Our mission is to establish Lifestyle Medicine, especially the adoption of Whole-Food Plant-Based nutrition, as the foundation for health and the healthcare system.

Our Vision: We envision a world where Lifestyle Medicine is the standard of care within the healthcare system, and where people are empowered to make lifestyle behavior changes based on the tenets of Lifestyle Medicine.

Rochester Lifestyle Medicine Institute (RLMI) operationalizes Lifestyle Medicine with practical programs that have low barriers to entry for patients and their physicians. RLMI developed and runs the popular 15-Day Whole-Food Plant-Based Jumpstart. Certified by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM), Jumpstart has reached more than 2000 people in 44 states and seven countries (as of October 2023). Jumpstart is an engaging medically-facilitated Zoom-based program; medical providers can easily refer their patients and see the results. Participants typically have significant improvements in cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, and weight, as well as in pain levels, mood, energy, and sleep. Jumpstart is used as a research tool in several studies, including a randomized control trial on CKD.

RLMI also offers monthly Lifestyle Medicine Grand Rounds, where a panel of experts discuss provocative cases from a lifestyle perspective. Other programs include the Lift Project (another ACLM-certified program) and a monthly free Lifestyle as Medicine lecture series. RLMI’s webinar series presented through AARP has the potential to reach millions with the message of lifestyle medicine. And RLMI has a flourishing alumni program, Plant-Based Together, for lifelong education and support on the plant-based path. With all these efforts, RLMI is changing the medical culture and the culture of society at large, and setting us on the path to human and planetary health.