Certificate in Lifestyle Medicine

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LIVEWEBINARDHPACCME

Friday, March 26, 2021, 1:15 PM - Tuesday, March 30, 2021, 7:15 PM, Livestream Zoom, Doha, Qatar

Globally, there is an ongoing epidemic of noncommunicable diseases like heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, cancer and diabetes. These chronic diseases are currently the leading causes of morbidity and premature mortality, along with being responsible for the majority of healthcare expenditure. Additionally, chronic diseases impair quality of life and result in a great deal of pain and suffering. Scientific evidence published in peer-reviewed journals suggests that 80 percent of chronic diseases can be prevented, treated and often reversed by adopting healthy lifestyle measures like increased physical activity, healthy nutrition, managing stress, getting adequate good-quality sleep, maintaining healthy relationships and social connectedness, tobacco cessation, and avoiding use of risky substances. These behaviors form the core pillars of lifestyle medicine (LM), an emerging discipline in healthcare.

Lifestyle Medicine (LM) is defined as the “evidence-based practice of helping individuals and families adopt and sustain healthy behaviors that affect health and quality of life” (American College of Lifestyle Medicine). LM can effectively prevent, treat or even reverse many chronic diseases such as hypertension, heart diseases, diabetes, obesity, depression/anxiety and musculoskeletal conditions. Despite valid research findings supporting the benefits of LM, numerous healthcare providers, including physicians, remain unfamiliar with the usefulness of lifestyle medicine in the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases.

The Certificate in Lifestyle Medicine (CLM) is a 60-hour certificate program, administered by the Institute for Population Health at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, which will provide healthcare practitioners with lifestyle medicine education and competencies to aid in the evaluation, prevention and management of lifestyle-related chronic health conditions to reduce chronic disease morbidity and the suffering associated with it. Additionally, the course will enable healthcare practitioners to engage in dialogue and meaningful discussions with their patients about the potential for lifestyle medicine ultimately leading to improved overall quality of life and patient outcomes.

The course will be delivered by means of didactic lectures, small group interactive discussions, review of clinical cases, and distance online learning. There are two components to the course, which must be successfully completed to meet the course requirements in order to receive the Certificate in Lifestyle Medicine. The two components are a) attendance and participation in the live webinar 30-hour unit comprising lectures and interactive discussions, b) self-study/online 30-hour unit, which requires completing the Foundations of Lifestyle Medicine Board Review Course, an evidence-based course designed to provide an overview of essential elements of lifestyle medicine. 

Identified Practice Gaps/Educational Needs

Despite valid research findings supporting the benefits of LM, numerous healthcare providers, including physicians, remain unfamiliar and/or skeptical about the usefulness of lifestyle medicine in the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases. Doctors and other health practitioners who utilize LM in their practice report benefits both for their patients and themselves. Additionally, studies have repeatedly confirmed that patient satisfaction with LM is very high. Gaps related to lifestyle medicine in healthcare are evident and must be addressed to improve patient care and overall patient outcomes.

1. 1. Define and discuss lifestyle medicine and its competencies.
2. 2. Discuss and examine the evidence of lifestyle medicine interventions in the prevention and management of chronic disease.
3. 3. Review relevant lifestyle medicine specific topics such as clinical processes, emotional and mental wellbeing, nutrition science, physical activity, social relationships and connectedness, sleep hygiene, managing tobacco and other addictions and behavior change.
4. 4. Summarize lifestyle medicine prescriptions for various chronic diseases.

ACCME Accreditation Statement  The Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians ACCME Credit Designation Statement The Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar designates this live activity for a maximum of 30.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. DHP Accreditation Statement Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar is accredited as a provider of Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) by the Department of Healthcare Professions - Accreditation Section (DHP-AS). DHP Credit Designation Statement This activity is an Accredited Group Learning Activity (Category 1) as defined by the Ministry of Public Health’s Department of Healthcare Professions-Accreditation Section and is approved for a maximum of 30 hours.

Disclosure of Relationships/Content Validity 

It is the policy of Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar to adhere to Ministry of Public Health’s Department of Healthcare Professions (DHP) and Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) Criteria, Policies, and Standards for Commercial Support and content validation in order to ensure fair balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all its sponsored programs. All faculty participating in sponsored programs are expected to disclose relevant financial relationships pertaining to their contribution to the activity, and any discussions of off-label or investigational uses of approved commercial products or devices, or of any products or devices not yet approved in the United States and elsewhere. WCM-Q CME/CPD activities are intended to be evidence-based and free of commercial bias.

Scientific Planning Committee

Amitha Mathew, Mark Dimon Santos, Raji Anand, Rakhi Thakur, Rejeena Adayakandi, Ravinder Mamtani, Samaah Chalil, Sathyanarayanan Doraiswamy, Sohaila Cheema, Yasmeen Kalverts:

• Have no relevant financial relationship to disclose. 
• Will not be discussing unlabeled/unapproved use of drugs or products.

Course Directors

Ravinder Mamtani, Sohaila Cheema:

• Have no relevant financial relationship to disclose. 
• Will not be discussing unlabeled/unapproved use of drugs or products.

Course Faculty

Ahmad Al Mulla, Benjamin Kligler, Darren Morton, Javaid I. Sheikh, Mohamud A. Verjee, Ravinder Mamtani, Sarah Burshan, Shahrad Taheri, Sathyanarayanan Doraiswamy, Sohaila Cheema, Stephan Herzog:

• Have no relevant financial relationship to disclose. 
• Will not be discussing unlabeled/unapproved use of drugs or products.

Wayne S. Dysinger:

• Has disclosed the following relationship : Ownership interest, Lifestyle Medical.
• The relationship is not relevant.
• Will not be discussing unlabeled/unapproved use of drugs or products.

Course Administrator

Yasmeen Kalverts:

• Has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
• Will not be discussing unlabeled/unapproved use of drugs or products.

Independent Clinical Reviewer

Sohaila Cheema:

• Has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
• Will not be discussing unlabeled/unapproved use of drugs or products.

Evaluation

An evaluation will be conducted online post activity. All participants are required to complete the evaluation to receive a certificate. The evaluation allows us to assess the degree to which the activity met its objectives. It will also guide the planning of future activities and inform decisions about improving the educational program.

Certificate in Lifestyle Medicine