Master of Lifestyle Medicine

Program Overview

The Master of Lifestyle Medicine equips graduates with advanced knowledge and skills to manage lifestyle-related health issues. Through a combination of core subjects, electives, and project or research options, students develop expertise in health coaching, models of care, assessment, and prescription. Graduates are prepared for careers in clinical practice, public health, research, and other fields where they can promote positive lifestyle changes and improve health outcomes.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

Master of Lifestyle Medicine

• Overview: The Master of Lifestyle Medicine is a unique, innovative degree that focuses on managing lifestyle-related health problems to prevent and reverse common chronic physical and mental health illnesses.
• Objectives: Graduates of this program will:
• Integrate and apply an advanced body of clinical and theoretical knowledge of evidence-based biomedical and clinical science and socio-ecological lifestyle determinants of health.
• Design, evaluate, and apply cognitive, technical, and creative skills to critically investigate and assess lifestyle-related diseases, including diverse models of care.
• Collaborate independently to design, evaluate, implement, analyze, and reflect on complex, transdisciplinary ideas and concepts, technologies, and interventions that contribute to professional practice or scholarship with a lifestyle medicine approach.
• Communicate and justify principles, theories, methodologies, therapy concepts, treatment options, and professional decisions of the lifestyle medicine approach and research to educate and engage with specialist and non-specialist audiences.
• Ethically lead, model, and advocate positive lifestyle behavior changes with creativity and initiative as foundational to professional practice in healthcare and for further learning.
• Apply mastery of disciplinary theoretical knowledge and knowledge of research and evaluation principles and methods to plan and conduct a substantial project and/or significant scholarship.

Outline:

• Core Subjects:
• Introduction to Lifestyle Medicine
• Health Coaching and Behavior Change
• Models of Care and Innovation in Lifestyle Medicine
• Lifestyle Medicine Assessment and Prescription
• Research Methodologies for Health Professionals
• Option 1 - Project:
• Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of Lifestyle Medicine
• Option 2 - HDR Pathway:
• Research Planning
• Research Project
• Electives: Students can choose 6 credit points of electives from List 1, which includes courses in Alcohol and Other Drugs, Social Science in Public Health, Tropical Public Health, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, Teaching for Learning in the Health Professions, Innovative Teaching in the Health Professions, Leadership in Health Professional Education, Marketing Essentials, Health Promotion, Qualitative Research Methods for Health Professionals, Public Health Management, Leadership, Planning, and Policy, Epidemiology for Public Health, Biostatistics for Public Health, Public Health Economics, and Public Health Program Planning and Evaluation.

Assessment:

The assessment methods used in the program include:

• Assignments
• Projects
• Essays
• Presentations
• Exams
The assessment criteria used in the program include:
• Knowledge and understanding
• Critical thinking and analysis
• Problem-solving
• Communication skills
• Teamwork

Teaching:

The program is taught using a variety of methods, including:

• Lectures
• Tutorials
• Workshops
• Online learning
• Clinical placements
The faculty for the program includes:
• Dr. Sam Manger, Course Coordinator
• Dr. Joanna McMillan, Dietician, Author, and Regular Host of ABC's Catalyst Program

Careers:

Graduates of the Master of Lifestyle Medicine will be sought-after leaders with the skills to improve health care innovatively and holistically. Career opportunities include:

• Clinical practice
• Public health
• Research
• Teaching
• Consultation for health care systems
• Occupational programs
• Industry
• Community programs