WINTER 2023, DALLAS, TEXAS.  Central and Northern Texas have ushered in the winter season, marking the onset of the annual flu season. Heightened awareness of respiratory illnesses following the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted increased public vigilance. Acknowledging this, Marin Wolf, the health care reporter for the renowned Dallas Morning News, sought insights from the Department of Personalized Health and Wellbeing at the esteemed Health Science Center, University of North Texas.

Dr. Victor Peña-Araujo, serving as the Medical Director at the Department, graciously provided evidence-based guidance to benefit the wider public. The collaboration between the Dallas Morning News, in circulation since 1885 with a robust readership comprising 145,000 subscribers across print and digital platforms, underscores the commitment to disseminating crucial health information amid the prevailing seasonal shift.

SPRING 2023, FORT WORTH, TEXAS.  The first day of January marked the start of Dr. Peña's role as the Medical Director of the Master of Science Program in Lifestyle Health Sciences & Coaching, offered by the Department of Lifestyle Health Sciences at the University of North Texas Health Sciences Center, in Forth Worth, Texas.

The University of North Texas (UNT) is a large public institution with a total enrollment of over forty thousand diverse students.  It is ranked as a 'Top-Tier Research University' in the Carnegie Classification, among the likes of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Stanford, MIT, Cornell, among other leading institutions.  In the health sciences, UNT ranks 11th in the nation for producing the most graduates that go on to primary care, and 36th among medical school programs for Primary Care.

The Department of Lifestyle Health Sciences is chaired by Dr. Misti Zablosky, PhD, who already leads an extraordinary faculty of passionate experts in the fields of lifestyle medicine, health coaching, education, and behavioral science.  Together, they are crafting a truly unique program in the state of Texas.

This appointment is a great opportunity for Dr. Peña, and one  that will enable him to have a greater impact in the fields of lifestyle medicine and health coaching by helping prepare the healthcare providers of the future with the necessary skills to elicit the effective and lasting changes their patients will need to transform their lives and create a healthier world.

SPRING, 2022, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.  Back in 2010 Dr. Victor Peña was completing his Clinical Research Fellowship in Surgery in London when he came across the one-page article on the topic of lifestyle medicine.  This article would soon change the course of his life and career.  In that article Dr. Eddie Phillips, the Director of the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine in Boston was quoted a number of times.  What Victor learned stuck with him and led him to research more about the topic and about Dr. Phillips.  This led Victor to enroll in, and complete all of the continuing medical education on lifestyle medicine that the institute, in conjunction with Harvard Medical School, had on offer.

Eleven years later Victor is thrilled to have been invited by Dr. Phillips, now an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, to join the guest faculty of Harvard's leading annual lifestyle medicine professional conference.  Victor will join a panel of two other physicians to share his story and discuss the real world challenges and opportunities of entering this new and exciting field and the contributions that we can all make by joining our efforts in lifestyle medicine.

The course is titled 'Lifestyle Medicine: Tools For Promoting Healthy Change",  and it will be on its 16th year, it will attract 600 of the world's physicians and other healthcare providers interested in developing their advanced skills in this revolutionary fields. This year the course will take place live, online, from Friday June 10th to Saturday June 11th, 2022.  This will be the first year that it will feature live, Spanish and Portuguese interpretation!

SPRING, 2022, AUSTIN, TEXAS.  There is a new and innovative social media platform that aims to be an alternative to everything that seems to be wrong and broken with today's social media.  It is called 'F.EM' (fem-community.com) and it is the creation of Kara Sandoval and Dr. Darian Parker.  They describe it as a "give first community designed to encourage the betterment of self through mind, body and spirit work."

Kara Sandoval is the founder and owner of Beyond The Gym, or 'BTG', a holistic health and fitness company.  Victor and Kara have collaborated in the past and when he heard what Kara was building with Darian he jumped at the chance to contribute in whatever way he could.

Yesterday Victor delivered a Master Class for the F.EM Community on 'How To Thrive'.  It was a 40-minute discussion on the most impactful strategies described in the scientific literature that can help us live not only longer lives, but also healthier and more fulfilling lives.  We discussed lifespan, 'health-span', what 'wellness' really means, and how to optimize the healthy habits that promote a positive mindset and a concrete sense of purpose, with the aim of leading a truly fulfilling life.

WINTER, 2021, MONTERREY, N.L., MEXICO. Over 150 people came together in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey, in the state of Nuevo León, to take part in the very first congress of the Mexican Association of Lifestyle Medicine.  This historic event was attended by physicians, dietitians, healthcare administrators, health entrepreneurs and thought leaders in the lifestyle medicine movement.

Thirty six speakers and presenters delivered addresses and took part in several panel discussions and break-out activities.  The headline keynote addresses were delivered by Dr. Peña and by Brenda Davis, RD, the world-renown dietitian and author of best-selling books on nutrition.  Other notable speakers were able to participate remotely, including Dr. David Katz, Dr. Dean Ornish, Colin Campbell, PhD, Dr. Michael Greger, Dr. John McDougall, Dr. Wayne Dysinger, and Dr. Cate Collings, who is the current President of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.

Dr. Peña's keynote address introduced the principles of lifestyle medicine and related them to the specific public health challenges currently faced by the Mexican population.  He delivered a second talk on Health Coaching as the key link between the science of lifestyle medicine and the facilitation of health transformation at the scale of the individual.

FALL, 2021, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. MiSalud.ai is a new and innovative health technology start-up with the mission of transforming wellness and healthcare in the Spanish-speaking, Hispanic community in the United States.  Devon Huff, CEO of MiSalud.ai invited Dr. Peña to join the fast-growing international team to lead the effort to build a world-class health-coaching team ready to meet the unique needs of the Hispanic community.

MiSalud combines authentic, culturally and linguistically appropriate human interaction with digital and mobile technology to scale an innovative way to deliver appropriate health, wellness, and medical care in an immediate and cost-effective way.

FALL, 2021, MONTERREY, NUEVO LEÓN, MÉXICO. The Mexican Association of Lifestyle Medicine (La Associación Méxicana de Medicina de Estilo de Vida, AMMEV) will be hosting its very first in-person, international conference in later this fall in the beautiful city of Monterrey, Nuevo León, in Northern México.  The Board of Directors have kindly invited Dr. Peña to join the other nine international speakers who will be addressing the attendees.

Dr. Peña is honored to join several pioneers and leaders in the field of American lifestyle medicine, including: Dr. David Katz, who is a past director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center and is a former president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine;  Brenda Davis, RD a world-renowned dietitian and best-seller author; and Stephan Herzog, the Executive Director of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.  This is in addition to joining the most prominent leaders in the lifestyle medicine movement in México.

SPRING, 2021, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. In 2007 Harvard Medical School and the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital founded the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine to reduce lifestyle-related diseases and death in society.  It instantly became a world-leading organization.

Three years later, and across an ocean, Dr. Peña was in London, in the midst of a clinical research fellowship in surgery, when he first read a short article that mentioned the Institute and its founder, Dr. Eddie Phillips.  That article would lead to the founding of ELITE Personalized Health, LLC in 2014.

This spring the Institute recognized Dr. Peña and ELITE Personalized Health as "Changemakers" and shared his story with the ILM community.  The influence and impact that the Institute's work has had on our work has been immeasurable and we remain grateful for all their fine work, their support and recognition.

WINTER, 2020, AUSTIN, TEXAS. 'Con Mi Madre' is an exemplary, Austin-based non-profit organization that empowers young Latinas and their mothers through education and support services that increase preparedness, participation, and success in post-secondary education.  This organization serves over a thousand young Latinas and their mothers every year, last year 100% of its seniors graduated high school, and a majority of them were successfully made "college-ready."

The Executive Director of 'Con Mi Madre', Dr. Johanna Moya Fábregas, kindly invited Dr. Peña to deliver the 2020 keynote presentation at the organization's annual Balanced Living Conference which was held remotely this year in the midst of the COVID pandemic.  Dr. Peña felt honored to have spoken to the participants about how to optimize their mindset for better health.  He is grateful to have the opportunity to reach out to such inspiring groups of future leaders.

SUMMER, 2020, MEXICO CITY, MEXICO.  Victor Saadia, a founder of the Mexican Association of Lifestyle Medicine, led an intimate and fast-paced interview of Dr. Peña in which he shares his personal motivation to become a doctor, describes his surgical training and what he learned about lifestyle medicine during that stage of his career.  Dr. Peña delves into his discovery of lifestyle medicine, how it works, and why he thinks it is the ultimate solution to the current chronic disease epidemic, and tells us about the craziest decision of his career.

Dr. Peña is honored to be the fourth guest on this innovative podcast series that later includes some of the world's foremost pioneers and visionaries in lifestyle medicine such as Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Hans Diehl, Dr. David Katz, Brenda Davis, and Stephan Herzog, as well as some remarkable thinkers such as Jamie Metzl, among many others.

Dr. Peña takes this opportunity to highlight some of the risks of some of the various "brands" of medicine out there usually classified as a form of "alternative medicine" and stresses the importance of maintaining a critical view of health claims and of promoting scientific rigor in research in order to find the most efficacious treatments and prevention of disease and suffering in the world.

This podcast is conducted in English.  You can listen to it by following any of the links below:

SPRING, 2020, AUSTIN, TEXAS.  The founders of the newly-established Mexican association of lifestyle medicine have kindly invited Dr. Peña to address their growing group of healthcare professionals.  The AMMEV (Asociación Mexicana de Medicina de Estilo de Vida), in partnership with the American College of Lifestyle Medicine Speakers Bureau, have coordinated to invite Dr. Peña as their keynote speaker for their May 5th webinar.

The international webinar, which reached its main audience in Mexico in the midst of the global social isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, introduced the principles of lifestyle medicine to the Mexican community of forward-looking physicians, nurses, psychologists, therapists, dentists and many other healthcare professionals, with the aim to promote the vision of lifestyle medicine: The prevention and mitigation of chronic, lifestyle-related diseases in order to reduce suffering and improve quality of life around the world.

Dr. Peña then spoke Mexico's strengths in joining the Lifestyle Medicine movement and its opportunity to become a leader in the area in Latin America.

The main presentation was delivered English and the subsequent Q&A session was conducted in Spanish.

You may view the presentation by following the link below:

SPRING, 2020, AUSTIN, TEXAS.  For the past few years ELITE Personalized Health has been collaborating with Austin-based Forward Motion Personal Training on a variety of projects and services, ranging from small-group health coaching programs and educational seminars, to working together to coach and train private clients.

Their collaboration has been so mutually beneficial that they have formalized their partnership by making Dr. Peña Forward Motion's first Director of Health & Wellness.  Dr. Peña will be leading the development of their digital nutrition programming and will be in-charge of bringing their fitness clients a more holistic health and wellness strategy to optimize their health.

SUMMER, 2019, DENVER, COLORADO.  Dr. Peña has been invited to join the Advisory Board of a truly unique company.  Science In The Wild is an adventure citizen science initiative that specializes in getting everyday people involved in scientific field research out in some of the most remotely beautiful locations in the world.  It's a company focused on creating immersive trips, experiential learning opportunities, and in enhancing trekking and climbing experiences involving enthusiasts in scientific research, conservation efforts, and general education and landscape stewardship.

Dr. Ulyana Horodyskyj is the founder and visionary behind Science In The Wild, and she is as unique as the company she has created.  Dr. Horodyskyj is a geologist, glaciologist, part-time professor, mountaineer and explorer.  She visited and worked in each of the seven continents by the age of 23.  She completed a Fulbright Fellowship, she's a member of the famous Explorer's Club, and was one of the 120 semi-finalists for NASA's 2017 astronaut class out of over 18,000 applicants.

Dr. Peña is honored and thrilled to join Dr. Horodyskyj's mission to bring science to the public in a thrilling and engaging way and he looks forward to contributing to this noble cause.

SPRING, 2019, DUBLIN, IRELAND.  Dr. Peña was honored to be listed among so many impressive great alumni of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in the RCSI Alumni Magazine of 2019.

He graduated from the College in 2002 and later qualified as a surgeon by becoming a post-graduate Member of the College in 2008.  The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland was first charted in 1784.  Since then it has grown from a prestigious medical school into a fully recognized health sciences university with very strong research innovations and a true global reach, in large part thanks to its broadly international student body.  Its graduates then go on to their home countries, or cross-pollinate to other nations, to have a positive impact in the healthcare area around the world.

WINTER, 2018, AUSTIN, TEXAS.  Dr. Peña was recently invited by an Austin-based non-profit organization to speak about "Wellness Beyond Food," including sleep hygiene, integrating physical activity into daily life, fostering meaningful social interconnectedness, stress management, and living a purpose-led life.

ATX Alive is an organization of like-minded people dedicated to spreading the message of the benefits of whole food, plant-based nutrition.  It educates the public on the connections between our food choices and our health, farming, animal welfare, and our environment.  The event drew more than a hundred attendees, many of which contributed delicious, home-made dishes to the monthly potluck event.

FALL, 2018, AUSTIN, TEXAS.  The month of October saw the University of Texas at Austin host the second annual 'Healthier Texas Summit', a state-wide effort to transform the health of the more than 25 million people living in Texas.

Dr. Peña had the opportunity to meet, learn from, and exchange ideas with a wide variety of leading healthcare and public health professionals, such as:

•  The 20th Surgeon General of the United States, vice admiral Jerome Adams, MD, MPH
• Texas Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa
• Former Acting Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the Obama administration and current Professor of Population Health, at UT Austin - Dell Medical School, Karen DeSalvo, MD, MPH, MSc.

Overall, this was a highly stimulating meeting of the minds that offered Dr. Peña food for thought on how to continue to optimize the capability of ELITE Personalized Health to make a positive impact in the health and lives of our Members, our community in general, as well as future ventures into corporate wellness.

Click HERE to view the video highlights of this innovative 2-day summit.

SUMMER, 2018, AUSTIN, TEXAS.  We are proud to announce that Dr. Peña has joined the humanitarian efforts of American Gateways, an extraordinary non-profit organization dedicated to "championing the dignity and human rights of immigrants, refugees and survivors of persecution, torture, conflict and human trafficking through exceptional immigration legal services at no or low cost, education and advocacy."

Dr. Peña is putting his language skills and medical training and expertise to use in a variety of ways, including translating Spanish language documents that persecuted refugees carry with them as the sole documentation of their identity and the atrocities they have endured.

We look forward to being part of the solution to these urgent and very important issues facing our society today.  We invite you to visit the American Gateways website and consider volunteering or just donating whatever you can to this noble cause.

SPRING, 2018, CHESTERFIELD, MISSOURI.  The newly established Lifestyle Medicine Speakers Bureau has selected Dr. Victor Peña, along with 40 other leaders in the field, out of more than 2,000 active members of the The American College of Lifestyle Medicine.

The Lifestyle Medicine Speakers Bureau "represents the leading experts in the fastest-growing field in medicine. These trailblazers are at the helm of the movement to transform health and redefine healthcare in the U.S. and around the world—adding years to lives and life to years!"

Dr. Peña is honored to be among 40 leaders and luminaries such as Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Dr. Michael Greger, T. Colin Campbell PhD,  Dr. David Katz, Dr. Scott Stoll, and Dr. Joel Furhman.

Any queries to book Dr. Victor Peña for speaking engagements involving Lifestyle Medicine should be made directly to the LM Speakers Bureau.  For any other topics feel free to visit our Speaking Engagements page and contact us directly.

WINTER, 2017, CHESTERFIELD, MISSOURI.  Dr. Peña has joined the inaugural class of professional diplomates of  The American College of Lifestyle Medicine and the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine, the world's leading professional organizations promoting lifestyle changes to prevent disease.

After many years of visionary diligence by the founding members of the College, the first professional standard in the practice of lifestyle medicine has been set in the form of this diplomate and board certification.

The main purpose of this new qualification is to distinguish professionals highly trained in evidence-based lifestyle modification to treat and prevent chronic disease.  This distinction should protect the public from other practitioners who may be operating under the label of 'lifestyle medicine' without necessarily upholding all of its principles.  This is a particular concern because the term is not currently protected under the law.

FALL, 2017, TUCSON, ARIZONA.  Dr. Peña was, for the second year in a row, kindly invited by The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) to address the attending 850+ physicians, researchers, and other healthcare professionals, at the College's annual international Lifestyle Medicine conference.  Among the speakers were the former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Richard H. Carmona, Whole Foods CEO Mr. John Mackey, Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Michael Greger of NutritionFacts.org, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Dr. Scott Stoll, Dr. Neal Bernard, and many, many others.

The event, called 'LM2017,' has been rapidly growing in recent years, going from 500+ to 800+ attendees in the past year alone.  This incredible growth reflects the unstoppable momentum of the Lifestyle Medicine movement that emphasizes the prevention of chronic disease at the level of the individual by making the right lifestyle choices.

The current healthcare model of treating the consequences of decades of poor lifestyle choices with medications and drastic surgical measures that are tremendously costly is not only financially unsustainable but also incredibly expensive in terms of loss of productivity, loss of years of life, as well as immeasurably expensive in  human suffering to each patient and their loved ones.

SUMMER, 2017, COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS.   The inaugural meeting of the new Lone Star Lifestyle Medicine Think Tank took place July 14-15. The trail blazing event was hosted by Associate Professor Mark Faries, PhD and his welcoming staff at the AgriLife Extension Department of Texas A&M University.

Dr. Faries is an expert in lifestyle medicine with particular interests in self-regulation in exercise as well as in diet & weight control behaviors.  Dr. Faries very kindly invited Dr. Victor Peña to join the 20-member think tank in order to "bring together key leaders from across the state of Texas to discuss current and future challenges and solutions in Lifestyle Medicine."

Texas has a population of nearly 28 million people, with a current adult obesity rate of 32.4%, (2015) up from 10% 25 years ago.  Texas ranks 10th in the nation in obesity, according to TheStateofObesity.org.

The Lone Star Lifestyle Medicine Think Tank was highly productive is addressing some of the most pressing health challenges facing the state of Texas and a list of specific initiatives were identified and concrete milestones defined in order to lead to measurable results in the health and wellness of the state's population.

SUMMER, 2017, TUCSON, ARIZONA.  The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) has, for the second year running, kindly invited Dr. Peña to address the 750+ physicians, researchers, and other healthcare professionals, at the annual Lifestyle Medicine conference.  This year the conference will take place in Tucson, Arizona.

More than 80% of the money spent on healthcare in the United States goes to the treatment of chronic conditions caused by, or exacerbated by, the lifestyle choices we make every day.  This is why it is crucial that we aggressively advocate for solutions that effectively treat and prevent the root causes of the diseases that cause so much unnecessary suffering and loss in productivity in our society.

SPRING, 2017, TORONTO, CANADA.  Dr. Peña, a Precision Nutrition Level 1-certified Coach,  was selected and flown to Toronto by the fine folks at Precision Nutrition to join them for a 2-hour in-depth interview to share with them his own journey from a promising surgical career in Europe to the establishment of his boutique health coaching venture in Austin Texas.

In a frank, fun, and lively conversation (read: unscripted and unpaid), Krista Scott-Dixon, PhD, PN's Program Developer & Coaching Coordinator, delved into various aspects of Victor's surgical background, his experiences, motivations, and aspirations, as well as into his hopes for health and wellness in the 21st century.  He then had the pleasure of dining with PN's legendary founder, John Berardi, PhD, and the other wonderful participants of this extraordinary testimonial project.

Listen to part of the interview on the following link:

WINTER, 2016, AUSTIN, TEXAS.  Dr. Peña is thrilled to be joining the dedicated team of volunteers at NutritionFacts.org founded by the extraordinary speaker and New York Times Bestseller author, Dr. Michael Greger.

NutritionFacts.org is a strictly non-commercial, science-based public service providing free updates on the latest in nutrition research via thousands of bite-sized videos.  Dr. Peña will be a Volunteer Moderator across the many platforms that NutritionFacts is present in, including its main website, its official Facebook page, and on YouTube.

Dr. Greger is the author of the New York Times Bestseller, How Not To Die and its companion cookbook.  The proceeds of both works, as well as of NutritionFacts.org go to charity.

FALL, 2016, NAPLES, FLORIDA.  Dr. Peña was recently honored by an invitation to speak at the annual international conference of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the nation’s medical professional society dedicated to identifying and eradicating the cause of disease.

He was humbled and inspired by the wonderful reception his one-hour presentation received from the 400+ audience of accomplished medical professionals.  Dr. Peña had a chance to meet and exchange ideas with many leading experts and major influencers in the areas of nutrition, preventative health care and even planetary health.  Among them were Dr. Michael Greger of the phenomenal non-profit NutritionFacts.org, Stanford University's Christopher Gardner, PhD, ACLM's out-going President Dr. David Katz, and the remarkable surgeon Dr. Garth Davis.

SPRING 2016, DUBLIN, IRELAND.  Dr. Peña and his innovative health coaching have been featured on the alumni magazine of his medical alma mater, The Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland.

Prior to the College's founding in 1784, Irish surgeons were grouped barbers and had no formal place to meet at.  This institution has a storied lineage.  It was directly influenced by the French surgical standards of the 17th century and the demand for skilled surgeons as a result of the Napoleonic wars, it obtained a Charter from Queen Victoria, and played a historical role in the independence of the Republic of Ireland during the Easter Rising of 1916.

Dr. Peña is a proud graduate of the College of Surgeons where he developed life-long friendships with classmates from around the world who have gone on to establish successful careers in their respective areas of specialization.

SPRING, 2015.  AUSTIN, TEXAS.  Dr.  Peña is thrilled to join Alejandra Frias on her one-hour-long format, Spanish language radio show "Desde El Alma" on Radio Mujer Internacional, 95.1 FM, broadcasted from Austin, Texas.

This is an extraordinary, non-profit opportunity for Dr. Peña to reach out to the Latin American community in the United States and abroad and bring to them practical, science-based health and wellness solutions that can save and transform lives.

The program has a long interview format during which Alejandra and Dr. Peña explore in-depth a health topic and conclude with practical, actionable recommendations to enhance one's health.

FALL, 2014.  ONLINE.  As part of Dr. Peña's outreach to promote health and wellness wherever he can, he accepted an invitation by HospitalRecruiting.com to guest blog a three-part series on lifestyle balance for busy healthcare professionals.  However the advice applies to many other kinds of people.

Healthcare professionals are a particularly difficult demographic to reach when it comes to caring for themselves for several reasons:  1) They are well informed and this gives them a false sense that they don't need to address the issues they are already aware of.  2) They are usually very busy and experience stress driven by the fact that making a mistake at work could have serious, if not deadly consequences.  3) They are usually dedicated and selfless, sometimes to the point of having a tendency to run themselves into the ground with work.