An expansion within the Medical & Health Humanities program
June 2025 – Starting in July, Drew University will offer a new Lifestyle Medicine course, designed to allow students to discover how evidence-based lifestyle interventions can be used in preventing, managing, and reversing chronic diseases.
As expansion of Drew’s Caspersen School of Graduate Studies’ Medical & Health Humanities program, this innovative and experiential course will introduce students to the rapidly growing field of lifestyle medicine that is reshaping modern healthcare.
“The Lifestyle Medicine course empowers students to become agents of change in both personal and community health through education in the core principles of lifestyle medicine,” said Director and Associate Professor of the Medical & Health Humanities program Merel Visse.
Students will explore the foundational principles of lifestyle medicine through an understanding of the six pillars—nutrition, physical activity, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, restorative sleep, and social connections. Blending theory with practice, the course offers hands-on learning activities designed to deepen understanding and build real-world skills.
“Through hands-on learning and real-world application, students not only gain the tools to help others thrive—physically, mentally, and socially—but also develop the skills and self-awareness to enhance their own health and well-being,” said Assistant Professor of Public Health Elisaveta Petkova, who is leading the course.
Students will also analyze cutting-edge research in behavioral change and lifestyle medicine, while also developing practical tools in health coaching and motivational interviewing. They will explore the connections between individual wellness and planetary health.
The Lifestyle Medicine course is approved by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) as a Partial Academic Pathway course. Students who complete the course and a graduate degree in a health or allied health discipline within three years qualify for a waiver of the 20-hour live event requirement for ACLM Certification Exam eligibility.
The course is open to all Drew students and may be taken singularly, or as a part of the Medical & Health Humanities curriculum. Additionally, it can be integrated into degree programs within Drew Theological School or the Caspersen School of Graduate Studies.
