Biography and expertise
Biography
Dr John Stevens is a restless, pioneering clinician, academic and health system innovator who has helped shape lifestyle medicine and team-based care in Australia over four decades. He co-founded the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine, which has grown into the region’s peak body advancing evidence-based lifestyle interventions through education, advocacy and research.
Research
John has over 120 peer-reviewed publications and 3 books. Recent research has focused on the use of Lifestyle Medicine interventions to improve metabolic health, the implementation of Shared Medical Appointments (Group Consultations) in practice, and shared medical appointments use as an Aboriginal model of care by Aboriginal services to empower First Nations people.
Community engagement
For 40 years, he has practised as a clinician working alongside people and communities most affected by chronic disease and inequitable access to care, consistently advocating for models that prioritise prevention, relationship-based practice and person-centred outcomes. In recent years this has included Northern Territory PHN, Coordinare, Health North Coast PHN.
Supervision
In his career John has been a principal supervisor for 6 successful PHDs and 4 Masters by Research.
Teaching
Between 2005 and 2009 John was Head of Department of Nursing and Health Practices. More recently he leads the discipline of lifestyle medicine, writing and teaching the first dedicated postgraduate program in this field, that equips health professionals to prevent and manage chronic disease through behavioural, social and environmental determinants of health.
Other
John is a founder of the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine, and also Director and Consultant for Lifestyle Medicine Programs P/L