Healthy Lifestyle Educators Begin Their Mission at the University: Offering Guidance on Disease Prevention and Health Promotion to the Community

The health of employees and students at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU), as well as the promotion of their safety and well-being, is one of the top priorities of the University.

To achieve the University’s strategic objective of enhancing the health of its employees and students, a new job position, known as the Healthy Lifestyle Educator (HLE), has been created at the Centre of Psychological Well-Being and Health Education of the Faculty of Public Health of LSMU.

These specialists will be educating the University community on healthy lifestyles and chronic disease risk reduction. They will be assisting individuals in discovering personalized solutions to alter lifestyle habits related to nutrition, physical activity, habit management, and psycho-emotional resilience building.

LSMU employees and students will also have access to a range of services encompassing training and education in healthy lifestyle, disease prevention, and health promotion based on the principles of lifestyle medicine.

These goals will be achieved through in-person and remote individual consultations, as well as theoretical and practical group training. It should be noted that the individual consultation by a Healthy Lifestyle Educator shall not be treated as a service provided by a lifestyle medicine specialist in the same way as it is provided at healthcare facilities, and chronic disease management will not be addressed. The consultation will focus on cultivating healthy lifestyle habits and choices and educating individuals about healthy lifestyles.

Other activities will include various types of training for groups. As part of this initiative, the University community will be receiving monthly newsletters on healthy lifestyle practices, which will reach every member of the community by email. The newsletter will offer valuable hands-on information, tips, and insights on how to improve your quality of life and enhance overall health.

For more information on Healthy Lifestyle Education and to register for remote and in-person consultations, follow this link.

Meet our Healthy Lifestyle Educators at LSMU as they embark on their new roles.

Lina Paulauskienė

“I am a chemotherapy oncologist at LSMU Hospital Kaunas Clinics. I graduated from the Master’s degree programme in Lifestyle Medicine in 2021. I also work as an assistant (guest lecturer) at the Department of Family Medicine (LSMU Faculty of Medicine), as well as at the Department of Preventive Medicine (LSMU Faculty of Public Health), where I give lectures and workshops to students of lifestyle medicine and other study programmes.

I am a member of the study programme committee for the study programme Lifestyle Medicine, and I am involved in its development and promotion of lifestyle medicine. In 2020–2021, I participated in the development of the “Methodological documents for the development of integrated healthcare for the main causes of death in Lithuania”, initiated by the Ministry of Health

of the Republic of Lithuania, on the topic of “Colon malignant tumours”. I co-authored the publication “Patient Counselling on Lifestyle Medicine” (2023) intended for students, residents and physicians as well as lifestyle medicine specialists.

As I observe the positive effects and health benefits of lifestyle changes, I share my knowledge by giving lectures to professionals, the general public, and patients, providing practical healthy lifestyle education to schoolchildren, and working as a lifestyle medicine specialist in a primary healthcare facility. I aspire to share my expertise with the LSMU community because I believe that even minor adjustments in lifestyle habits today can yield substantial health advantages tomorrow.”

Lilija Baniulienė

“Every day, I engage in hands-on clinical work with oncology patients. During 2020–2021, I collaborated with the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania to develop methodological documents on the “Methodological documents for the development of integrated healthcare for the main causes of death in Lithuania” on the topic of “Stomach malignant tumours”.

In 2018, I completed my Master’s degree in Lifestyle Medicine. This was the first class of Lifestyle Medicine. I give lectures, workshops, and training to health professionals and public health specialists. I organise training courses for physicians, healthcare and public health professionals at the University and outside the University, conduct CPD courses for healthcare professionals, and give presentations at international and Lithuanian conferences.

From 2021 to 2022, I worked with patients and GP team members in the project “Continuing healthcare for patients with chronic diseases (TELELISPA)”, advising patients on lifestyle changes as a lifestyle-specialising physician.

Since 2019, I have been working as a guest assistant at the LSMU Department of Family Medicine, teaching the students of Lifestyle Medicine and advanced practice nurses. As of 2022, I am a member of the study programme committee for the study programme Lifestyle Medicine, responsible for international relations. I oversee the liaison with the World Health Organisation.

I compiled and co-authored the publication “Patient Counselling on Lifestyle Medicine” (2023), and co-authored the publication “Methodological guidelines for primary healthcare professionals and patients with multiple diseases” (2021).

In my life, I abide by the wisdom of J.V. Goethe: “He who enjoys doing and enjoys what he has done is happy”.