Gia Merlo

Gia Merlo is a Clinical Professor of Nursing and Psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and serves as Senior Advisor on Wellness. She is also an Adjunct Faculty member at Johns Hopkins University School of Education. Her academic affiliations include leadership roles in the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM), where she chairs the Mental and Behavioral Health Member Interest Group, and service on the boards of Plant-Powered Metro of New York and the Global Positive Health Institute.

• MD – Nagarjuna University
• MBA – Temple University
• MEd – Johns Hopkins University

Dr. Merlo’s research and clinical work focus on lifestyle psychiatry, physician wellness, and the integration of lifestyle medicine into mental health care. Her work emphasizes the six pillars of lifestyle medicine—nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress management, social connection, and avoidance of risky substances—with a particular interest in the gut-brain axis, neuroplasticity, and emotional resilience. She has pioneered the application of lifestyle principles in medical professionalism and pre-professional education.

Her recent publications explore the expanding field of lifestyle psychiatry, including the role of connectedness, nutrition, and environmental factors in mental health. She has authored influential books such as Principles of Medical Professionalism and Lifestyle Nursing, and is currently working on several upcoming textbooks. Her editorial role as Associate Editor of the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine underscores her leadership in the field.

• Master Teacher Fellowship, Baylor College of Medicine (2019)
• Houston’s 50 Most Influential Women (2018)
• Favorite Professor Award, Rice University (2017)
• Fellowship, American Psychoanalytic Association (1997)

Dr. Merlo has advised and mentored premedical and medical students throughout her career, particularly through curricula focused on professionalism and identity formation. She has received research and educational grants supporting lifestyle medicine integration and has led initiatives in interprofessional education. She is actively involved in clinician wellness programs and institutional implementation of lifestyle medicine through frameworks like RE-AIM.

She leads and collaborates with research teams focused on lifestyle interventions in mental health, particularly in PTSD, bipolar disorder, and substance use. Her lab and scholarly work integrate neuroscience, behavioral medicine, and public health to develop sustainable, evidence-based models for mental and physical well-being.