Wellness
Wellness
MEDWell is an acronym that stands for: Mindfulness, Exercise and Diet through Work, Engagement and Lifelong Learning.
Promoting Wellness MEDWell Events & Resources
We offer various opportunities to promote a healthy lifestyle as well as embed wellness sessions within each conference week.
Please visit the items below for a variety of ongoing activities and recorded events and resources.
Culinary MEDICINE
The Wellness Talks (formerly Nutrition in Medicine – NiM) series is now, and historically has been, driven by student interest in the power of nutrition and how it relates to human health and disease. Integral in this acquisition of information is the medical profession’s responsibility to more fully understand this important connection and, more specifically, to better care for our patients utilizing this knowledge. Each session will be presented by faculty and guest lecturers who are leaders in the field of evidence-based nutrition.
The lectures and information provided in the NiM series are the thoughts and opinions of the lecturers. That said, a Whole Foods Plant Based (WFPB) largely unprocessed diet is the basis of the NiM lecture series. By gaining exposure to various types of science based nutrition therapies including a WFPB diet you will be provided with the knowledge to understand and treat those who follow a mainly unprocessed whole plant food lifestyle. The content of these lectures may be emotionally triggering. You are the best judge of your well-being and what works best for you and your future patients.
In addition to nutrition we are aware there are so many other Lifestyle Medicine (LM) preventative health aspects we can explore. LM is composed of 6 pillars; Nutrition, Sleep health, Physical activity, Stress reduction, Social connection, and Avoiding risky substances. So we have rebranded our series “Wellness Talks”. Please enjoy the collection of past recordings below:
2025-2026 Sessions
The Meal Prep Prescription: Eat Better, Stress Less, Save Time
The Sleep Shift: Smarter Rest through Science & Strategy
Healthy Holiday Recipes & Tips
Food as Medicine: A Lifestyle Medicine Approach
2024-2025 Sessions
Sleep, Nutrition and the Pandemic: A Vital Connection
The Science of Longevity and the Lifestyle Habits that Promote it
Leading with the Heart (Hands with Heart org)
What I Wish I Learned in Medical School about Nutrition
The Power of the Plate: Putting the Pieces together
The Ecological Impact of Plant-Based Nutrition (A Diet for All Reasons)
Transitioning to Plant Predominant Meals
2023-2024 Sessions
Changing the Practice of Medicine…One Bite at a Time
Utilizing Technology and Lifestyle Medicine to Harness Healthy Habits
What I Wish I Learned in Medical School About Nutrition
Brain Health & Alzheimers Disease
What are we eating? Chemistry vs Real, whole food
2024 we have decided to incorporate vegan recipe demonstrations into each NiM session. Below is the reference for all of the demonstrated recipes!
NiM Cookbook
2022-2023 Sessions
- Session 1: Real People, Real Stories
- Session 2: Treating Diabetes with a low fat high carb diet
- Session 3: Plant Based Weight Loss
- Session 4: The Plantrician Project
- Session 5: The Role of Plant-Based Nutrition in One Medicine
- Session 6: Reversing Chronic Disease and Optimizing Immune Function using Supermarket Foods
- Session 7: Things RDs wish Physicians Knew
- Session 8: Holistic Health
2021-2022 Session Recordings
- Session 1: Practical Application of Nutrition in a Student’s Life
- Session 2: Preventing and Reversing Cardiovascular and Chronic Disease
- Session 3: The Role of Plant-Based Nutrition in One Medicine
- Session 4: Nutrition for Better Mental Health
- Session 5: Nutrition and the Gut Microbiome
- Session 6: What I Wish I Learned in Medical School about Nutrition
- Session 7: The Cancer Fighting Kitchen
2020-2021 Session Recordings
- Session 1: Practical Application of Nutrition in a Student’s Life
- Session 2: Nutrition and the Gut Microbiome
- Session 3: A New Paradigm of Human Health: What the Microbiome and Fecal Transplant are Teaching Us
- Session 4: The Important Intersection between Nutrition and Brain Health
- Session 5: Preventing and Reversing Cardiovascular and Chronic Disease
- Session 6: Using Foods to Address Diabetes and other Hormonal Disorders
- Session 7: The deficiency in our diet
CVM Students: please be mindful of differences in species-specific nutrition and disease vulnerability. If you have questions about how this COMP/COMP-NW lecture series is aligned with the DVM program, please do not hesitate to contact either Dr. Linde or Dr. Melgarejo (both CVM faculty members), who contribute to the NiM lecture series with content expertise in ‘One Medicine-One Health’.
In alignment with COMP’s mission, to deliver culturally competent and meaningful care requires prioritizing nutrition and well-being for both students and their future patients. Our nutrition curriculum supports student learning and self-care by providing up-to-date, evidence-based information grounded in scientific and clinical research. Nutrition is a primary driver of optimal health and plays a central role in preventing, treating, and reducing chronic disease risk. Within lifestyle medicine, it serves as a practical, evidence-based tool that, alongside physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, and social connection, promotes long-term health and quality of life.
Our integrated curriculum provides foundational and applied Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) across organ systems through case-based learning. Students develop skills in lifestyle prescribing, SMART goal setting, food label interpretation, referrals to Registered Dietitian Nutritionists and additional appropriate specialty providers. Learning modules, workshops, and culinary medicine experiences translate evidence into effective, patient-centered care. Students learn that nutrition IS medicine.
Above is an example of our Nutrition Curriculum. The content is taught by Melanie Barbee, MS,RDN,CDCES,DipACLM, our Registered Dietician Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator who practices Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) at our onsite Patient Care Center, WesternU Health on our California campus. Students have the unique Specialty Rotation opportunity to work with our Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine professionals.
American College of Lifestyle Medicine Certification
“With this certification, Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific has demonstrated its dedication to providing a comprehensive curriculum that addresses the vital role of lifestyle factors in patient health. We believe that your efforts set a commendable example for other institutions striving to enhance medical education.” – ACLM
We are working hard to incorporate 9.5 more hours of lifestyle medicine content into our curriculum to obtain platinum status. With a platinum certification (100 hours of lifestyle medicine), our students will have the opportunity to sit for the ACLM Board exam right out of graduation. We are currently the only DO program with this level of certification.
Many local organizations provide valuable support for those facing food insecurity, including WesternU. Our “Care Cabinets” are available at both our Pomona and Lebanon campuses to help. Additionally, we’ve curated a list of resources to assist you or someone you know in finding support. Please note that these organizations operate independently and are not affiliated with WesternU.
University food resources (USA link)
Each conference week we organize a social and nutritional event we call “Salad Social” where we all contribute a nutritional ingredient to a collective meal. Not only is this an opportunity to socialize with their peers but eat a healthy meal together.
- PAST PRESENTATIONS:
- Meal Prep Tips & Tricks – By Crystal Rivera, CPT, HWC & Melanie Barbee, RDN
- Protein Balls – By Crystal Rivera, CPT, HWC
- Breakfast for the Busy Med Student – By Kendall Lucara – COMPNW, OMS
- Tofu Stir Fry – By: Kyra Diehl & Hannah Ward – COMP, OMS
- Avocado Slaw – By: Melanie Barbee, MS, RDN, CDCES, DipACLM
- Energy Bites – By: Cailin Sochacki – COMPNW, OMS
Recipe Resources
- You can order Dr Navab’s book “Sleep Reimagined” HERE
- Dr Navab’s 2025 Wellness Talk: The Sleep Shift: Smarter Rest through Science & Strategy
Dr Navab’s 2024 Wellness Talk: Sleep, Nutrition and the Pandemic: A Vital Connection - Drift into Sleep: Gentle Remedies for Better Rest and Relaxation: COMP Future of Medicine magazine article
- CALM app: sleep resources CALM download instructions
- HEADSPACE app: even more sleep resources AND they offer a student discount HEADSPACE student plan
- CDC sleep webpages have a summary of sleep recommendations and a collection of links to several organizations that offer information and resources about sleep health and hygiene.
- Lastly here’s an informative article from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) that talks about the health implications of poor sleep Sleep and Health – A Lifestyle Medicine Approach as well as attached sleep patient handouts in both english and spanish on sleep that you can use as reference.
Mindfulness apps
- CALM app: CALM download instructions
- HEADSPACE app: they offer a student discount HEADSPACE student plan
Yoga/Meditation
Body Scan (meditation)
Intermediate Yoga Flow
Sun Salutation A (yoga)
Sun Salutation B (yoga)
Yoga with Adriene YouTube Channel
Mental Health Resources
- SMART 5 min workout – By: Crystal Rivera, CPT, Wellness Coordinator, COMP
- Plank Challenge – By: Crystal Rivera, CPT, Wellness Coordinator, COMP
- Core & Legs – By: Lexi Martin & Saloni Butala – COMP, OMS
- Bodyweight workout – By: Samar Fakia & Mary Trumble – COMP-NW, OMS
- Morning Stretch – By: Ashley Huynh – COMP-NW, OMS
- Core & Lower Back Strengthening – By: Joshua Vasquez, COMP, OMS
- Legs & Core – By: Michael San Angelo, COMP, OMS
- Core – By: Crystal Rivera, CPT, Wellness Coordinator, COMP
- Core & Legs – By: Eric Chang, COMP, OMS
- Guided Cardio Run/Walk – By: Katherine Knobloch, COMP, OMS
If you belong to a student club and would like to host some kind of wellness event, I’m happy to serve as a resource for things like yoga, mindfulness/meditation, sound baths, exercise classes, nutrition demonstrations, painting, crafting, etc. Please feel free to reach out:
Crystal Rivera
Wellness Coordinator
crivera@westernu.edu
