“The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to individuals who have been devoted to the cause of lifestyle medicine for half of their lives or more.”
As ACLM president, it was an honor to celebrate the winners of the College’s highest awards presented in Denver during LM2023, the annual conference of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM). The Lifetime Achievement and Trailblazer Awards were given to two highly deserving individuals who have left an indelible mark on the field and their colleagues.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Presented by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes lifetime achievement in the field and is the highest honor ACLM bestows on a healthcare pioneer. This annual award recognizes a significant body of work over a significant span of time that has advanced the field of lifestyle medicine, and, in the process, paved the way for others to follow. The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to individuals who have been devoted to the cause of lifestyle medicine for half of their lives or more.
The 2023 award has been presented posthumously to Hans Diehl, DrHSc, MPH, FACN, founder of the Lifestyle Medicine Institute and the Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP). He was a clinical professor of Preventive Medicine at Loma Linda University and was a founding member of ACLM and its Board of Advisors. His passion for lifestyle medicine research served as a catalyst for ACLM’s establishment of the Ancel Keys Award, recognizing outstanding achievement in epidemiological research, with Pekka Puska, MD, MPolSc, PhD, and Henry Blackburn, MD, being the first two recipients. Hans wanted to ensure that their groundbreaking work was showcased—never to be forgotten.
Dr Diehl passed away at Loma Linda University Medical Center on August 2, 2023, due to an AFib-related stroke.
Throughout his career, Dr Diehl touched countless lives as a mentor, professor, and researcher. His numerous groundbreaking publications contributed significantly to our understanding of the vital role lifestyle plays in achieving optimal health. His exceptional insights and pioneering research inspired generations of healthcare professionals and individuals alike to embrace healthier habits. In addition, his compassionate and empathetic approach to patient care earned him the admiration and gratitude of all who crossed his path.
Beyond these achievements, Dr Diehl was a gifted author and speaker, using his eloquence and passion to advocate for transformative change in the way we perceive and manage our well-being. His words resonated with audiences worldwide, encouraging millions to take charge of their health and embark on a journey towards a better, more vibrant life.
He was the founder of the Lifestyle Medicine Institute, an institution committed to promoting healthier lifestyles and preventing chronic diseases through evidence-based practices.
Among his many accomplishments, Dr Diehl also was the visionary behind the Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP), a comprehensive lifestyle intervention that has empowered countless individuals to make lasting, positive changes in their health. As the first research and education director at the Pritikin Longevity Center, he aspired to make better health accessible to the masses, developing this affordable, community-based program designed to arrest and reverse society’s most common chronic diseases. Today, over 85 000 participants and clinical results published in 45 peer-reviewed scientific journals attest to the success of Dr Diehl’s approach.
His co-authored books Health Power, the Optimal Diet Cookbook, Take Charge of Your Health, and You-Turn have been translated into 36 languages with a circulation of over two million.
He earned his doctorate in Health Science and an MPH in Public Health Nutrition from Loma Linda University. He contributed to the development of the UCLA Cheer Center and was awarded a post-doctoral research fellowship in cardiovascular epidemiology from the National Institutes of Health.
Trailblazer Award
Presented by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the annual Trailblazer Award recognizes an individual who is currently providing leadership in the field of lifestyle medicine, helping strengthen the foundation laid by others, while advancing it through innovation. This individual is recognized for the extraordinary contributions he or she has made in any one of several domains, such as patient care, education, research, innovation, management, or community service.
ACLM’s 2023 Trailblazer Award recipient is James Rippe, MD. Dr Rippe, founder and director of Rippe Lifestyle Medicine, professor of medicine at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School and prolific author, is founder and editor-in-chief of this very journal.
A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Medical School with post graduate training at Massachusetts General Hospital, he excelled at every stage of his medical education and training destined to make a difference in the field of medicine. Over the past 25 years, Dr Rippe has established and run the largest research organization in the world exploring how daily habits and actions impact short and long-term health and quality of life. That organization, Rippe Lifestyle Institute (RLI), has published hundreds of papers that form the scientific basis for the fields of lifestyle medicine and high-performance health.
Dr Rippe edits the only academic textbook in lifestyle medicine, Lifestyle Medicine, first published in 1999 when it could be said that he coined the term “lifestyle medicine.” Dr Rippe has served as the editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, the major journal publishing research and reviews in the field of lifestyle medicine. Incredibly, Dr Rippe has written or edited 60 books including 37 academic textbooks and 23 books for the general public.
A cardiologist and lifelong runner, he was personally aware in his own life of acting on the power of daily habits and actions to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and other chronic conditions. His passion for lifestyle medicine also stemmed from observing patients early in his career while an attending physician in the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at UMass Medical School. Until he edited the initial Lifestyle Medicine textbook, the evidence was spread over many disciplines such as nutrition science, exercise physiology, behavioral medicine, psychology, injury prevention, women’s and men’s health, and many others. As a result, much of this literature was not routinely accessible to most physicians. He was determined to bring the academic literature together in one place. And, he certainly succeeded.
As an academic physician, he knew that the nascent field of lifestyle medicine would need to be based on impeccable evidence in order to persuade fellow physicians of its merit and also stand the test of time. When the initial Lifestyle Medicine textbook was ultimately published in 1999, the book review in the Journal of the American Medical Association declared, “This book should be required reading for every physician in America.” And, it should!
His publishing career has continued ever since his days as a fourth-year medical student at Harvard Medical School. The Lifestyle Medicine textbook, which he continues to edit, is now in its fourth edition, and the major intensive care textbook “Irwin & Rippe’s Intensive Care” is now in its eighth edition. Dr Rippe continues to inspire those in lifestyle medicine, and he serves as a mentor to many. This year will mark the 25th anniversary of the term “lifestyle medicine” as put forward by Dr Rippe in 1999 with his iconic textbook.
Dr Rippe serves on the American Heart Association’s Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Heath and is dedicated to the education of physicians at all levels on the evidence-based health promoting power of lifestyle habits.
On behalf of ACLM’s Board of Directors, staff, and the entire ACLM community, a heartfelt congratulations and sincere appreciation to both Dr Diehl, posthumously, and Dr Rippe. The ripples of your groundbreaking work will continue forevermore.