RVU Faculty Member Awarded First Ever Lifestyle Medicine/Lifestyle & Performance Medicine Fulbright Scholarship Award
Rocky Vista University (RVU) is pleased to announce that Regan Stiegmann, DO, MPH, FACLM, DipABLM, has been selected and awarded a 2025 Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Award funded by the U.S. State Department. Dr. Stiegmann, a Colorado native and RVU College of Osteopathic Medicine alum (Class of 2014), is currently the Director of the Digital Health Track and an Associate Professor of Preventive Medicine & Lifestyle Medicine for RVU. Dr. Stiegmann is the first member of the RVU community to receive a Fulbright Scholarship. She joins a distinguished group of Fulbright alumni that includes heads of state, ambassadors, judges, CEOs, university presidents, and renowned scholars, among them 62 Nobel Laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, and 78 MacArthur Fellows. This award is not only a monumental achievement for Dr. Stiegman but also serves as a testament to the opportunities available at RVU.
During her time as a medical student at RVU, Dr. Stiegmann served as class president for all four years and was also a U.S. Air Force Health Professions Scholarship Program recipient. Dr. Stiegmann served her country as a double board-certified flight surgeon for the United States Air Force, ultimately earning the rank of Major. Her Air Force career spanned from 2011 to 2022. Dr. Stiegmann is a combat veteran and was deployed to the Middle East during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to help with provider shortages and manage the pandemic abroad in a warzone.
Dr. Stiegmann will travel to Finland and work in collaboration with the University of Helsinki. She will lead the international effort to further integrate Lifestyle Medicine/Lifestyle & Performance Medicine, digital health, and health tech collaborators with NATO military allies. Lifestyle Medicine is an evidence-based medical specialty that focuses on addressing the root cause of disease. This specialty highlights six key pillars, which include a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connections therapeutic lifestyle interventions as a primary modality to prevent, treat, and reverse chronic conditions (American College of Lifestyle Medicine, n.d.). The effort aims to better support and sustain Warfighters’ deployment readiness and health optimization. This award marks the first-ever Fulbright scholarship dedicated to military-centric Lifestyle Medicine/Lifestyle & Performance Medicine, pioneering a new frontier in optimizing health and human performance for Warfighters.
Commencing in April 2025 with an international summit highlighting the importance of innovation in interoperability, this summit will bring together key stakeholders who impact or influence Warfighter health and performance. The summit participants include active-duty service members from the U.S. military and NATO partner nations and collaborators within civilian industries, digital health technology sectors, and academia. When asked about the upcoming effort, Dr. Stiegmann offered, “Our aim is to deconstruct the silos of excellence while strategically road mapping the continuum of excellence so that we have sustainable and high-impact solutions for augmenting Warfighter health and preserving National security.”
Looking to the Future
As emerging technologies, evolving tactics, and the unpredictable nature of modern conflicts continue to reshape warfare, preparing for the future battlefield is more critical than ever. Dr. Stiegmann is not only seeking solutions to today’s challenges but is also pioneering advancements that will equip Warfighters for the demands of tomorrow. “The battlefields of tomorrow will not only test physical endurance but will demand peak cognitive performance where strategy, physiological resilience, and adaptability define survival. Rethinking effective Warfighter health optimization and performance means integrating military precision with medical and behavioral science innovation, forging a new paradigm that ensures our Service Members are not just prepared, but truly optimized for the future of conflict and beyond.”
Dr. Regan Stiegmann’s Fulbright Scholarship represents more than just an individual achievement; it is a testament to RVU’s enduring commitment to innovation. From her time as an RVU medical student and military physician to her groundbreaking work in Lifestyle Medicine, Dr. Stiegmann embodies the university’s mission to push the boundaries of medical excellence. This historic Fulbright award not only elevates RVU’s global impact but also underscores the vital role of interdisciplinary collaboration in advancing Warfighter health and human performance. By leading an international effort to integrate military medicine with cutting-edge digital health and health technology, Dr. Stiegmann is forging a path that will shape the future of military and civilian healthcare.
For those inspired by this pioneering work, RVU’s Digital Health Track offers an opportunity to engage with the future of medicine. This program equips students with the skills and knowledge to drive innovation at the intersection of technology, healthcare, and human performance.
Join RVU in advancing the next era of medical innovation. Learn more about
RVU’s Digital Health Track today.