Chronic disease affects one out of two Americans and causes seven of 10 deaths in the United States.
Be sure to get the latest news and announcements about the upcoming enrollment for the Fall 2020 ADAPT Practitioner Training Program, and other Kresser Institute news, events, and training opportunities, by signing up below.
"I’m confident that the Kresser Institute will play an important role in training the next generation of Functional Medicine practitioners." Dr. Mark Hyman
Consider these sobering trends:
Chronic disease affects one out of two Americans and causes seven of 10 deaths in the United States.
100 million Americans—nearly one in three—have either prediabetes or diabetes.
50 million Americans (approximately one in six) have an autoimmune disease (more than cancer and heart disease combined).
One in 45 children now has autism spectrum disorder, up from just one in 500 in 1999. More children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes, and cancer combined.
The rate of type 2 diabetes in children and teens is increasing by almost 5 percent a year.
Alzheimer’s is now the sixth leading cause of death in the United States; the number of deaths has increased by 89 percent since 2000. Alzheimer’s kills more people than prostate and breast cancer combined.
Chronic disease will generate $47 trillion in healthcare costs globally by 2030 if the epidemic is unchecked. That’s more than the annual GDP of the six largest economies in the world.
The problem is that our current healthcare system, as you well know, isn’t healthcare at all—it’s disease management—and as a practitioner, your hands are tied.
With conventional medicine, if a patient presents with…
What’s more, if a patient has a health problem that can't be fixed by a pill—like an autoimmune disease, digestive disorder, or simply fatigue—conventional medicine has very little to offer.
As an MD, I’ve learned extremely important clinical information from Chris that was simply not taught to me throughout my five years of medical education.
"Any astute physician knows that our current medical model is not designed to keep Americans healthy. It is designed to treat disease. Allopathic medicine does not yet have the tools to design such a system. It will have to come from practitioners like Chris Kresser. Chris has the vision, knowledge, and clinical experience to be a major influence in shaping the new medical model: one that OPTIMIZES health." Kirk Parsley, MDFormer SEAL, physician for West Coast SEALs, Division Officer for SEAL Tactical Athlete Center
Not only can you help stem the tide of chronic disease, but you can also enjoy a more fulfilling career—by giving yourself the tools and the model to do the one thing you got into this business to do: dramatically improve people’s health and lives.
The world needs more Functional Medicine practitioners with an ancestral perspective—one that goes beyond symptom suppression to address the real issue: the mismatch between our bodies and our environment.
I can’t emphasize enough the benefits I’ve received from this program...
"As a mid-career physician making the transition from pediatric anesthesia into Functional Medicine, the ADAPT Program has provided me with a potent, actionable system for success in treating patients using a functional and evolutionary approach." Christian Tucker, MDAkron, OH
Section Head Pediatric & Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia at Cleveland Clinic
Functional medicine is a new model of medicine that is neither “conventional” nor “alternative.” It is a combination of the best elements of both, and it represents the future of medicine. Functional medicine is:
Like all living organisms, humans are adapted to survive and thrive in a particular environment. When that environment changes faster than the organism can adapt, mismatch occurs. This mismatch—between our genes and our diet and lifestyle—is the driving factor behind the modern epidemic of chronic disease. This ancestral perspective:
As important as a Functional Medicine foundation and an ancestral perspective are, they are not enough to build a successful clinical practice today. You also face a myriad of business, operational, technological, and management challenges. To create a thriving 21st-century practice, you need solid, practical answers to questions like:
What is the best way to manage patient flow from initial consult through completion of treatment?
Where do I find quality staff for my practice to offer high-touch patient care in a cost-effective manner?
What are the best practices for onboarding new patients and doing thorough Functional Medicine intakes?
How do I set up operations, billing, and procedures to keep my practice lean and profitable?
What is the best electronic medical record (EMR) system, and how do I set it up effectively?
How can I best utilize the latest software tools to automate and streamline my workflow?
How do I set up and structure a Functional Medicine practice?
And much more
This is the most comprehensive Functional Medicine program I know of.
"It not only includes in-depth study in Functional Medicine but also includes everything a practitioner needs to establish and run their practice." Dawn Lovisa, MS, FNPBayfield, WI
The ADAPT material is accessible for an entry-level Functional Medicine practitioner.
"ADAPT is allowing me to focus on Functional Medicine and build my practice to another level where I am able to work independently and follow what I'm most interested in on a larger scale." Amber Wood, R.Ac.Salt Spring Island, BC, Canada
amberwoodhealth.ca
This one-year clinician training program is carefully designed to give you everything you need in three areas essential to your success: Functional Medicine, ancestral health, and practice management. Spreading it out over a year gives you deeper, more complex information without overloading you. You’ll more easily integrate what you learn into your real-world practice incrementally as you go at a manageable pace.
This is not just medical theory, but a complete Functional Medicine approach to care from the moment the patient walks through your door through the completion of treatment. And it includes clinician and patient handouts you can use instantly.
This is the only Functional Medicine course that also teaches ancestral nutrition and lifestyle principles and how to apply them in clinical practice. Learn how environmental mismatch is the cause of many chronic conditions and what to do about it.
Clinical skills are important, but they aren’t enough on their own. In this course you’ll get the turn-key “Optimal Practice System” (OPS). Learn how to set up and manage your practice using the same tools and techniques I use in my successful clinic.
You can’t make a difference if you can’t attract patients. When you enroll you’ll get access to Evergreen Authority with Keith Rhys—a 12-week marketing course specifically for Functional Medicine practitioners serious about long-term success.
ADAPT will simply make you a better doctor.
"It will help you get to the root of people's health issues. It gives you loads of patient education and protocols, so you don't have to spin your wheels figuring out what to do. As a chiropractor, I had been seeing progressively sicker people come in with musculoskeletal complaints. Long-lasting health was more difficult to achieve. I had been doing some nutrition work with patients, but never knew where to start—gut, adrenals, thyroid? Or what tests were valid and the most useful. Or which were the best supplements to use." Marcy Halterman-Cox, DC, RNCollege Station, TX
collegestationchiropractic.com
Each learning track listed below is interwoven and unfolds in the weekly coursework in a way that mirrors how we use the information in a real clinical setting
Materials in this topic area give you a complete roadmap—a systems model for Functional Medicine. Avoid a hit-and-miss, “whack-a-mole” approach with this logical, methodical, proven approach to patient care.
In-depth training for diagnosing and treating the most common chronic health conditions you’ll encounter in your practice, from intake and testing to test interpretation and complete treatment protocols.
Create fully personalized diet, supplement, and lifestyle protocols for your patients, all from an ancestral perspective. Discover the power of a Paleo template, and learn to create customized prescriptions for particular circumstances and needs, as well as for 13 of the most common health conditions you will see in your practice.
This material runs throughout the full 12 months of the course. Get everything you need to set up, run, and optimize your practice. Avoid clinician burnout and earn a great living.
Imagine having not only the answers to your pressing logistical practice management questions, but also the written procedures and ready-made forms to go along with them.
Get over 100 guides, quick reference sheets, protocols, instruction sheets, forms, written policies, questionnaires, and handouts.
My goal with this course is to create more proficient, successful functional/ancestral medicine practitioners as quickly as possible. When I thought back on what it took to build my own practice—the trial and error, the consultants, the hiring mistakes, and the anxiety over creating procedures—I knew I had to provide more than just the training. I wanted to offer actual written policies and procedures and all the actual documentation you’d need to skip those first three years of struggle and trial and error.
Your initial interactions set the stage for a smooth, successful relationship with a more actively involved patient—from establishing realistic expectations to collecting all the necessary paperwork quickly for a more friction-free patient experience.
Get a complete set of documents, templates, and written working procedures. Create a strong foundation, better-trained staff, and streamlined operations for a new or existing practice.
What’s often missing from other functional training is a system—with tools designed for day-to-day use—that empowers you to instantly apply what you’ve learned to your practice. That’s exactly what you’ll get in this training. The essential kit includes the reference guides and quick reference sheets you need to instantly access deeper expertise and use what you learn. Documents include:
Guide patients step by step through the big changes you’re asking them to make. Boost compliance and get better outcomes, happier, healthier patients, and glowing testimonials. With energized word-of-mouth and referrals, you’ll have a more stable flow of new patients and revenue. Our online system will allow you to instantly customize any patient handout with your own brand and logo. You’ll get:
I’ve easily spent triple the cost of this course—more than $30,000—over the last five years to develop this system for my own practice. I’ve spent the time and money so you don’t have to. Get unlimited access to all of this at no additional cost when you enroll in the ADAPT Framework clinician training.
You won’t find any other resource that is more closely aligned to your practice needs—not to mention the ability to print over 50 different patient handouts with your own logo and branding on demand.
This course is an amazing bridge to get providers across the huge divide between Standard and Functional Medicine.
"I have told other providers that this program has exceeded my expectations. That it offers practice management education which is not offered by [other Functional/Integrative Medicine training programs]. This course is an amazing bridge to get providers across the huge divide between Standard and Functional Medicine. I am working on creating my own practice now while continuing to work doing Integrative Medicine. I know that when I open my practice, I will have many of the tools I will need to be successful and to offer myself a work–life balance." Bodhi Anderson, PA-CKailua, HI
This online course, valued at $3,500, is included as a bonus in your enrollment in the ADAPT program. Evergreen Authority, with Keith Rhys, is a self-paced 12-week program designed to help you build a sustainable practice by drawing the right people to it.
I can't think of a better decision that has been more worth it than enrolling in the Kresser Institute.
"The knowledge, application, and business sense will all put you a step ahead of the game in every single area. You are literally taking shortcuts to paths in so many industries beyond just Functional Medicine. I went from stressed out working 80 hours in my clinic a week to complete freedom of my schedule to be able to focus on research, learning, and providing greater value to more and more people. I can't believe how quick the transformation was. Since I started the training, I've used the core business principles to quadruple the revenue from my business." Anthony Gustin, MS, DCAustin, TX
dranthonygustin.com
Join the next group of Kresser Institute course graduates. Chart a path to your future with a single course that includes the unique combination of training you’ll need for success. Take a look below at how the carefully designed format fits into your life and launches you to a whole new level in just one year.
August – September
October – September
Join a unique cohort of motivated and highly qualified medical pros. Be part of the revolution in functional/ancestral healthcare.
Just 2–4 hours/week with a full week break each quarter & weekly Q&A times.
A one-week break every 3 months gives you time for a breather or to catch up.
Celebrate your success. In just one year you have transformed your future. Join our group of graduates for ongoing growth, networking, and professional development.
You cannot put a price on 200+ experts at your fingertips.
"The more experienced, or those with some Functional Medicine experience like myself, definitely benefit from the foundational pieces. Until now, my Functional Medicine education had to be pieced together through many different avenues. It was lonely and a venture devoid in support. I finally have an accessible community to run cases by and everyone is so helpful. This has been the best part! You cannot put a price on 200+ experts at your fingertips. The pace is perfect for both more experienced Functional Medicine providers and newbies." Andrea Telfer-Karbo, FNPMartinez, CA
theremedymartinez.com
Textbook-based medical education is ineffective and out of date because it doesn’t train clinicians to apply what they learn in real-world settings. This is why the ADAPT training employs the same case-based learning format that leading institutions like Harvard Medical School have adopted. You’ll get the theory you need, but you’ll learn it in the context of lab results and case studies from real patients. Studies have shown that clinicians trained with a case-based format are better prepared and more effective than those trained with conventional textbook-based methods.
Unfortunately, almost everything we learned about how to learn in school was wrong! The “firehose” method of cramming a lot of new information into a short intense period results in horrible retention. The “brute force” memorization strategy of retaining it just long enough to regurgitate it for a test doesn’t promote understanding or the ability to use the information. These methods simply do not work.
This course is different. It is based on the latest research in learning theory to ensure that you absorb and retain as much as possible no matter your learning style and no matter how busy you are. After all, there’s no point in investing your hard-earned time and resources in a training program if you’re not even going to remember what you learn, much less be able to put it into practice!
 | Other Training Course Option 1 | Other Training Course Option 2 | Other Training Course Option 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comprehensive Functional Medicine theory | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Clinical systems model and map to guide diagnosis and treatment | ✓ | |||
| Functional blood chemistry analysis | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Stool, saliva, urine test interpretation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Paleo/ancestral nutrition training | ✓ | |||
| Paleo/ancestral lifestyle training | ✓ | |||
| Patient communication training | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Comprehensive practice management training | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Practice management toolkit with forms, procedures, and documents | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Patient education handouts with your clinic’s branding | ✓ | |||
| Live interaction and Q&A with faculty members | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Case-based learning format to support real-world application of knowledge | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Delivered at a pace that is manageable and maximizes retention | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Evidence-based learning approach to support long-term mastery | ✓ |
"Even though I took [a different Functional Medicine course], I never quite got all that they were teaching and did not know how to apply it in practice beyond basic things. With your course, I feel the mystery is gone and I am actually applying what I learn daily and changing people’s lives. Again, thank you." Donna Kay Jennings, BSN, MHSA, MSN, PMHNP-BCMissoula, MT
"I'm an ANP. I had completed [a different Functional Medicine course], but felt I needed more help with the daily clinical practice. I got it from this program. I am running a functional practice which I opened 3 months ago. I am a solo practitioner but linked to a large healthcare system." Kathleen Mahon, ANPSt. Cloud, MN
"Learning in this fashion exposes me to so much info that would have taken years to assimilate and is now available to me on demand. Overall, helping so much." Larry Silber, MDIssaquah, WA
"I am a dietitian and I would tell my peers that this is a much better investment than any other masters program available in our field." Chelsea Gelina, RDSantee, CA
"My understanding of the human being has blossomed to another level. Truly a well thought out program! Heartfelt thank you." Jator Pierre, NBC-HWCSan Francisco, CA
wehlc.com
The ADAPT training program is designed for licensed and allied health professionals—but some nutritionists, coaches, and students also qualify.
Find out if you’re eligibleIf you do not pass the eligibility check, you’ll be redirected to a page with more information about how you can petition—which you’re welcome to do if you have extenuating circumstances that you feel would make you a strong candidate for the program.
Please be aware, however, that the course is limited to 200 students and is very likely to sell out this year as it did last year. Priority will be given to those candidates that meet the requirements.
We may not be able to extend enrollment to include those who petition for an eligibility exception.
While the program is designed to guide and educate practitioners from a wide variety of backgrounds, it’s not right for everyone.
The course is not a fit for you if you …
Are uncomfortable with digital, self-directed learning
Don’t have at least two to four hours per week to devote to study
Are not committed to sticking with the program for the entire 12 months
Are exclusively looking for one-on-one mentorship, not a group setting
Our broken healthcare system is far beyond “fixing.” It needs to be rebuilt from the ground up—and we’ve got the blueprints.
We need your passion, your vision, your expertise, your drive to embody the change we so desperately need to turn the tide against chronic disease.
Join a growing cohort of highly qualified functional and evolutionary medicine practitioners and:
Why spend years on scattershot, disconnected trainings … struggle to build a practice from scratch … and spend more than $25,000 on a program that lacks critical elements?
I thought I knew a lot about Functional Medicine before I took this course and have realized that what I knew was only the tip of the iceberg.
"There is no other program like this. I cannot complain about anything in this course. It has changed so many things in a positive way for me. The format is really perfect for someone who is very busy and it helps you to really learn the material. The pace is perfect and although it is not difficult, it is challenging in a good way. My patients have really responded well to these protocols as well." Becky Campbell, DCJupiter, FL
drbeckycampbell.com
Monthly payments as low as
$255*
$12,000
Total Price
$1,080*
12 monthly payments
Have questions? Review our FAQ or email us.
* Early bird pricing is not available on monthly or finance options
We'll start enrollment for the Fall 2020 session in late summer 2020. Be sure to get the latest news and updates about the next ADAPT Practitioner Training Program enrollment, and other Kresser Institute news, events, and training opportunities, by signing up below.
Please note that we limit each enrollment in order to maintain the quality of the experience for each student in the cohort. We do expect to fill all the “seats” again this year like we did last year. So, if you want to be sure to get a spot, don’t wait too long to enroll, and claim it.
Limited enrollment also means that when you enroll you are securing a “seat” in the course. Once the course begins, that seat is yours for the full year. Even though you are paying monthly installments, you are paying in full for a spot that we can’t fill later even if you decide to drop out. Therefore, we do consider deferment and hardship requests, but we do not offer full or partial refunds. We are here to answer any questions you have and give you as much information as you need to confidently decide, in advance, to commit to the full year.
This training is open to licensed health professionals, other trained allied health professionals, and some trained health coaches. Before enrollment, you’ll be able to check your eligibility with a simple survey. If you do not qualify, you will see a secondary page that allows you to petition if you think that you should be considered for enrollment due to extenuating circumstances. Take the eligibility survey here. You can also visit the ADAPT Practitioner Training Program Eligibility page for more details about who is a good fit for this course.
No. This course provides a complete systems model for Functional Medicine.
Chris expects that anyone entering the course will have read his book The Paleo Cure (previously published in hardcover as Your Personal Paleo Code and published internationally as Your Personal Paleo Diet). Beyond this basic ancestral nutrition overview, you do not need to have any other prior training in the ancestral perspective.
While Chris may offer certification in the future, and this course will likely be a part of that certification process, completing this course will not certify you in the ADAPT Framework. However, you will be awarded a certificate of completion stating that you completed the ADAPT Practitioner Training Program training with Chris Kresser, and if desired you will be listed in the directory of practitioners who have completed the course on the Kresser Institute website. You will also get access to an official badge you can use in your marketing and on your site indicating you are an ADAPT Trained Practitioner.
Weekly quizzes are included in the year-long course for your convenience and to aid in the learning and retention process. These are low-stake quizzes and do not count towards your certificate of completion, since the certificate does not indicate mastery but rather participation. However, you will need to pass all the weekly quizzes if you wish to be included in the ADAPT Provider Directory on the Kresser Institute website.
We estimate that most health professionals will need to spend two to four hours per week on this course. Some weeks may require more or less time than this, depending on your personal prior training and experience. There is also a one-week break every quarter that you can use to catch up.
Strictly speaking, you are free to go at your own pace. New modules will become available according to the schedule, but you will have access to all released content for at least six months after the end of the course. You are free to ask instructors questions about any of the course material during the first 12 months. At the end of the course, you may continue your study; however, the Q&A opportunities will be over.
Absolutely! This is a big part of the learning process in this course. There are regular opportunities for Q&A with the Kresser Institute trained staff and a monthly webinar/Q&A with Chris Kresser.
Yes. There will be opportunities in the monthly Q&A with Chris Kresser to review real questions from real cases.
If you have additional questions not answered here, please simply email support@kresserinstitute.com and we’ll do our best to find the information you require.
We hope that you’ll have no reason to voluntarily quit. We’ve done our best to design a course that fits into even the busiest schedule. If you should need to temporarily interrupt your participation, you can return and continue at your own pace. You’ll have access to the materials for six months following the end of the course, which will give you plenty of time to complete the course. This is a non-refundable, self-paced course. You are free to quit at any time, but you will not receive a refund and will still be required to complete your monthly payments until you have met your full course fee obligation. Please see the course Terms & Conditions page for more information.
The entire course was created personally by Chris Kresser, and all of the course materials are delivered by Chris (written, audio, video). Monthly webinar/Q&As will be directly with Chris as well. In between the monthly Q&A sessions, you’ll have regular opportunities for Q&A with members of Chris’s staff who have been personally trained by Chris.
The systems model of approaching Functional Medicine and ancestral nutrition and lifestyle and the basic framework of practice management principles that Chris is teaching are applicable to practitioners all over the world.
However, some of the specific tests, treatments, and practice management tools that Chris will be recommending and teaching may not be readily available to all international practitioners. Also, for the blood chemistry unit, Chris will be teaching the lab ranges and values in US units. For these reasons, the training may not be as relevant and useful for international practitioners as it is for US-based practitioners. Please review the lab licensing requirements page for more details.
Because each country is different in terms of access to labs, supplements, and tools, we cannot make any promises to individual international practitioners about how relevant the training will be. Ultimately, you must weigh what Chris is offering against other training options that are available to you.
If you have additional questions not answered here, please connect with an enrollment advisor. Our enrollment advisors can help you:
We have multiple ways for you to contact them. You can:
Yes! We offer a 12-month payment plan if you do not wish to pay in full. If you need to spread the payments out over longer than 12 months, there is financing available through a third party. We are not offering any scholarships for the practitioner program at this time.
