🕯️ Why she matters to me

Some mentors teach you a subject. A few teach you a way of being. Dr. Michelle Thompson is one of the latter for me. She doesn’t just teach lifestyle medicine and integrative medicine; she lives them, and she has walked that path alongside me. More than anything, she taught me to value not only medicine, but human life itself: the whole person in front of you, and the person you are becoming while you care for them.

That lesson sits at the heart of Flourishing Nursing. Caring for patients and caring for the people who care for them were never two separate projects.

— Flourishing Nurse Ninja Nathanael Elijah Smith, FNP-C, DipACLM

👤 Who she is

• 🏅 Triple board certified in lifestyle medicine, integrative medicine, and osteopathic family medicine.
• 🏥 Medical Director of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Lifestyle Medicine, where she has practiced and taught since 2006.
• 🏛️ Elected Director at Large on the Board of Directors of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (announced January 2026), and a Fellow of the College (FACLM).
• 🎓 Educator for medical students, residents, and attendings, including oversight of the lifestyle medicine residency curriculum across University of Pittsburgh Medical Center training programs, and faculty for the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
• 🍳 Creator of “Doctors in the Kitchen”, a food-as-medicine and physician-wellness program offering continuing education on self-care and lifestyle medicine.
• 🏘️ Community builder who has offered free classes in whole-food, plant-based teaching kitchens, mindfulness, yoga, tai chi, forest bathing, and more; brought the Dr. Yum Project to Head Start programs; and designed a pop-up teaching kitchen that travels to churches, schools, businesses, and first responders.
• 🫶 Advocate for caregiver well-being, including full-day resilience and self-care programs for physicians and nurses.

🔎 Explore her work

We link to Dr. Thompson’s writing, talks, and programs rather than copying them, so you can read and hear her work in her own words, at the source.

ℹ️ This page reflects Nathanael Elijah Smith’s personal gratitude for a mentor. Dr. Thompson has not reviewed or endorsed this page, Flourishing Nursing, or Kitchen Monk™, and nothing here implies endorsement by her, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, or the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Biographical details come from her publicly available professional profiles and American College of Lifestyle Medicine announcements. Linked content belongs to its authors and publishers. Last updated: October 9, 2026.