Health isn’t just about treating disease. It’s about preventing it before it starts. Dr. Beth Frates has spent her career teaching exactly that. She is an award-winning Harvard educator and an expert in lifestyle medicine, with the motto “Working toward a healthy body, peaceful mind, and joyful heart.”
Beth Frates, MD, is an extraordinary medical professional. She guides people toward lasting wellness. Over the years, she has become one of the most respected voices in lifestyle medicine. This field focuses on habits such as nutrition, exercise, sleep, and stress management to prevent chronic disease.
Through her private practice, BethFratesMD, her nonprofit PAVING Wellness, and her teaching at Harvard, Dr. Frates empowers both patients and future healthcare professionals to embrace healthier living.
Awards and Achievements That Speak Volumes
Dr. Frates’s teaching style and methodologies are practical and inspiring. In recognition of this, she has received a number of awards. In 2025, she received the Petra Shattuck Excellence in Teaching Award from the Harvard Extension School. This honor recognizes her dedication to student learning.
She also served as the President of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) for two years from November 2022 to November 2024, leading a community of over 10,000 professionals focused on transforming healthcare. Currently, she serves as Immediate Past President and is on the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors for ACLM.
Career Highlights:
- Multiple teaching awards at Harvard Medical School and Harvard Extension School
- Director of Lifestyle Medicine and Wellness, Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Surgery
- Faculty Advisor, Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group, Harvard Medical School (2008), Harvard Extension School (2023), and Harvard College (2025).
- Adjunct Professor, Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin
- Honorary Visiting Assistant Professor, Riphah University, Pakistan
Her leadership extends to advisory roles for organizations like the Stanford Longevity Center and HealthCorps.
A Library of Wellness: Authoring Change
Dr. Frates is writing the manual for wellness, literally. Her books have become vital resources for both professionals and the general public.
Notable Titles Include:
- Lifestyle Medicine Handbook (2018 & 2020)
- The Teen Lifestyle Medicine Handbook (2021)
- PAVING the Path to Wellness Workbook (2022)
- PAVING A Path Through Menopause and Beyond (2022)
- The Lifestyle Medicine Pocket Guide (2023)
In 2023, Dr. Frates also co-edited a book on behavior change titled, Empowering Behavior Change in Patients. In the spring of 2025, Dr. Frates co-created a new course for the Harvard Extension School based on this book. Her co-creator was Tracie McCargo, who was one of her students in 2015, who then went on to receive her Master’s Degree and ultimately her PhD in psychology.
A timely and important textbook for which she serves as Co-Editor is “Essentials of Clinical Nutrition in Healthcare” (Published by McGraw in 2024), which fills a long-standing gap in medical education since it highlights, but is not limited to, the position of nutrition as the most noteworthy aspect in patient care.
A Harvard Educator Changing the Future of Medicine
Dr. Frates is an Associate Professor, Part-Time, at Harvard Medical School and teaches at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She also teaches lifestyle medicine courses at the Harvard Extension School and the Harvard Medical School Department of External Education.
Her courses for the Harvard Medical School Department of Education include: Health and Wellness: Designing a Sustainable Nutrition Plan. It is suitable for anyone looking for the ability and knowledge to create personalized healthy living strategies, including physicians, nurses, teachers, coaches, parents, and grandparents. Participants learn how lifestyle choices directly connect to chronic conditions and how small shifts can prevent major health issues.
Another course of hers for the Harvard Medical School Department of External Education is titled “Lifestyle and Wellness Coaching,” which combines recorded lectures, live office hours, and community discussions to help learners stay ahead in the rapidly evolving fields of medicine and coaching. Participants are provided with the tools and confidence to effect sustainable change.
The Power of Lifestyle Medicine: Why It Matters More Than Ever
The numbers tell the story:
- 90% of heart disease is preventable through lifestyle choices. (Source: American Journal of Preventive Medicine)
- 52% of Americans followed a specific diet in 2022, up from 39% in 2021. (Source: International Food Information Council)
- 33% of consumers plan to spend more on nutrition apps and programs in the coming year. (Source: McKinsey & Company)
Dr. Frates’ method is all about small, realistic steps that add up over time.
Her Nonprofit: PAVING Wellness
Through her nonprofit, PAVING Wellness, Dr. Frates helps individuals build wellness plans based on six key pillars of lifestyle medicine, nutrition, physical activity, stress management, sleep, social connection, and avoidance of risky substances, plus six more important areas: attitude, time-outs, purpose, goal setting, variety, and investigations. She calls this the Six Pillars Plus Approach.
PAVING Framework Focuses On:
- A personalized wellness plan
- A growth mindset for change
- Practical, sustainable habits
- Emotional well-being alongside physical health
Conclusion
Dr. Beth Frates has helped to turn lifestyle medicine into a movement. She has been in this field since 1986, when her father had his heart attack and stroke, but she did not formally pursue lifestyle medicine until 2006, after co-authoring her book about preventing a second stroke. Dr. Frates has been involved in the field of lifestyle medicine for nearly two decades. Her work is shaping future doctors, health coaches, and everyday individuals who are ready to take control of their health.
As chronic diseases continue to rise, her approach feels less like an option and more like a necessity. Through education, books, nonprofit efforts, and hands-on coaching, Dr. Frates is truly paving the path to wellness for generations to come.
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