Donald A. Pegg Student Leadership Award

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The Donald A. Pegg Lifestyle Medicine Student Leadership Award

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The Donald A. Pegg Student Leadership Award honors the legacy of a man whose life was profoundly changed by the power of lifestyle medicine.

In 1986, New York City businessman Donald A. Pegg suffered both a heart attack and a stroke at just 52 years old. The experience was life-altering. Rather than accepting declining health as inevitable, Donald committed to understanding how lifestyle choices could influence his future. He enrolled in intensive residential lifestyle programs and began making meaningful changes—embracing a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy proteins, and committing to regular physical activity, including riding a stationary bike five days a week.

Those changes, alongside his medical care, gave Donald something invaluable: time.

  • Time with his family.
  • Time with friends.
  • Time to live another 27 meaningful years.

Donald’s journey demonstrated that health trajectories can change when people are empowered with knowledge and support. His story became especially influential to his daughter, Dr. Elizabeth Pegg Frates, who went on to dedicate her career to advancing lifestyle medicine through research, education, and clinical practice.

Today, Donald’s legacy lives on through the Donald A. Pegg Student Leadership Award, which supports students who share his belief that lifestyle change can transform lives.

2025 Recipients:


Isabelle Ilan
Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Crystal Chukwurah
Yale School of Medicine

Ifrah Khurram
San Juan Bautista School of Medicine in Puerto Rico

Pamela A. Perepelitsky
Chicago School of Medicine

🗓️ Application now open!


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Application Requirements

What are the Donald A. Pegg Student Leadership Award application requirements?

  • Completed Donald A. Pegg Student Leadership Award Application Form
  • Lifestyle Medicine Conference Attendance
    • Applicants are expected to attend the ACLM annual conference, which will be held in person from November 8-11, 2026, at the Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, FL.
  • LMIG Orientation Completion
  • Personal Statement – 1-page, single-spaced
    • What are your interests and previous involvement in lifestyle medicine?
    • Any related research or community service?
    • Motivation to start an LMIG and how your journey impacts your commitment.
  • Resume
  • Letter of Faculty Support
    • One-page on letterhead, signed
    • Advisor’s relationship, knowledge of your experience, role, and support for LMIG success
  • List of Committed Speakers
    • Include at least four LM presenters with:
      • Topics and credentials
      • Scheduled presentation dates
      • Alignment with LM pillars or unique perspectives
  • Funding Proposal
    • One-page explanation of how funds will advance LMIG goals on campus and in the community.
    • NOTE: The Taste of Lifestyle Medicine micro-grant provides funding for plant-based meals at LM events. LMIGs can apply for up to $500, four times a year. Click here for more details.

Donald A. Pegg Student Leadership Award Recipients by Year

  

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the application deadline?
Applications for the 2026 Donald A. Pegg Student Leadership Award will open on April 1, 2026, at 11:45 PM PST. The 2026 application period is closed. No exceptions.
What is the Donald A. Pegg Student Leadership Award?
Donald A. Pegg was a businessman living in New York City. In 1986, he suffered a heart attack and stroke at the age of 52. He made a radical transformation in his lifestyle and lived another 24 years. His daughter, Elizabeth Pegg Frates, continues his legacy through lifestyle medicine, and this award honors him.
Why was the award established?
The Pegg family established this award to inspire and equip the next generation of healthcare leaders to advance the field of lifestyle medicine. Lifestyle-related chronic diseases remain one of the greatest challenges in modern healthcare. Yet many healthcare students receive limited training in the very lifestyle interventions—nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress management, social connection, and avoidance of risky substances—that can prevent, treat, and even reverse these conditions. The Donald A. Pegg Student Leadership Award empowers students to help change that. Through this award, student leaders receive support to establish Lifestyle Medicine Interest Groups (LMIGs) at their institutions—creating communities where students can learn, collaborate, and lead initiatives that promote evidence-based lifestyle medicine. These groups not only educate future clinicians, but also help cultivate healthier medical communities and expand awareness of lifestyle medicine within healthcare education.
What is the history of LMIGs?
Since the creation of the first Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group at Harvard Medical School in 2009, LMIGs have become a powerful force for change within healthcare education. Founded by Dr. Beth Frates, these groups give students the opportunity to: explore the science of lifestyle medicine, engage with leading experts in the field, develop leadership and advocacy skills, support the well-being of their peers, and bring lifestyle medicine education to their institutions and communities. By supporting student leaders who establish and grow these groups, the Donald A. Pegg Student Leadership Award helps spark a ripple effect—one that extends from individual students to healthcare systems and, ultimately, to the patients and communities they will serve. Donald Pegg’s journey showed that lifestyle change can give people years of life they might otherwise lose. This award ensures that the next generation of healthcare professionals is equipped to help others do the same.
Who receives the award?
Up to five student leaders are selected each year. They must be current students, have completed LMIG Orientation, and plan to start a LMIG at their institution.
What do awardees receive?
Awardees receive $500 in LMIG seed funding, a scholarship and $500 travel stipend to LM2025, and a copy of the Lifestyle Medicine Handbook by Beth Frates, MD.
When will awardees be notified?
Awardees will be notified via email by May 8, 2026.
Can I reapply if I don't win?
Yes, as long as you’re still a student. Runners-up may receive complimentary LM2025 registration.

Learn More About ACLM's Lifestyle Medicine Awards

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This award recognizes an individual's accomplishments and vast body of work over a significant span of time that have advanced the study of lifestyle medicine. It is the highest honor bestowed.

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Trailblazer Award

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President's Award

This award recognizes an individual who shows exceptional dedication to ACLM. The sitting ACLM President bestows this award upon the recipient.

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Dr. Dexter Shurney HEAL Award

This award recognizes exceptional contributions to advancing health equity through lifestyle medicine and addressing chronic disease disparities. Renamed in 2025 in honor of Dr. Dexter Shurney.

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Special Recognition Awards

These awards were created to recognize the outstanding work that contributes to advancing the field of lifestyle medicine related to specific categories.

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