Mental Well-being Certification for 
‍Fitness Professionals

A Harvard-trained public health academic, Gerry Bodeker researches and advises on integrative medicine and wellness. He has researched and taught in Medical Sciences at Oxford University for two decades, is adjunct professor of epidemiology at Columbia University and of integrative medicine at Western Sydney University. He has published ten books, including the World Health Organization Global Atlas on Traditional and Complementary Medicine and serves on the editorial boards of several integrative medicine journals. He has published in The Lancet, the British Medical Journal, Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine, Transactions of the Royal Society of Medicine and other journals. He has worked at the US National Museum of Health and Medicine at Walter Reed in Washington DC and founded the Oxford-based Global Initiative For Traditional Systems (GIFTS) of Health. He served as coordinator of the Commonwealth Working Group on Traditional & Complementary Medicine and also served on the Prince of Wales Working Group on Integrative Health. He has worked with several UN organizations, including the World Bank, the World Health Organization, UNDP, FAO and UNEP. Gerry Bodeker chairs the Mental Wellness Initiative of the Global Wellness Institute and is editor and lead author of their White Paper on Mental Wellness. Gerry’s work on wellness destination development has been covered in Forbes, Travel & Leisure, the South China Morning Post and the Robb Report. He has been an advisor to National Geographic and CNN and features in the BBC’s In Pursuit of Wellness.

Dr. Eli Puterman, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the School of Kinesiology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He is the Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity and Health since 2015 and was named a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar in 2016. Dr. Puterman’s research program develops and implements physical activity and exercise programs in collaboration with and for hard-to-reach and high-stress populations to determine their impacts on physical and mental health.

Dr. A’Naja Newsome is a lecturer and researcher in exercise and sport science at University of Central Florida. Her research focuses on the psychosocial determinants of sport and exercise, exercise in clinical and mental healthcare, and the methodological and measurement aspects of exercise research and program evaluation. She has more than a decade of leadership experience in collegiate recreation, clinical exercise, and commercial fitness. Dr. Newsome has served in professional roles in higher education settings where she managed fitness facilities and programs to improve exercise adherence and physical and mental health outcomes in college students. She has also led department assessment and strategic planning committees emphasizing evidence informed solutions such as the Gold-level Exercise is Medicine® on Campus initiative. She advocates for research and practice that lends itself to the increased use of exercise as an adjunctive therapy in clinical healthcare and rehabilitation services, as she has worked in clinical settings to integrate physical activity and exercise in patient care and rehabilitation. Her research focuses on the role that exercise plays in clinical and mental healthcare. A respected educator with a doctorate in interdisciplinary education with an emphasis in exercise science, public health, measurement and research from the University of South Florida where her dissertation specifically focused on the integration of exercise in the treatment of mental illness, Dr. Newsome is a nationally recognized presenter and has represented a number of leading organizations as a master trainer, including American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), Aerobics and Fitness Association of America, and Technogym USA. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and master’s degree in Sport Administration. She is a Certified Exercise Physiologist through ACSM and Certified Health Coach through American Council on Exercise. As an educational consultant with rigorous training in research and program evaluation, Dr. Newsome works to engage higher education professionals in organizational assessment with a broad focus on student wellbeing and a specific emphasis on the impact of physical activity and exercise on student success outcomes. She offers theoretical and practical solutions to communicate program utilization and effectiveness to a variety of stakeholders.

Gia Merlo, MD, MBA, MEd, DipABLM, FACLM is a clinical professor of nursing and Senior Advisor on Wellness, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, and a fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Merlo recently published a textbook Lifestyle Nursing (Taylor & Francis/CRC Press, August 2022) that expands Lifestyle Medicine (an evidence-based approach in preventing, treating, and oftentimes, reversing chronic diseases) to Nursing. Her first book, Principles of Medical Professionalism (Oxford University Press, 2021), stresses the importance of physician wellness, the need to address the social determinants of health, as well as the need to address chronic diseases with prevention. Merlo is the Associate Editor of the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. She is a contributing author of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) curriculum Lifestyle Medicine 101 and of the board review course, Foundations to Lifestyle Medicine. Merlo's current book projects include Medical Professionalism: Theory, Education, and Practice (Oxford University Press, expected 2023), Lifestyle Psychiatry: Through the Lens of Behavioral Medicine (Taylor & Francis/CRC Press, expected 2023), A Handbook of Lifestyle Nursing (expected 2023). Merlo is a part of the Psychiatry Faculty Group Practice at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and sees patients at NYULangone Health Psychiatry, 1 Park Avenue, New York, NY. She completed her Master of Education in Health Professions at Johns Hopkins University School of Education in August 2022 and is currently an Adjunct Faculty at Johns Hopkins helping students in the program complete their capstone projects. Merlo has served on the board of directors of many nonprofits over the years and is currently on the board of directors of Plant-Powered Metro of New York (PPMNY) and the advisory board of the Global Positive Health Institute (GPHI). She is chair of the Mental and Behavioral Health Member Interest Group of the ACLM. She has been involved in clinician care and medical education for nearly 30 years in professional development and mental health, particularly for healthcare professionals. Before joining NYU, Merlo was an associate dean of health professions at Rice University. She also taught medical students, residents, and fellows at Baylor College of Medicine, where she was a 2017-19 Master Teacher Fellow. She has served on the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University, Texas Children’s Hospital, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Dr. Steven Hickman is a longtime teacher of mindfulness and self-compassion and a trainer of teachers as well. He is the former Executive Director of the non-profit Center for Mindful Self-Compassion and co-developer of the Mindful Self-Compassion teacher training. Steve is a Clinical Psychologist and Retired Associate Clinical Professor in the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine, as well as the Founding Director of the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. He has participated in the training of over 2000 teachers of mindfulness and self-compassion around the world and has taught or trained in over 30 countries. Steve is now retired. He lives on the coast of Oregon with his wife and two beloved Corgis.

Simon is a psychologist and leadership coach, focussed particularly on leaders in healthcare. He is Board Certified in Health Coaching and Lifestyle Medicine and a Professional Certified Coach with ICF. He is on faculty with Wellcoaches School of Coaching and is an Adjunct Lecturer at Avondale University Lifestyle Medicine & Health Research Centre. In addition, Simon is a Director of the US not-for profit Global Positive Health Institute, which seeks to support healthcare and other organizations by bringing together the disciplines of Lifestyle Medicine and Positive Psychology. He is also a Director of the Australian not-for-profit Practice Excellence Institute which seeks to support health care organizations to provide high quality healthcare to their communities. He is is a member of the International Advisory Board of the Romanian Society of Lifestyle Medicine. Simon consults internationally in the areas of health coaching, behavior change, positive psychology, and lifestyle medicine. When not working, Simon also loves talking about his other passions of French and Spanish language, and cooking.

Karen Lawson, MD, DABIHM, NBC-HWC, is a consultant who works with programs and individuals to advance and expand training in Integrative Health Coaching and Holistic Healthcare. Her wide-ranging experience has included work as an emergency department and family practice physician, and an Integrative physician. She is the former medical director of Lamat Medical Corporation in San Diego, Calif. She is also the former medical director of The Wege Institute for Mind, Body and Spirit at St. Mary's Mercy Medical Center in Grand Rapids, Mich. She served as the founder and Director of Integrative Health Coaching at the UMN Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing from 2005-2022. Dr. Lawson is a published author and researcher who speaks nationally to diverse audiences on the power and potential of holistic health care practices, integrative health coaching, and the role of whole person well-being in health and healing.

Tasha, a Chicago native, is a board certified health and wellness coach, personal trainer, movement leader, mental health advocate and international presenter. A well-known voice and advocate for diverse and accessible wellness spaces, Tasha holds a Bachelor’s degree in sociology and a Master’s degree in counseling from Tennessee State University. Tasha is the founding director of See Her Healthy, a non-profit that supports the holistic wellness of women and supports fitness professionals by providing mentoring and training on bias, self care and living an authentic life.

Grace Gama is an experienced board certified health & wellness coach, group fitness instructor, and functional fitness specialist. Her degrees include a master of science in kinesiology - integrative wellness and a bachelor of science and foods and nutrition. Grace is well versed in lifestyle medicine and is passionate about improving overall wellbeing in diverse populations through promoting small and sustainable, healthy lifestyle changes. She has experience as a lifestyle coach for the Diabetes Prevention Program, and has also written curriculum for exercise and nutritional science programs within the university system.

A National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach, Kyle is on a mission to help people create happier, healthier, & more meaningful lives - on their terms. After nearly 15 years navigating the high-stakes, high-stress world of the corporate tech sector - & overcoming a violent, racist assault that left his jaw broken in 3 places - he's using all that he's learned about overcoming challenge to help a society that is increasingly searching for Self. His approach is compassionate, practical, & rooted in equal parts art & science. With a Master's in Integrative Wellness, he takes the ‘woo’ out of well-being & empowers his clients to create their own definition of success. He also draws from over 15 years of studying & teaching the ancient arts & science of yoga, meditation, & pranayama - to encourage others to cultivate practices of mindfulness & self-compassion, from which all change is born.