours. I also am thrilled that our school will be showcased along with Loma Linda University School of Medicine, as they are such an incredible ally for lifestyle medicine education in undergraduate medical education.”
About USC School of Medicine Greenville
The USC School of Medicine Greenville provides a unique medical education experience in Upstate South Carolina. Students train alongside practicing physicians and members of the healthcare team from day one. The school emphasizes the use of the latest clinical and simulation technology, along with developing essential leadership, clinical, and interpersonal skills to deliver patient-focused healthcare with confidence and compassion.