National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching Announces New Board Members

    SAN DIEGO, CA, January 22, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC), a nonprofit affiliate of the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), announced today four additions to its board of directors: Dr. Jessica Matthews, director and creator of the Master of Kinesiology in Integrative Wellness program at Point Loma Nazarene University; Dr. Scott Morcott, co-founder of PathFinder Health; Dr. Thomas Rebbecchi, associate professor of emergency medicine at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University and medical adviser at the NBME; and Dr. Jocelyn Weiss, lead instructor and coordinator for Duke University's Integrative Health Coach Professional Training program.

Matthews, Morcott, Rebbecchi and Weiss bring their combined expertise to the 13-member NBHWC board and will be integral to the nonprofit's 2020 goals and objectives, which include continuing to work toward insurance reimbursement for health and wellness coaching; increasing the number of board certified health and wellness coaches through NBHWC-approved training and education programs; and educating the public about the role of health and wellness coaches.

National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coaches—with expertise in patient-empowering communication and behavior change—engage patients to develop and implement a personal vision and plan for optimal health. With the coach's support, patients cultivate the internal motivation, confidence, and resources needed to start and sustain behaviors shown to prevent or treat chronic disease and improve overall health and well-being.

"We are thrilled to have Jessica, Scott, Jocelyn and Tom join the NBHWC board," said Leigh-Ann Webster, NBC-HWC, executive director of the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching. "Their expertise and acumen in the field of health and wellness will be a tremendous addition as we continue work on the NBHWC's initiatives."

Jessica Matthews, DBH, MS, is an assistant professor and director of the Master of Kinesiology in Integrative Wellness program at Point Loma Nazarene University. Her professional history includes developing and implementing graduate degree and professional certificate programs at multiple colleges. She is an award-winning educator and international speaker, currently serving as the director of integrative health coaching in the Centers for Integrative Health at UC San Diego. Matthews is also a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC), lead faculty in the area of health behavior change for the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) Residency Curriculum, and is the founding chair of the ACLM health and wellness coaching member interest group. Her expertise can be found across national media outlets such as CNN, The Washington Post and Women's Health.

Scott Morcott, M.D., FAAFP, is the co-founder and chief medical officer of PathFinder Health, a provider of preventive health services and health coaching to corporations throughout the country. A former United States naval flight surgeon responsible for the health and safety of a Marine Corps fighter squadron, Morcott has 20 years of experience founding and operating an integrative family medicine practice. He is currently the owner and operator of a series of travel medicine clinics, Passport Health, in Illinois and Wisconsin. He also speaks widely on preventive health issues and serves on the advisory committee for health and wellness coaching programs at local colleges.

Thomas Rebbecchi, M.D., is an associate professor of emergency medicine at the Cooper Medical School of Rowan University and a medical adviser at the NBME. Rebbecchi has led research teams at the NBME related to workplace-based assessments and has been responsible for ideation of new assessment types. Before NBME, he worked for the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), serving as medical director for the Clinical Skills Evaluation Collaboration, a collaboration between the NBME and the ECFMG that administers the United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 2CS examination. Rebbecchi is trained as an emergency physician and continues to see patients at the Cooper University Hospital in Camden, New Jersey. He has previously served as a clerkship director and associate program director in his capacity at two different medical schools.

Jocelyn Weiss, Ph.D., MPH, is the lead instructor and coordinator for the Integrative Health Coach Professional Training at Duke Integrative Medicine. In areas such as resiliency, mindfulness and health behavior change, she develops and facilitates public and customized programs for individuals and organizations. With a master's degree in public health from Tufts University School of Medicine and a Ph.D. from the University of Washington, Weiss spent more than 20 years conducting clinical and population-based research in the areas of obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease and adolescent health. The merging of her expertise as an educator, coach, and researcher fuels her passion for empowering others to achieve quality health and well-being.

About the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC)
NBHWC created national standards for the profession of health and wellness coaching in 2015, and began board certifying health and wellness coaches, in partnership with the National Board of Medical Examiners, in 2017. There are currently 2,300+ National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coaches (NBC-HWC), practicing across health care, employee wellness programs, and in the private and public sectors. For more information, visit https://nbhwc.org.

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