Neal Barnard, M.D., F.A.C.C., Honored with American College of Lifestyle Medicine’s Trailblazer Award

WASHINGTON—Neal Barnard, M.D., F.A.C.C., president and founder of the Physicians Committee and the Barnard Medical Center, was presented with the Lifestyle Medicine Trailblazer Award from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine during its annual conference, which runs from Oct. 23-26 in Naples, Fla.

Dr. Barnard received the Lifestyle Medicine Trailblazer Award on Oct. 25 during the conference’s annual awards banquet. The Lifestyle Medicine Trailblazer Award recognizes extraordinary contributions in several domains, including patient care, education, research, innovation, management, and community service.

Dr. Barnard is president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which he founded in 1985, and an adjunct associate professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C. In January 2016, he opened the nonprofit Barnard Medical Center in Washington, D.C., to provide medical care with extra attention on prevention and nutrition.

Dr. Barnard has also led numerous research studies investigating the effects of diet on diabetes, body weight, and chronic pain, including a groundbreaking study of dietary interventions in type 2 diabetes, funded by the National Institutes of Health. He has authored more than 70 scientific publications as well as 17 books, including the New York Times best-sellers Power Foods for the Brain, 21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart, and the USA Today best-seller Dr. Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes, and stars in three PBS specials about diet and health.

“We’ve made tremendous progress, but there is so much left to be done,” Barnard said in accepting the award. “We need a much greater emphasis on nutrition, especially plant-based diets, not just in North America, but in China, India, and everywhere else where westernization is taking a toll. That’s our challenge now.”

To address domestic challenges, Dr. Barnard will host a roundtable discussion at the National Press Club on Jan. 18, 2017, and propose a three-step solution to modify the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), in a quest to align our nation’s agricultural spending with the plant-based recommendations outlined in the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

The American College of Lifestyle Medicine is the world's flagship professional medical association for physicians, clinicians, and allied health professionals, as well as those in professions devoted to advancing the mission of lifestyle medicine.