The Rocky Mount Lifestyle Health Center is the headquarters and main offices for Lifestyle Health Education, Inc., a non-profit Virginia corporation. The organization was formed in 2007 with an elected Board of Directors. It is chartered to provide medical, educational and research services, focusing on therapeutic lifestyle intervention programs for the benefit of the public.

The Center features the Coronary Health Improvement Project (C.H.I.P.). CHIP is an award-winning lifestyle intervention program with about 50,000 graduates around the globe. Dr. Kelly (Executive Director and co-founder of the Center) worked with the CHIP program during his training in Lifestyle Medicine in southern California.

The first CHIP lifestyle program was conducted in Rocky Mount in October 2006 with 18 participants from the local community. It was conducted with volunteers from the Rocky Mount Seventh-day Adventist church in the church's Fellowship Hall. The results were exceptional and a couple of the participants were so impressed they wanted to see a CHIP Center established in the area. Their initiative and support, coupled with the helping hands of many volunteers and professional contractors, enabled the Center to become a reality in late 2007.

During October 2007 a CHIP program was conducted as a research study for Carilion Clinic in Roanoke. The study was designed to evaluate the treatment effects of the CHIP program in diabetic patients with poorly controlled blood sugar. Improvements in blood sugar and other risk factors were dramatic and even more pronounced than expected. The study results are in publication. (see the results under the Results and the Corporations tabs above)

A second Rocky Mount CHIP program was conducted in the remodeled BB&T bank facility in January 2008. The third CHIP program will begin in April 2008, and a program is scheduled to start each quarter throughout the year thereafter.

John Kelly, MD, MPH, serves as Executive-Medical Director. Barbara Sparks, RN, serves as Clinic Nurse Educator, and Sally Kelly, BA, serves in a volunteer capacity as Chef and Business Manager.

John H. Kelly, Jr., MD, MPH Medical Director   Meet others Barbara Sparks Sally Kelly

"Dr. John," as he is affectionately called by patients and staff, is passionate about Lifestyle Medicine. Dr. Kelly completed his undergraduate education in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Shepherd College in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude as a McMurran Scholar. He then completed the Dual Degree Program at Loma Linda University, receiving his MD in 2000, and his MPH in Epidemiology in 2002 with honors. He completed his residency training in Preventive Medicine in 2003, receiving ABPM Board certification in January 2004. Dr. Kelly was also trained in massage and hydrotherapy by Dr. Charles Thomas, a master of physical medicine known for his expertise with hydrotherapy. After completing medical training Dr. Kelly accepted an appointment as Assistant Research Professor in the Nutrition Department at Loma Linda University as lead faculty for the Lifestyle Research Initiative. He conducted a multi-center outcomes analysis of lifestyle centers in the U.S. and is now using randomized studies to investigate the use of therapeutic lifestyle interventions in the treatment and management of type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and related diseases. He is currently involved in a number of trials in the U.S. and abroad. He has recently moved back to his home state of Virginia where he assisted the Carilion Clinic in Roanoke, Virginia, with a study using the CHIP program to treat type 2 diabetes. The results were quite impressive, and can be viewed from our home page. Having dropped out of college at 18y and being told at 28 years of age that he was too old to pursue his interest in medicine, he got involved in health promotion and wellness as a layman while pursuing a career in business computing. His interest in medicine never died and, at 48 years of age, he entered medical school “to become a lifestyle medicine physician.” During his training in Epidemiology he found his niche in lifestyle medicine and lifestyle intervention research. Dr. Kelly serves as President of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the medical specialty society for clinicians who specialize in the use of therapeutic lifestyle interventions in the treatment and management of disease. He received an Excellence in Medicine Award as a Young Physician from the American Medical Association for his work in establishing the ACLM. Dr. Kelly enjoys sharing the scientific evidence for using lifestyle to treat and prevent disease with his patients, other practitioners, researchers and the public. Other interests include family life, Christian ministry, agriculture, hiking and camping, computing and theories on the origins of life.

Barbara Sparks, RN, LMT Clinic Nurse-Educator   Meet others John Kelly Sally Kelly

Barbara is a mother, wife, health educator, massage therapist and nurse. She has been interested in healthful living and plant-based foods from her early twenties. In the 1980’s she moved to Boones Mill, Virginia, with her family. She wanted to send her children to Christian schools and helped start the Rocky Mount Seventh-day Adventist elementary school. She was also active in organic gardening and completed the Master Gardener’s class. She was active in community health education and taught nutrition and vegetarian cooking classes for Hollins College and other groups in the Roanoke area. Barbara and her family were instrumental in establishing The Eden Way Place on the Market in downtown Roanoke. (The café was later moved to Church Street and operated by the Knapczyk family for many years as Eden’s Way Café.) Barbara later completed massage training and established a private massage practice. More recently she completed her nurses’ training and worked at Roanoke Memorial hospital on the vascular / surgical unit. Looking for a more wholistic approach to medical care, she worked as a disease management consultant at Wellpoint, a health management firm in Richmond. Barbara is now a key part of the team at the Rocky Mount Lifestyle Health Center. She can do almost anything needed, serving as Clinic Nurse and Health Educator. She also helps prepare therapeutic meals and innumerable tasks that make the Center efficient and effective.

Sally R. Kelly, BA, CMT CHIP Chef and Treasurer

Sally is passionate about healthful cooking and wellness. She completed her degree in Political Science at Radford University. (Radford, Virginia) She was trained in massage and hydrotherapy by Dr. Charles Thomas, a master of physical medicine known for his success with hydrotherapy. She operated a private health massage practice for women. Sally was one of the founders of The Eden Way Place vegan cafe in historic downtown Roanoke. She established and ran the the vegan cafe before beginning her career in massage. She has also served as VP of Finance for a large non-profit land conservancy. She now serves as the Treasurer and Business manager on a volunteer basis.