Dr. Dexter Shurney is the Chief Health Officer of Blue Zones, LLC, which helps enable cities, counties, and large employers to transform their environments, allowing people to live better, longer. The work is based on the original Blue Zones research. He is also the President of the Center for Lifestyle Medicine Innovation (CLMI), a branch of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. CLMI is a hub for lifestyle medicine research, innovation, and thought leadership on identifying and eradicating the root causes of disease.
Additionally, he serves as Senior Advisor to Modify Health, an organization that combines Food as Medicine with creative value-based payment strategies.
Dr. Shurney’s unique business expertise comes from varied roles he has performed over his career as a senior healthcare executive. Most recently he served as President, Blue Zones Wellbeing Institute, focused on applied population health research including Social Determinants of Health and Food as Medicine.
Other former roles have included Chief Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Officer for Adventist Health; Vice President, Chief Medical Officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan; Chief Medical Officer and Executive Director of Global Employee Benefits at Cummins, Inc.; Chief Medical Director, Employee Health Plan at Vanderbilt University and Medical Center; Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer at Healthways; and Senior Advisor Managed Care Strategy at Amgen. During his tenure at Vanderbilt, he held dual faculty appointments at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the Owens Graduate School of Business.
Dr. Shurney is the Chair of the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO) board representing 100+ large employer group members, and is a past president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM). Under his leadership, ACLM launched a new provider education program for Blue Shield of California; led national conversations on provider payment reform and quality metrics; and spearheaded groundbreaking health disparity and equity efforts. He also serves as an independent director on several other boards including the Bon Secour Mercy Health Foundation, National Association of Managed Care Physicians (NAMCP), Population Health Alliance (PHA), and the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative (TKC).
Dr. Shurney is a highly regarded national authority on the healthcare industry with significant expertise in Food as Medicine, health insurance, employee health and well-being. He is also a well-regarded speaker at industry conferences and corporate events, and has appeared on NBC Today, in the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, the Detroit Free Press, and numerous trade publications.
He is co-author of the book Integrating Wellness into Your Disease Management Programs, a “how-to” strategic guide for employers that wish to innovate their approach to chronic condition management.
Dr. Shurney received his BS from Loma Linda University and his MD from Howard University College of Medicine. He also has an MBA and MPH from the University of Detroit/Mercy and the Medical College of Wisconsin, respectively. A licensed physician, he is board certified in both preventive medicine and in lifestyle medicine, and is a Fellow in the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.
