Project ECHO

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Lifestyle Medicine Training for Primary Care Providers

Mississippi ranks above national average with a 40.8% prevalence of obesity, a major risk factor for the development of cardio-metabolic health conditions such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and stroke. While most cardio-metabolic disease prevention and treatment programs focus on nutrition and physical activity education, a more comprehensive and integrative approach is needed for sustainable lifestyle behavior change that promote and preserve good health.

The UMMC Healthy Lifestyle ECHO Program facilitates a collaborative discussion of evidence-based assessment and treatment guidelines for cardio-metabolic diseases through 6 interactive, monthly sessions. Each session features a lifestyle medicine specialist from UMMC and an MSU extension service agent. Through this collaboration, participants receive real-time recommendations on how to implement healthy lifestyle coaching with their patients as well as connect them to available community resources. 

ECHO topics include: 

  • Motivational Interviewing 
  • Nutrition 
  • Physical Activity 
  • Stress/ Mental Health 
  • Sleep Health 
  • Strategies to address the relapsing patient

How ECHO works: 

The Health Lifestyle ECHO program is hosted via the ZOOM video conferencing platform. It is held on the first Monday of the month from 7 pm to 8 pm CST. Providers are encouraged to submit cases to discuss once they register as a participant.  

Meet the Healthy Living ECHO Program team: 

  • Joshua Mann, MD, MPH, Chair, UMMC Preventive Medicine
  • Josie Bidwell, DNP, FNP-C, DipACLM, Clinical Director, UMMC Preventive Medicine
  • Lauren Turner, NP, UMMC Preventive Medicine
  • Gillian Goodloe, MS, CHES, Program Coordinator – Community and Prevention, UMMC Preventive Medicine
  • David R. Buys, PhD, MSPH, CPH, FGSA, State Health Specialist, MSU Extension

Contact Us: 

For more information or to register, contact Gillian Goodloe at ggoodloe@umc.edu.