American College of Lifestyle Medicine names Dr. John Findley chief executive officer

Dr. John Findley, a lifestyle medicine innovator and physician executive with more than 20 years of experience advancing value-based and whole-person care, will lead ACLM into its next phase of growth and impact.

ST. LOUIS, June 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) has named John Findley, MD, CPE, a physician executive and early innovator of lifestyle medicine, as new chief executive officer of the growing medical professional society.

Dr. Findley of Bentonville, Ark., brings more than 20 years of experience advancing whole-person health, value-based care, and healthcare transformation, with deep expertise in health system redesign, population health, and interdisciplinary care models that improve outcomes while reducing the burden of chronic disease. He has been an ACLM member since 2007.

"Selecting ACLM's next chief executive was among the most consequential responsibilities of my term, and I'm delighted to welcome Dr. John Findley to lead this organization forward," said ACLM President Padmaja Patel, MD, DipABLM, FACLM, CPE, FACP. "As a physician, John understands firsthand the realities of patient care, and he pairs that clinical grounding with the vision, integrity, and operational depth to carry lifestyle medicine into its next chapter, from a specialty rooted in evidence to a force shaping how care is delivered and paid for across the country.

"The board conducted a rigorous, thoughtful search, and we are united in our confidence that John is the right leader for this moment. I look forward to all that ACLM will accomplish under his stewardship," she said.

Most recently, Dr. Findley served as chief medical officer of the Heartland Whole Health Institute. Throughout his career, he has worked closely with health systems, employers, payers and state and federal governments to drive large-scale efforts to redesign care delivery, focusing on chronic disease prevention and reversal through innovative, lifestyle-centered approaches.

He is also the founder of LifeworRx, a comprehensive lifestyle medicine model focused on chronic disease reversal, and KidwoRxs, an initiative dedicated to advancing healthier futures through school-based prevention and wellness programming. Earlier in his career, he served as medical director of a medically supervised weight loss clinic and provided fitness and lifestyle coaching within a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program—bringing a broad, practical understanding of lifestyle behavior change and whole-person care.

Known for building collaborative, patient-centered solutions, Dr. Findley has led efforts that align prevention, behavior change, and value-based delivery models to drive meaningful and sustainable healthcare outcomes.

"It is an extraordinary honor to serve as the next CEO of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine," Dr. Findley said. "For more than two decades, ACLM has led the movement to establish lifestyle medicine as a powerful, evidence-based solution to the chronic disease epidemic. At this pivotal moment, I look forward to working alongside our members, partners, and communities to translate science into action and make whole-person, lifestyle medicine-informed care the standard for every patient, every time.

"The next chapter of our work is not about proving that lifestyle medicine works - it is about bringing its benefits to every community, scaling its impact across the healthcare system, and fundamentally redefining how our nation approaches health for generations to come."

At ACLM, Dr. Findley will work closely with the Board of Directors to advance the organization's strategic priorities across clinical care, education, research, and policy, while supporting continued growth in its programs, partnerships, and national influence.

Dr. Findley succeeds Susan Benigas, who announced her transition to CEO emeritus and senior advisor after more than a decade of leadership that guided ACLM's significant growth to a medical professional society that today represents 16,000 members and established it as a leading voice in lifestyle medicine.

"I'm thrilled to pass the CEO baton to John, a physician executive who I believe will catapult ACLM to even greater heights," Benigas said. "I look forward to supporting him every step of the way as he accelerates ACLM's mission to firmly establish lifestyle medicine as our nation's—and the world's—standard of care."

About ACLM®

The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) is the nation's medical professional society advancing the field of lifestyle medicine as the foundation of a redesigned, value-based and equitable healthcare delivery system, essential to achieving the Quintuple Aim and whole-person health. ACLM represents, advocates for, trains, certifies, and equips its members to identify and eradicate the root cause of chronic disease by optimizing modifiable risk factors. ACLM is filling the gaping void of lifestyle medicine in medical education, providing more than 1.2 million hours of lifestyle medicine education to physicians and other health professionals, since 2004, while also advancing research, clinical practice and reimbursement strategies.

SOURCE American College of Lifestyle Medicine