The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) has announced that Ardmore Institute of Health (AIH) has awarded it a $30,000 grant to accelerate the adoption of whole health and lifestyle medicine at academic institutions, helping up to 250 future clinicians implement equitable and preferred methods for preventing, treating and reversing chronic disease. For 11 years, AIH has given more than $19 million to fund innovative projects, and IFM is one of their 2025 recipients.
IFM will use the grant for a pilot project to integrate its award-winning course “Lifestyle: The Foundations of Functional Medicine” into the curriculum of selected academic partners, including Nebraska Methodist College, Northwestern Health Sciences University, Parker University, Southern California University of Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medical College and more.
“IFM is honored to be recognized by AIH through this grant. We are excited to elevate the awareness, understanding, and application of functional medicine’s modifiable lifestyle factors in achieving optimal patient health and well-being,” said IFM CEO Amy R. Mack, MSES/MPA. “Through collaborations with our esteemed partner institutions, practitioners in training will engage with and embrace the tools needed to improve patient outcomes and safeguard their own quality of life.”
IFM has partnered with academic institutions for more than a decade to introduce functional medicine into core curricula and clinical training. IFM said that it trains health care providers in a root-cause, whole health approach that prioritizes evidence-based lifestyle interventions. To meet the growing demand for functional medicine–trained practitioners around the globe, IFM has a comprehensive strategy to increase access for early-career medical professionals in multiple disciplines.
“Ardmore Institute of Health is delighted to provide a grant to IFM to enhance medical education with lifestyle medicine,” said AIH President and CEO Dr. Ron Stout. “We are on a mission to transform the way people are cared for in America, and IFM’s work to integrate lifestyle medicine–infused whole person care principles into medical education is a vital component of this healthcare transformation.”
For more information, visit www.ifm.org.
