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P. Michael Stone, MD, MS, Receives the Linus Pauling Award in Functional Medicine

The announcement was made today at IFM’s 2019 Annual International Conference in San Antonio, Texas.

San Antonio, TX, May 30, 2019 — The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) is proud to announce P. Michael Stone, MD, MS, as the 2019 recipient of the Linus Pauling Award in Functional Medicine. The Linus Pauling Award recognizes a visionary clinician or researcher who has made a significant contribution to the development of the Functional Medicine model or to the reach of Functional Medicine, nationally or internationally. Dr. Stone received this award for his work as a physician, researcher, innovator, and teacher.

From the beginning, Dr. Stone has been one of Functional Medicine’s unsung heroes and a cornerstone in Functional Medicine education. He attended the inaugural Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice (AFMCP) program in 1998. It was there that he proposed, on the proverbial back of a napkin, the original idea that grew into what we now call the Functional Medicine Matrix Model. Dr. Stone has been one of IFM’s most valued educators, not only at AFMCP but also at the Cardiometabolic, Immune, and Hormone Advanced Practice Modules. He has spoken widely on Functional Medicine topics, including in China, Great Britain, South Africa, Hong Kong, and the Philippines.

Amy R. Mack, IFM’s chief executive officer, states, “Dr. Stone has been instrumental in the genesis of the Functional Medicine model and the concept of Functional Nutrition. He has worked tirelessly to develop practical applications for Functional Medicine, as he is first and foremost the consummate teacher and family physician.”

Michael embodies in heart and intellect what a functionally trained physician should aspire to be and is an inspiration to the Functional Medicine movement and community as a whole.

Dr. Stone was central in promoting the importance of nutrition as a central concept in Functional Medicine, which began as a series of seminars that highlighted and foreshadowed the concepts of the ABCDs (Anthropometrics, Biomarkers, Clinical Indicators, and Diet and Lifestyle Journal) that later came to be called Functional Nutrition. Dr. Stone championed the idea of advanced training that expanded physical exam skills in order to detect nutritional imbalances. This initiative, after many years, came to fruition with the Nutrition-Oriented Physical Exam video series, which is now a free clinical resource IFM offers that includes clinical exam demonstration videos, an image library, quick reference and companion guides, and an extensive collection of relevant citations.

“Functional Medicine is changing our world—one life, one pregnancy, one child, and one family member at a time. It is transforming the way we approach health and disease in our clinics and hospitals. It helps infuse hope for finding an answer and decreases the despair of illness as healing occurs. This approach looks for and addresses the pillars of health and the imbalances of illness,” states Dr. Stone.

We use this Functional Medicine model to help parents, our children, and the next generation of clinicians to better pursue health and function from the earliest days of life. Functional Medicine changes the world perspective in families, communities, and now nations across the globe. Functional Medicine is improving the health of this and future generations. It encourages the best of medicine and life. I am humbled and honored to receive the Linus Pauling Award.

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The Linus Pauling Award in Functional Medicine has recognized a visionary clinician or researcher who has made a significant contribution to the development of the Functional Medicine model or to the extension of the reach of Functional Medicine, nationally or internationally, since 1996. For more information, visit IFM.org/LinusPauling.

For more information contact:

Tabitha Barth
IFM PR Coordinator
media@ifm.org
253.661.3013

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