Fight veteran and way of life medication doctor helps form digital well being

As a doctor, veteran and way of life medication chief, Regan A. Stiegmann, DO, MPH, has constructed a profession outlined by service. In May of 2011, Dr. Stiegmann enlisted within the United States Air Force (USAF) Reserve, the place she served as a flight surgeon. In the years since, she has mixed her osteopathic medical coaching along with her army expertise to champion whole-person well being, advance way of life medication and assist form rising digital well being options for the subsequent technology of physicians and sufferers.

Today, Dr. Stiegmann is a scientific professor at Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine (RVUCOM) and the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine. She can also be an lively member of a number of skilled medical associations and serves on the AOiA’s Digital Health Innovation Steering Committee. Her multifaceted profession continues to mirror her dedication to service.

Below is an edited Q&A.

What was your path to osteopathic medication?

I’m a proud Colorado native, and each of my mother and father are physicians. Both are MDs, and I knew that I used to be not minimize for the widespread pathway. I ended up trying round for different choices that may exist exterior of allopathic medical faculties, and lo and behold, I discovered osteopathic medication.

What I like about osteopathic medication is the way it teaches a whole-person method to healthcare. I additionally liked the thought of having the ability to combine osteopathic manipulative therapy (OMT) with my different medical data, as sports activities are an enormous a part of my life. I used to play semi-pro soccer previous to medication. Osteopathic medication didn’t really feel rote and prescriptive.

You’re a USAF veteran and served as a flight surgeon. What did that job entail? Are there any tales you’ll be able to share?

Halfway by medical faculty, a colleague talked about the Health Professions Scholarship Program and defined that this system entailed becoming a member of the army and turning into a army doctor. I assumed that sounded so cool, and I ended up throwing my hat within the ring.

At the time, it was a two-year program. I joined the Air Force Reserve in 2011 and educated in preventive and way of life medication. People hear “flight surgeon” and suppose I used to be doing surgical procedures on planes, however that’s truly not a part of the job. Being a flight surgeon entails maintaining the pilots, flyers and crew at tip-top form.

I had the chance to deploy in the course of COVID-19 and after I arrived in the course of the desert, the Wing Commander got here down and stated, “Hey Stiegmann, I hear that you’re the kind of flight doc who does lifestyle medicine to help get people back to health.” He had seen a number of obese and overweight army personnel and needed to assist change that. I had some profound outcomes, and since then, we have been in a position to launch a second-generation way of life medication clinic in Qatar.

You accomplished specialised coaching in way of life medication throughout your residency coaching. Lifestyle medication is rising in popularity as we be taught extra about how way of life has a big impact on our well being. How do you apply way of life medication as an osteopathic doctor?

Lifestyle medication is actually a modality to forestall, deal with and reverse among the most typical illnesses that we see at present. We try this by a six-pillar system: vitamin, bodily exercise, sleep, stress administration, avoidance of dangerous substances and optimistic social connections.

As we all know, the tenets of osteopathic medicine, such because the physique’s pure capacity to heal, are very comparable.

The identical logic weaves proper into viewing the physique as a unit. In the army, it’s known as cognitive lethality. This entails evaluating psychological readability and focus, making certain servicepeople can present up at 100%, if no more, in respect to their psychological operate and execution of cognitive efficiency. That is the intimate connection that way of life medication attracts to the physique as a unit, and I really like that.

It’s plain we’re a unit. We are linked to all the pieces round us. It virtually turns into a sport to determine how dialed in you may get your human techniques with respect to efficiency. I educate sufferers on how therapeutic way of life change is the primary therapy modality and a first-line intervention.

You have been in lots of management positions as a doctor, and even grew to become concerned with the movie ‘The Game Changers.’ How did you get entangled, and what message does the movie convey?

My mentor was featured within the movie, and that’s how I initially was linked to the crew. The movie was separate from the army. Motivated by my need to once more do the appropriate factor for sufferers, I stepped in as a captain, which led me to change into the army liaison for the movie. “The Game Changers” is the most-watched documentary on the Apple TV platform. Essentially, the movie covers efficiency vitamin, and it highlights among the greatest athletes within the MLB, the NFL, Formula One and extra.

It actually busts a number of typical myths. It dispels the assumption that if you wish to be massive and robust, it’s essential to eat a a number of animal protein. That hyperlinks up brilliantly with way of life medication approaches, particularly by way of the meals side of efficiency, and what efficiency vitamin can appear to be. The analysis introduced has been vetted over the previous 100 years. Unfortunately, some folks will say in any other case, however the science behind that is dependable and will be replicated.

You are additionally a recipient of the distinguished Fulbright scholarship. Tell us extra about your Fulbright analysis.

I met some people by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine who’re doing very unconventional issues with digital well being know-how, together with constructing apps that assist folks monitor their meals higher and serving to to get folks motivated the appropriate method.

I utilized for the scholarship with colleagues who have been in the identical house as me, and now we’re all companions in constructing smarter, stronger, extra versatile options for not solely conflict fighters, but additionally for dual-use know-how. What’s good for conflict fighters will definitely be good for civilians.

Finland was an enormous goal as a result of they’ve a conscript army, which suggests each younger man goes to undergo the army in some unspecified time in the future, and the thought is to make them as wholesome as attainable. How will we try this? We pre-empt illnesses and proactively spend money on instructing the recruits tips on how to maintain their very own well being. I labored with a number of firms to construct that chance and took part in an enormous showcase this previous April in Helsinki.

We introduced all the suitable stakeholders to the desk: researchers and academia, together with lively obligation USAF, United States Navy, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, Lithuanian Armed Forces, Finnish Defense Forces and extra. When you convey all the appropriate folks to the desk, you might have the chance to delegate. We know tips on how to obtain and reclaim well being and wellness. I’m truly persevering with that effort in 2026 as a result of there was a lot optimistic reverb from that Helsinki summit in April.

You are a busy lady between balancing being a doctor, a army liaison and even a chief medical officer for the digital well being firm LPM LAB. Can you inform us about these roles, in addition to your future objectives?

When you see a deficit anyplace in your skilled profession, particularly as a doctor, your reflexive response is to ask, “How do we fix this?” I joined LPM LAB as their chief medical officer a number of years in the past on the heels of separating from the Air Force. We’ve been constructing the very first way of life efficiency medication app for the United States Department of War.

The app consolidates customers’ data so that they don’t must toggle between a number of totally different apps. It’s a really personalised expertise.

Nothing will inspire you greater than accessing your individual knowledge and simply seeing it by the lens of way of life medication. Through the app, customers can see, for instance, they’re 5 grams of fiber away from the 25-gram purpose. The app will nudge customers to hit that purpose.

We’ve additionally constructed the very first AI coach into the LPM LAB app. We use a big language mannequin with a stunning, proprietary again finish that basically distills essentially the most related, up-to-date data that, once more, is personalised by customers’ conduct patterns and knowledge, earlier than making extra refined strategies to the top consumer. The coach basically retains your hearth stoked and retains your well being wins high of thoughts on a frequent foundation. The app isn’t commercially out there at the moment, however launching it’s a massive purpose of ours.

Do you might have any recommendation for osteopathic college students on medication, the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HSPS) or turning into a army doctor?

We are the fireplace starters for our sufferers. With sufferers, I confer with myself as the perfect cheerleader they’ll ever have, however like a quarterback, I can’t end my job until I’ve good large receivers. Motivate your self and your sufferers.

For HSPS, speak to recruiters, folks in this system and even me by LinkedIn. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Shake the timber, chilly name, e-mail to get these solutions you want. Do not lose that fireside you at all times had. Motivate your self to proceed, however discover a method that you could give again.

A mentor as soon as informed me, “The American medical system is dead; it just hasn’t fallen over yet.” This is so highly effective; we have now the chance to construct the medical system up and make it higher than earlier than, as long as we don’t quit that zeal and need.

Editor’s notice: The views expressed on this article are the topic’s personal and don’t essentially symbolize the views of The DO or the AOA.

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