Our Mission and Vision

The mission of the Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Institute is to bring together researchers, clinicians, industry leaders, media leaders, and other stakeholders to focus on new models of healthcare delivery, advancements in medical nutrition therapy, and exciting emerging science.

Our vision encompasses building a community around dynamic collaborations, compelling dialogues, evidence-based information and resources, and immersive educational events.

This intersection of personalized medicine lifestyle, and patient-activated health care.

2012 – PLMI Founded

Dr. Jeffrey Bland was tracking trends and predicting that the time was right for new models of health care to emerge. He launched PLMI and formed a dynamic collaborative network of clinicians, researchers, and industry leaders.

Personalized Lifestyle Medicine did not yet have a formal definition or an identity in the medical literature.

2013 – PLMI Publishes Landmark Article

Personalized Lifestyle Medicine did not yet have a formal definition or an identity in the medical literature. This changed when Dr. Jeffrey Bland and Dr. Deanna Minich co-authored an iconic paper that you can download for free below.

The Thought Leaders Consortium has become PLMI’s signature annual event.

2015 – Thought Leaders Consortium in the Spotlight

The Thought Leaders Consortium has become PLMI’s signature annual event. It’s truly a global gathering, with more than 35 countries represented among presenters and attendees.

Advocacy is an important part of PLMI's mission.

2018 – PLMI Leadership Council Established

Advocacy is an important part of PLMI’s mission. The Leadership Council was established as a forum for healthcare industry leaders to meet for regular discussions abount making a positive impact.

We have entered a pandemic era and this fact has changed the world.

2021 – PLMI Expands Online Events

We have entered a pandemic era and this fact has changed the world. PLMI’s response has been to expand our virtual offerings AND make them free in 2021. Join us online!

Our Founder and President

Dr. Jeffrey Bland is a personable and highly respected thought leader who has spent more than four decades focused on the improvement of human health.

He is known worldwide as the founder of the Functional Medicine movement, which represents his vision for a care model that is grounded in systems biology and informed by research that he has a unique ability to synthesize. His pioneering work has created the Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Institute (PLMI), as well as the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM), the global leader in Functional Medicine education. Since 1991, hundreds of thousands of healthcare practitioners have participated in PLMI and IFM programs, and this collective knowledge has positively impacted the lives of patients all over the world.

Jeffrey Bland
Dr. Bland began his career as a Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Puget Sound. He is a natural educator and became involved with numerous academic institutions during the years he spent teaching. This includes the significant contributions he made to the founding and accreditation of Bastyr University, the first federally accredited university offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in natural medicine in the US. In the early 1980s, Dr. Bland was hand-selected by two-time Nobel Laureate Dr. Linus Pauling to serve as Director of Nutritional Research at the Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine. This experience marked both a personal and professional inflection point for Dr. Bland that has become an integral part of his career.

As an expert in a field he helped to establish—science-based nutrition—Dr. Bland has become an iconic figure in the natural products industry. He worked alongside other founders to establish standards for evidence-based formulations, quality ingredient sourcing, and ethical manufacturing practices that stand to this day. He continues to serve as a dynamic mentor and advisor to a new generation of industry leaders.

Dr. Bland is the author of best-selling books and over 120 peer-reviewed research publications. He speaks extensively, and his engaging style makes him popular with both professional and consumer audiences. Dr. Bland’s latest project is Big Bold Health, launched in 2018. He’s on a mission to transform the way people think about one of nature’s greatest innovations: the immune system. Through Big Bold Health, Dr. Bland is advocating for the power of immuno-rejuvenation to enhance immunity at a global level. It is an ambitious and purpose-driven effort that encompasses his active stance on regenerative agriculture, environmental stewardship, and planetary health.