Leading global experts announced for Lifestyle Medicine Conference, Sydney 2026
Doctors For Nutrition
Doctors For Nutrition is proud to announce the highly anticipated Doctors For Nutrition Lifestyle Medicine Conference 2026, set to take place in Sydney this year. This landmark event brings together leading medical experts, healthcare professionals, and the wider community to explore the transformative impact of nutrition and lifestyle medicine on population health and wellbeing.
Meet our speakers:
PhD, nutrition scientist, and Professor of Medicine at the Stanford Prevention Research Center
For more than 30 years, Christopher Gardner, PhD, Rehnborg Farquhar Professor of Medicine at Stanford and nutrition scientist, has been a key faculty member at the Stanford Prevention Research Center where he leads the Stanford Nutrition Studies Research Group. With a PhD in Nutrition Science from UC Berkeley, he has led over 25 human nutrition intervention studies, including trials of Mediterranean, Ketogenic, Vegan, Low-Fat and Low-Carb diets and their effects on cardiometabolic outcomes such as blood lipids, glucose, and inflammation.
He is recognised as a leading expert, both nationally and internationally, on what to consume and avoid for optimal health, and how to best motivate individuals to achieve healthy dietary behaviours. He recently completed a two-year term serving on the 2025 US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee and is the past chair of the American Heart Association’s Nutrition Committee.
Some of his current interests include stealth nutrition, unapologetic deliciousness, and institutional food settings. He is currently working on personalised nutrition explorations with several colleagues, with particular focus on the gut microbiome. He is frequently consulted by major outlets like The New York Times, CNN, and MSNBC for his expertise. His work was recently featured in the Emmy-awarded docuseries (January 2024) - You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment.
Dr Gardner will present on ‘Protein wars and planetary health’.
General Practitioner
Dr Juliette Roex (MBBS, BMedSc(Hons), FRACGP, DipIBLM) is a member of the DFN Advisory Council, and an Adelaide-based GP practising exclusively in Lifestyle Medicine at InHealth North Adelaide, and delivering Exercise Medicine to people with cancer at LIFT Cancer Care Services.
Having witnessed the power of whole food plant-based nutrition in her own life, and inspired by life-changing patient transformations during a clinical rotation at True North Health Center in Santa Rosa, California, Juliette made it her mission to help people get truly well—not just treat their symptoms. She holds a Diploma from the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine and a Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition through eCornell University. A passionate educator, she is a regular speaker at conferences and events for both healthcare professionals and the general public.
Dr Roex will present on ‘The power of the pillow: Optimising health through circadian mastery’.
GP and Addiction Medicine Specialist
Dr Chris Davis (BSc MBChB MRCGP FRACGP FAChAM) is a GP and Addiction Medicine Specialist with over 15 years' clinical experience in alcohol and drug dependence across the UK and Australia. He is the clinical co-founder of Clean Slate Clinic, a social enterprise offering telehealth-based alcohol withdrawal and recovery support. Chris practises across hospital-based withdrawal units, community addiction services, and Clean Slate's telehealth platform. He is an advocate for reducing the barriers to accessing alcohol and other drug care, including the stigma that prevents many people from seeking treatment.
Dr Davis will present on ‘Rethinking alcohol: From lifestyle risk to recovery and resilience’.
Assistant Professor
Dr Megan Lee is an Assistant Professor at Bond University, specialising in Nutritional and Lifestyle Psychiatry, with a PhD focused on whole‑of‑diet approaches to mood and mental health. As Secretary of the International Society of Nutritional Psychiatry Research (ISNPR), Dr Lee contributes significantly to the global advancement of this field. She has contributed to a recent NHMRC tender informing the update of the Australian Dietary Guidelines, with a specific focus on ultra‑processed foods (UPFs). Dr Lee’s research portfolio spans health promotion, lifestyle medicine, diet and mental health.
Dr Lee will present on ‘Nutritional psychiatry: Plants, lifestyle and mental health’.
Certification and MOC Manager, ACLM
Rebecca Deutsch is the Certification Manager for the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine (ABLM), the Maintenance of Certification Manager for the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine (IBLM), as well as an IBLM exam proctor. She holds a Master of Science in Exercise Science and Health Promotion and a Bachelor of Science in K-12 Health and Physical Education. After five years of personal training and instructing fitness classes for the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh, she worked in corporate wellness in the healthcare industry for seven years before discovering lifestyle medicine.
Rebecca will present on ‘Empowerment through exercise’, and will also be moderating the panel presentation.
GP and DFN Board Director
Dr Luke Wilson is a General Practitioner from Wellington, New Zealand, is board certified by the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine and is a Fellow of the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine. In addition to his medical degree (MBChB, Otago University), Luke holds a bachelor's and a master's in psychology. In his final year of medical school, Luke studied and worked in Santa Rosa, California, as an intern for Dr John McDougall at the McDougall Health and Medical Center and also alongside Dr Michael Klaper and Dr Alan Goldhamer at the True North Health Center. After graduation, he worked at Gisborne Hospital and subsequently was co-lead researcher and creator of a community-based lifestyle intervention using whole food plant-based nutrition.
Dr Wilson will present on ‘Making healthy change easier: Supporting lifestyle behaviour change in real clinical practice’.
More speakers to be announced!
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Conference at a glance:
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The conference will take place in Sydney on 28 November 2026, offering a unique learning opportunity for both medical professionals and the public.
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Australasia’s only lifestyle medicine conference with a focus on whole food plant-based nutrition, featuring the latest research and practical strategies across the six pillars of lifestyle medicine to prevent and manage chronic diseases.
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Healthcare professionals attending the conference can earn Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours, however everyone is welcome and attendees will benefit from evidence-based sessions.
Hosted by Doctors For Nutrition, this event brings a truly unique learning opportunity to Sydney. The conference promises a dynamic program featuring internationally renowned speakers presenting the latest evidence-based research on plant-based nutrition and lifestyle interventions. Attendees will gain practical insights into preventing, managing, and even reversing chronic diseases through accessible, science-backed strategies.
With chronic disease rates on the rise, the Doctors For Nutrition Lifestyle Medicine Conference 2026 offers a timely and vital platform for education, collaboration, and action. Whether you are a healthcare provider seeking to expand your toolkit or become certified in lifestyle medicine, or a member of the public eager to take charge of your wellbeing, this event is not to be missed.
Event Details:
Conference:
Date: 28th November 2026
Location: Sydney Masonic Centre, Level 24, 66 Goulburn St, Haymarket, Sydney, NSW 2000
Lifestyle Medicine Exam (for registrants)
Date: Sunday 29th November 2026
Location: University of Technology Sydney, Dr Chau Chak Wing, 14 Ultimo Road, Ultimo, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Registration and Program Information:
Visit the Doctors For Nutrition website for full registration details and to secure your place.
Join us in Sydney to unlock the power of food and lifestyle for a healthier tomorrow!
About us:
Doctors For Nutrition (DFN) is an independent, Australasian health-promotion charity founded in 2018 by medical and dietetic professionals. The organisation is dedicated to integrating nutrition-led lifestyle medicine strategies into healthcare as a preventive and therapeutic strategy against chronic diseases. DFN aims to inspire the healthcare sector, policymakers and society at large to integrate whole food plant-based nutrition and other lifestyle medicine principles as powerful tools for disease prevention and care. Creating a world free from preventable disease so that everyone can thrive and live to their full potential.
Contact details:
Rebecca Stonor, CEO
Doctors For Nutrition
[email protected]
0413309944
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Speakers announced
