Beth Frates, MD

Beth Frates, MD is a trained physiatrist and a health and wellness coach, with expertise in Lifestyle Medicine. She has received several teaching accolades from Harvard Extension School and Harvard Medical School, where she is an Associate Professor, Part-Time. Most recently, in spring 2025, Dr. Frates received the Petra Shattuck Excellence in Teaching Award.

Dr. Frates is one of the first women to be recognized as a Fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, and she is a pioneer in lifestyle medicine. In 2008, Dr. Frates created the first Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group at Harvard Medical School. In  2014, she developed and taught a bachelor’s and master’s level Lifestyle Medicine curriculum at the Harvard Extension School, which is still one of the most well-received courses offered at the school.  In 2017, Dr. Frates was selected to be one of four item writers for the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine’s inaugural exam for certification in this specialty. She was voted President of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine in August 2020. Dr. Frates served as President until November 2024, and now serves two years as Immediate Past President.

Dr. Frates co-authored The Lifestyle Medicine Handbook: An Introduction to the Power of Healthy Habits, which was ranked in the top 20 by Book Authority for medical books released in 2018. To accompany the syllabus and handbook, she also co-created Lifestyle Medicine 101, a full bachelor’s and master’s level curriculum with 12 modules of material, including PowerPoints for each week and a teacher’s manual. Dr. Frates has made this resource free, and it is accessible through the ACLM website.  In addition, Dr. Frates co-authored The Teen Lifestyle Medicine Handbook, published in October 2020 which when paired with the Teen Curriculum consisting of a Teacher’s Manual and 12 PowerPoint decks can be used to teach and empower middle-school and high school students to adopt and sustain healthy habits. In 2023, Dr. Frates co-authored The Lifestyle Medicine Pocket Guide and co-edited the book Empowering Behavior Change in Patients. Most recently, in June 2024, she co-edited the book Essentials of Clinical Nutrition in Healthcare, published by McGraw Hill.

Dr. Frates has created and implemented a 12-Step wellness program, PAVING the Path to Wellness™ for patients and providers. Most recently, she co-authored the book PAVING the Path to Wellness Workbook: A Guide to Thriving with a Healthy Body, Peaceful Mind and Joyful Heart. In addition, Dr. Frates has her own Lifestyle Medicine consulting/coaching practice where she sees patients 1:1 and in groups.