Texas Christian University's Doctor of Occupational Therapy program is set to become the first occupational therapy program in the country to offer students a full academic pathway toward board certification in lifestyle medicine, with the new track launching in spring 2027 for second-year doctoral students.
The distinction makes TCU's program the first OT program in the United States to offer a full academic pathway to this certification, according to Texas Christian University. As Fort Worth Report reported, the academic track will allow second-year Doctor of Occupational Therapy students to pursue the certification as part of their coursework. Lifestyle medicine, as described in the Fort Worth Report's reporting, focuses on helping patients change their lifestyles to prevent, treat and reverse chronic disease — a mission that dovetails with occupational therapy's traditional focus on helping people manage health challenges that interfere with daily tasks and activities.
Crystal Smith, a TCU assistant professor and doctor of occupational therapy who also serves as assistant professor of professional practice and doctoral capstone coordinator for the OTD program, has spent the past year completing the full pathway that fulfills the requirements for students to sit for the board exam, per the Fort Worth Report. Smith told the outlet that occupational therapists can help people overcome health challenges in practical, everyday ways, and said TCU is preparing lifestyle medicine students with tools to help individuals and communities improve their health.
How the Certification Path Works
Students who complete the full pathway will meet the educational requirements to sit for the lifestyle medicine certification examination once they graduate and pass the occupational therapy board certification exam, according to TCU. That exam is administered through the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, with the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine handling the testing on the college's behalf, per the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. The exam itself runs four hours and includes 120 multiple-choice questions, the organization notes.
Before students can sit for that exam, lifestyle medicine certification candidates generally must complete 30 hours of continuing education and take a foundational course, the Fort Worth Report reported. The organization's professional certification standards separately describe 30 hours of online continuing education plus 20 hours from an approved event or combination of events. The foundational course covers six lifestyle medicine pillars — whole-food plant-forward nutrition, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, social connection and avoidance of risky substances — according to the Fort Worth Report's account of the curriculum.
A Multi-Year Effort Behind the Scenes
Smith's road to building the student pathway took time. She spent about one year completing the lifestyle medicine board certification process herself before planning the student track, then spent one additional year developing a partial pathway after earning her own certification, the Fort Worth Report reported. Smith told the outlet that changing one's lifestyle can help people reverse, treat or manage disease and improve their quality of life, and she pointed to the scale of chronic-disease health care spending in the United States, which she said totals trillions of dollars.
Where TCU Fits Among Other Programs
TCU is not the only occupational therapy program exploring this space, though it says it is the first to offer the full pathway. Southern California University of Health Sciences participates in a partial academic pathway toward the same certification, according to Southern California University of Health Sciences, which describes lifestyle medicine as a medical specialty that uses evidence-based changes to help prevent, manage and sometimes improve chronic disease, built around nutrition, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, healthy relationships and avoiding risky substances. Occupational therapists, the university notes, help patients turn health recommendations into realistic daily routines.
Lifestyle medicine education can be incorporated into graduate health care programs through partial or full academic pathways.
TCU's entry-level Doctor of Occupational Therapy program has applied for accreditation and has been granted Candidacy Status from the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education, according to Harris College at Texas Christian University. Mckinnon Rice, the Fort Worth Report's health reporter whose position is supported by a grant from Texas Health Resources, authored the original report on TCU's new certification track.
