The Institute of Lifestyle Medicine (ILM) at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital is pleased to announce that the Medical Fitness Association (MFA) has signed on as the first Leadership Circle supporter of the Active Doctors, Active Patients conference to be held at the Hyatt Regency, Boston, MA, November 13-15, 2009.

Active Doctors is a multi-day, exercise-centered Harvard Medical School, Continuing Medical Education course providing physicians with the tools necessary to assess and prescribe exercise to their patients. Faculty from Harvard Medical School will present state-of-the-science lectures on physical activity, nutrition, stress management and coaching psychology, while world class fitness and wellness practitioners offer a range of hands-on activities including yoga, spinning, resistance training and personal fitness assessments to conference attendees.

'We are very excited to bring the latest information about the science and practice of exercise to physicians attending Active Doctors,' says Edward M. Phillips, Director of the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine (ILM) at Spaulding and co-author of ACSM's Exercise is Medicine?: A Clinician's Guide to Exercise Prescription (Lippincott, March 2009).

'We will encourage physicians to continue conversations about exercise in their practices and exam rooms. Part of that process is providing physicians personal exercise experience so that they can become better role models. Active Doctors will provide tools to help physicians understand how to work with and motivate their patients to exercise,' added Phillips. 'Our emphasis on increasing physical activity to prevent and treat illness such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and obesity is well supported by the Obama administration?s attention to wellness and prevention.'

'Medical Fitness Association member health facilities bring together clinical and fitness/wellness programs and services" says Cary Wing, EdD, MFA Executive Director. 'MFA facilities provide consumers with a medically based, supportive and motivating professional staff along with the latest in fitness equipment, classes, amenities, and specialized services. We are pleased to support the efforts of the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine to engage physicians in prescribing exercise.'

Spaulding and the Harvard Medical School have long been committed to these initiatives. Dr. Phillips is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and one of 13 Task Force members working on the American Medical Association and ACSM joint initiative called Exercise is Medicine?, which calls for physicians to treat physical activity as a vital part of their patients? overall health. According to Phillips, Exercise is Medicine? encourages physicians to assess physical activity levels in patients and to 'prescribe' exercise as appropriate.

Additional information about the Active Doctors, Active Patients conference may be found at www.activedoctors.org

About the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Network

A member of Partners HealthCare, The Spaulding Network includes its main campus, a 196-bed facility, located in Boston, MA, and eight outpatient sites throughout the Greater Boston area. Spaulding is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School as well as the official rehabilitation hospital of the New England Patriots. Spaulding is the only rehabilitation hospital in New England continually ranked since 1995 by U.S. News and World Report in its Best Hospitals survey. For more information, please visit www.spauldingrehab.org.

About the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine

The Institute of Lifestyle Medicine is a non-profit educational organization committed to reducing lifestyle-related disease and mortality through physician-directed intervention. www.instituteoflifestylemedicine.org

About the Medical Fitness Association The Medical Fitness Association (MFA) is a non-profit professional membership association and is the only organization dedicated to the medical fitness difference and integrated care as the prescription for better health. MFA serves facilities and professionals who are committed to promoting the benefits of health and fitness programs on lifestyle-related disease and making medical fitness programs and services available within their community. www.medicalfitness.org.