Please click here to submit an Speaker Accreditation Application
Step 1: Pick your topic
This should be a topic that:
- You are passionate about
- You have knowledge, expertise or experience in
- Is relevant to the field of lifestyle medicine
Topics relevant to the field of lifestyle medicine would include:
- The definition of lifestyle medicine as the application of evidence for which lifestyle factors improve health and proven techniques to support people to make healthy lifestyle changes.
- Cellular/biological mechanisms in lifestyle medicine such as epigenetics, telomere science, longevity pathways and genes, the microbiome and chronic inflammation
- The pillars of lifestyle medicine: the science of sleep, nutrition, physical activity, stress management, social connection, connection with nature, smoking cessation and alcohol reduction.
- Condition specific application of lifestyle medicine e.g. for Obesity and metabolic diseases, neurological, gastrointestinal, respiratory, gynaecological, genitourinary, dermatological diseases, fertility, cancer and autoimmune disease etc.
- Lifestyle medicine skills such as motivational interviewing, health coaching, group consultations
- Lifestyle medicine practice models such as group consultations, social prescribing, person-centred care, shared decision making, supported self-care etc
Step 2: Consider if your presentation will fit with the values of the BSLM as an educational charity:
The BSLM promotes an evidence-based, inclusive and patient-centred approach to lifestyle medicine. For example, we teach about a variety of healthy eating approaches. Discussions about values, purpose and meaning are important in lifestyle medicine but we believe that this should not encompass any religious teaching.
The BSLM promotes a food first approach to nutrition and avoids promotion of supplements.
The BSLM teaches a behavioural science approach to supporting patients with lifestyle changes and avoids promotion of genetic profiling or excessive use of testing when simpler and more cost-effective methods for guiding behaviour change already exist.
Step 3: Consider who your audience is
Are you aiming the talk at nurses, health coaches, doctors or patients?
Make your audience clear in your talk title.
Step 4: Avoid causing offence or revealing patient identifiable information!
Have you considered the emotive topics in lifestyle medicine and how your talk might come across to people who feel they might not have the means to address lifestyle e.g. issues of health inequality, race, culture and socioeconomic factors
Have your considered how your talk might come across to those who feel that they are being blamed or stigmatised for their condition?
Step 5: Think of how your talk will help better inform listeners
Make sure to include helpful statistics and information backed by reliable sources that can help inform your audience and assist them in making educated choices
Step 6: Submitting
Fill out the application form by clicking the button at the top of the page, ensure you put in as much detail as you can to improve your chances of being accepted