Hypertension & Cardiovascular Disease: Getting to the Root Cause of Chronic Disease in 20 Minutes – or Two Hours

Join us for this complimentary session featuring two physicians bringing evidence-based expertise and frontline experience from different care environments. Both board-certified in lifestyle medicine clinicians deliver the six pillars, optimal nutrition, physical activity, stress management, restorative sleep, connectedness, and risky substance avoidance, of lifestyle medicine to their patient population, maximizing the time they have to meet patients where they are and support behavior change, an integral part of sustaining healthy habits.

Dr. Daniel Chen, who practices at Esperanza Health Center in Philadelphia, leads Lifestyle Medicine Shared Medical Appointments (LMSMAs). In two-hour group visits, patients engage in experiential learning through cooking demonstrations, movement, and stress management techniques in partnership with behavioral health clinicians to foster sustainable behavior change and measurable health outcomes.

Dr. Ada-Nkem Emuwa practices at a clinic serving patients based in Lancaster/Lebanon counties. Affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania, patient demographic data shows that the clinic serves a patient-population that has less access to healthcare than the hospital’s other clinic patient populations. While Dr. Emuwa sees patients in the traditional 20-minute window, she will demonstrate how physicians can intentionally prioritize lifestyle medicine within time-constrained encounters and plant powerful, practical “behavior change seeds” that influence long-term health outcomes without extending visit length.

While their delivery models differ due to time parameters and infrastructure, both approaches demonstrate the same core truth: lifestyle medicine works. Whether delivered in brief clinical encounters or immersive group sessions, evidence-based lifestyle interventions can meaningfully improve hypertension and chronic disease outcomes. Participants will leave with adaptable strategies to implement immediately—regardless of visit length, staffing model, or resource constraints.

For questions, please contact our events team at events@pachc.org