Dr Fatema Habbash, Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences in the Arabian Gulf University (AGU), and Consultant in Nutrition and Lifestyles at the University Medical Centre in King Abdullah Medical City, has been accredited as the first Bahraini family physician in lifestyle medicine by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. 

This accomplishment follows her successful completion of several accreditation prerequisites, including the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine exam. This makes her the first family medicine consultant in Bahrain to attain international board certification in this specialisation, in addition to being a member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.

Dr Habbash boasts over 19 years of clinical experience in both the public and private health sectors. She is a pioneer in medical education and research, with numerous publications in prestigious Q1-category scientific journals. She is also recognised as a prominent speaker at local and international conferences and collaborates on various programmes with local and international health organisations focusing on community awareness and guiding professionals in lifestyle medicine, nutrition, mental health and wellness.

In her comments, Dr Habbash emphasised her commitment to providing guidance consultations as an essential part of a treatment plan that relies on the holistic well-being of individuals, empowering them to achieve sustainable healthy behavioural changes. She also aims to intensify collaborative research efforts to study the impacts of lifestyle on health, with the goal of using these findings to support health policies in the Kingdom of Bahrain and the GCC countries.

Lifestyle medicine is a modern medical speciality that relies on therapeutic lifestyle interventions as a primary approach to treating chronic conditions. Accredited physicians in this speciality apply evidence-based lifestyle changes and holistic health to treat chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and hormonal disorders. 

The pillars of lifestyle medicine include balanced nutrition, a plant-based diet, regular physical activity, healthy sleep, stress management, and positive social relationships, all contributing to the prevention of many chronic diseases and improving quality of life.

It is noteworthy that Dr Habbash is a consultant in family medicine at the University Medical Centre in King Abdullah Medical City and an Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine at AGU. She holds the Arab and Irish Boards in Family Medicine, a Master’s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Medical Education from the University of South Wales, alongside a specialisation in Leadership and Team Management from the University of Michigan, USA.