Introduction to Lifestyle Medicine

Tracie McCargo, PhD, is an author and consultant specializing in behavior change, health and wellness, and organizational leadership. She holds a PhD in organizational leadership and an ALM with a concentration in psychology from Harvard Extension School, in addition to an executive MBA. McCargo contributed to Empowering Behavior Change in Patients: Practical Strategies for the Healthcare Professional and Lifestyle Medicine: Closing Research, Practice and Knowledge Gaps (eds. Mechanick and Kushner). She also serves as an editor for two international medical surveillance journals. Since 2016, McCargo's research has focused on lifestyle medicine, rehabilitative medicine, and behavior change. Her work, published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, covers diverse topics such as building knowledge and confidence in behavioral change, developing web-based lifestyle medicine curricula, investigating the impact of body-mass index (BMI) on functional outcomes after joint replacements, exploring the effects of HIV on stroke recovery, and nalyzing social change leadership and COVID-19 health disparities. Driven by an interest in health disparities among minority populations during the pandemic, her recent research examines complex decision-making in crisis scenarios. Her study on nurse managers' experiences allocating scarce resources during COVID-19 resulted in the Provider Crisis Decision-Making Model, which identifies critical factors for nurse leadership and offers insights to improve both patient care and provider well-being. Beyond her academic work, McCargo is committed to fostering professional development and community impact. As a 2025 National Postdoctoral Association Fellow, she founded the Impact Scholars Network to help PhD graduates successfully transition into diverse, high-impact careers beyond the traditional academy. She supports nonprofit organizations in Atlanta, GA, that promote community well-being and higher education initiatives.