Michelle Tollefson, MD, FACOG, DipABLM, FACLM 

Medical Doctor, Ob-Gyn, Professor 
MSU Denver 

Dr. Michelle Tollefson is double board-certified in OB/GYN and Lifestyle Medicine and a Fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. She is a menopause expert, international speaker, and pioneer in lifestyle medicine for women, advocating for optimal aging and thriving across the lifespan. She serves as lead faculty for the ACLM Blue Zones Certification for Physicians and Health Professionals, guiding clinicians to apply Blue Zones principles to support personal, patient, and community health. 

Dr. Tollefson is the editor-in-chief of Improving Women’s Health Across the Lifespan and co-author of PAVING a Woman’s Path Through Menopause and Beyond, PAVING the Path to Wellness Manual & Workbook, and PAVING Your Path Through Breast Cancer and Beyond. She also serves on the executive board of the non-profit PAVING the Path to Wellness. 

An award-winning professor at MSU Denver and one of the first physicians trained as a wellness coach, Dr. Tollefson—also a breast cancer survivor and thriver—continues to inspire women worldwide to live healthier, more vibrant, and empowered lives. 

Brenda Rea, MD, DrPH, PT, RD, DipABLM, FACLM 

Medical Director of Education 
American College of Lifestyle Medicine 

Brenda serves as the Medical Director of Education for the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and has over 20 years of knowledge and experience mentoring health professional students, medical students, residents and fellows in nutrition, lifestyle medicine and whole person care. Brenda completed her education at Loma Linda University Health, including family, preventive and lifestyle medicine specialties and has remained affiliated as faculty. She is passionate about training a new generation of physicians and health professionals to use nutrition and lifestyle medicine to treat and reverse chronic disease and strives to model these principles personally. 

Dexter Shurney, MD, MBA, MPH, DipABLM, FACLM 

Chief Health Officer 
Blue Zones, LLC 

Dr. Dexter Shurney leads the strategy and execution of Blue Zones research initiatives and scientific partnerships. Dexter is a population health innovator and is board certified in Preventive Medicine, Public Health, and Lifestyle Medicine. He’s the former Chief Medical Officer of Adventist Health, Past-President of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, former faculty at Vanderbilt University, and former Chief Medical Director/Executive Director of Global Health and Wellness at Cummins, Inc.  

Former roles Dr. Shurney has held include Chief Medical Director / Executive Director for Global Health Benefits and Corporate Wellness for Cummins, Inc., and Chief Medical Director, Employee Health Plan for Vanderbilt University and Medical Center. During his tenure at Vanderbilt he also held joint faculty appointments as Assistant Clinical Professor, Division of Internal Medicine and Public Health, and Adjunct Faculty, Owens Graduate School of Management. For a number of years, he served as the Chief Medical Officer for Healthways. It was at that time that he was appointed by Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen to Chair the Tennessee Diabetes Prevention and Health Improvement Board. He is also the former Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of medical affairs for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, and the most recent Chair of the Business Strategies Committee for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP). Dr. Shurney is co-author of the book “Integrating Wellness into Your Disease Management Programs” which is a “how- to” strategic guide for employers that wish to innovate their approach to chronic condition management.  He attended Loma Linda University for his undergraduate training, and later Howard University College of Medicine where he received his degree in medicine. He holds Masters’ Degrees in Business and in Public Health from the University of Detroit/Mercy and the Medical College of Wisconsin, respectively. He is a fellow in the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, and is board certified in both Preventive Medicine and in Lifestyle Medicine. 

Sarah Vick, MD, MBA, MPH, MDiv 

Module 4 Subject Matter Expert
American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Sarah Vick, MD, MBA, MPH, MDiv is a retired military physician and biosurveillance expert board certified in Family Medicine, Preventive Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine.  She has also worked as a head chef at a retreat center serving whole food, plant-forward meals to more than 500 people at a time.  Her unique combination of skills enables her to work as a trusted advisor to our nation’s government on subjects such as public health improvement and pandemic avoidance, and she's advised notable committees such as Operation Warp Speed, the COVID-19 Task Force, and the CDC’s Data Strategy and Execution Work Group.  She’s now working to solve the healthcare crisis through wellness promotion, and she's excited to be moving to a multi-generational health-forward Ecovillage near Pittsburgh.

Paulina Shetty, MS, RDN, DipACLM, FACLM 

Senior Advisor 
American College of Lifestyle Medicine 

Paulina Shetty, MS, RDN, DipACLM, FACLM serves as Senior Advisor for the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, a Nutrition Professor for Johnson County Community College, 2025-2026 Chair for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics-St Louis, and Board Member of the Missouri Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Her experience spans working in clinical, fitness, public health, academic, education leadership, non-profit, and lifestyle medicine settings. She received her Bachelor of Science in Medical Dietetics from the University of Missouri, Master of Science in Nutrition and Physical Performance from Saint Louis University, became certified in lifestyle medicine in 2018, and was recognized as a Fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (FACLM) in 2024. She is passionate about sharing the hope of lifestyle medicine to treat and reverse chronic diseases as well as restore health for providers, professionals in training, the general public, and friends and family.

Alexandra Kees, MPH 

Director of Education, CME/CE 
American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Alexandra Kees, MPH, serves as Director of Education for the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, where she co-leads the strategic development and implementation of accredited continuing education courses that empower clinicians to integrate evidence-based lifestyle medicine into everyday practice. With a background in epidemiology and public health, she oversees ACLM’s CME/CE portfolio, ensuring alignment with emerging science, accreditation standards, and best practices in adult learning, while advancing healthcare transformation through collaborative course development. She is passionate about creating educational content that supports clinician well-being and drives long-term improvements in patient outcomes, firmly believing that lifestyle medicine offers the solution our healthcare system needs to address the growing burden of chronic disease and become more sustainable and equitable for all. Outside of her professional work, she is a classically and jazz-trained musician who enjoys restoring her historic home, finding creativity and renewal in both her personal and professional pursuits.

Naomi Imatome-Yun 

EVP, Editor-in-Chief, and Chief Marketing & Communications Officer
Blue Zones, LLC 

Naomi directs editorial operations and communications for Blue Zones, where she oversees field research, publications, national marcomms, and media relations. A Wall Street Journal bestselling author, she has over two decades of experience growing large audiences and launching digital innovations at institutions including The New York Times Company, Yahoo, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

Gayle Popp, MBA 

Operating Executive, Health Partnerships
Blue Zones, LLC 

Gayle Popp, MBA, served as Operating Executive for Health Partnerships at Blue Zones, helping transform evidence-based principles into sustainable models that improve well-being and equity. A healthcare strategy and operations leader with experience spanning payers, providers, and digital health, she brings together multidisciplinary teams to strengthen performance and outcomes across government, commercial, and employer markets. A systems thinker and empathetic collaborator, Gayle holds a BA in Economics from UCLA and an MBA from Stanford University, where she also earned a Certificate in Public Management. She is a Health System Executive Member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.

Erin Newberry 

Director of Marketing 
Blue Zones, LLC 

Erin Newberry is the Director of Marketing at Blue Zones, where she leads brand, communications, and experience strategy across the organization’s growing portfolio of programs, partnerships, and products. Drawing on her background in public health and brand development, Erin blends creative storytelling with evidence-based messaging to translate the Blue Zones philosophy into engaging experiences that inspire people to live better, longer. Before joining Blue Zones, Erin spent eight years at Polaroid, where she was a key member of the Marketing and Brand Integrity teams. There, she helped shape global campaigns and creative standards for one of the world’s most iconic brands. Erin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. She lives in Eastern Washington, where she enjoys exploring the intersection of creativity and well-being through art, design, and time spent with her family and loved ones.