RESEARCH & EDUCATION
Building the Evidence, Education, and Tools Behind Better Women's Health.
Academic Strip
- Professor, Metropolitan State University of Denver
- University faculty since 2011
- Curriculum and competency leadership
- Research and implementation
- Student and clinician mentorship
Current Work and Projects
Women's Health Lifestyle Medicine Competencies
An international, multidisciplinary effort to define what lifestyle medicine clinicians should know and be able to do across women’s health.
Chair, International Lifestyle Medicine Women’s Health Competencies Committee. Creates a shared foundation for education and assessment.
A nonprofit organization working to make evidence-based lifestyle medicine education and practical wellness tools accessible to more people.
Board member and co-founder. Helps advance accessible education and resources that support people in taking meaningful, sustainable steps toward better health.
Leadership and Service
| MSU Denver | Professor, Department of Health Professions, Metropolitan State University of Denver. |
| IBLM | Chair/Lead, Lifestyle Medicine and Women's Health Competencies Committee. |
| ACLM | Lead Faculty, Women's Health Lifestyle Medicine Curriculum. |
| Blue Zones / ACLM | Lead Faculty, Blue Zones® Certification for Physicians and Health Professionals |
| PAVING | Executive Board Officer/Secretary, PAVING the Path to Wellness nonprofit. |
| ACLM Board | Board of Directors and Executive Board service, 2019-2025. |
Teaching, Curriculum, and Mentorship at Msu Denver
At Metropolitan State University of Denver, I teach and build applied, competency-based education across lifestyle medicine, women’s health, behavior change, sleep, stress, public health, and related health professions. I mentor students through internships, research, scholarly projects, and curriculum evaluation.
University Teaching and Academic Focus
Professor in the Department of Health Professions; university teaching since 2011, with emphasis on lifestyle medicine, women’s health, behavior change, sleep, stress, and public health.
Curriculum Development
Student Advising
Healthcare Leaders Student Organization Faculty Advisor
Selected Peer-Reviewed Scholarship
| Publication | Focus | Link |
|---|---|---|
| McHugh J, Cheema S, Eriksen N, et al. Lifestyle Medicine Competencies in Women’s Health: Consensus Based Standards From the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. 2026. | Women’s health lifestyle medicine competencies | READ MORE |
| 2026 - Perimenopause and Lifestyle Medicine: A Window of Opportunity | Women's health, menopause, and healthy aging | READ MORE |
| 2024 - Lifestyle Medicine and Vasomotor Symptoms: An Analytic Review | Women's health, menopause, and healthy aging | READ MORE |
| 2026 - The Lifestyle Medicine Health Behavior Scale and Cardiovascular Disease: A Prospective Cohort Study From the UK Biobank | Lifestyle medicine measurement and health outcomes | READ MORE |
| 2026 - Assessing Preliminary Implementation Outcomes of a Lifestyle Medicine Intervention | Group care, shared medical appointments, and implementation | READ MORE |
| 2025 - Implementing Group-Based Lifestyle Medicine: The Role of the Healthcare Practitioner in Feasibility and Effectiveness | Group care, shared medical appointments, and implementation | READ MORE |
| 2026 - A Novel Curricular Approach to Lifestyle Medicine Education Through Shared Medical Appointment Simulations | Curriculum, competencies, and simulation-based education | READ MORE |
TEXTBOOK AND EDITORIAL LEADERSHIP
Improving Women's Health Across the Lifespan
Give Improving Women’s Health Across the Lifespan a visible academic section. Research & Education explains the project and editorial leadership; Books & Resources provides the usable book card.
Professional Societies
American College of Lifestyle Medicine
Fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Board Certified in Lifestyle Medicine. Served 2 terms on the Executive Board. Co-founded the Women’s Health Member Interest Group
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Menopause Society
Peer Review and Academic Service
Evidence-to-use Bridge
Looking for practical education based on this work? Browse books, recordings, articles, and tools.
COLLABORATION
Collaborate on Research, Education, and Better Care Pathways.
I welcome inquiries about research collaboration, curriculum partnerships, competency development, guest teaching, clinician education, implementation, and student or faculty projects that align with evidence-based women’s health and lifestyle medicine.