In this fun and informative episode, David Flench, the President and CEO of the Medical Fitness Association, shares his insight and experience on building a successful career; the state of medical fitness in the US today; the need to build trust between clinicians and fitness professionals, and ways to accomplish it; examples of highly collaborative facilities, and much more! See the time stamps below for more information:

1:07 - David’s introduction, background, and trajectory to the president/CEO of the MFA

6:54 – Jeff asks David to expound on his advice for people to lead to a successful career (e.g., the importance of networking and “getting involved”)

9:34: - David’s response

17:14 – How does David define “medical fitness” and what does medical fitness look like in the U.S. today

22:51 – David discusses what medical fitness facility certification and qualifications look like. His answer includes how critical it is to create a level of trust between clinicians and fitness professionals

29:11 – David discusses the primary initiatives the Medical Fitness Association is currently focused on

32:48 - Benchmarks: what does it mean to track data/benchmarks and which are important to track?

39:04 – What are David’s thoughts on physical therapy private practices being “medical fitness facilities waiting to happen,” and the collaboration with physical therapists as part of the medical fitness landscape?

48:45 – What are examples of highly collaborative facilities where clinicians and fitness professionals are working well together?

51:54 - What is the biggest problem that the field of medical fitness is facing today and needs to solve?

56:20 - What innovations in medical fitness does David hope to see in the next 5 to 10 years? He touches on this “obesity medicine explosion” with the GLP-1 agonist medications and the importance of medical fitness as part of this landscape as well.

1:03:30 – Wrapping up…why listeners would benefit from becoming members of the Medical Fitness Association and how to stay connected with David

David Flench Biography:

David Flench servesd as the Board Chair (2021-2023) of the Medical Fitness Association Board of Directors and is the current President and CEO.

He has over 20 years of experience working in the health and wellness industry. Previously, David was the Director of Wellness Centers and Diabetes Center at Hancock Health in Greenfield, IN.

David obtained his Master of Business Administration from Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio and his Bachelor of Science with a concentration in Exercise Science from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. He also has achieved a range of certifications including Six Sigma Green Belt, American College of Sports Medicine Certified Exercise Physiologist (ACSM-cEP), and ACSM Level 2 Exercise in Medicine, certified Health Care Manager by the Indiana Hospital Association, and board certified in healthcare management as a Fellow of ACHE, demonstrating that he is committed to furthering the medical fitness industry.

David also serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Medical Fitness Foundation. He has previously served on the Certification, Education, Conference, Budget & Finance, Ethics, and Nominating committees with MFA.

http://www.medicalfitness.org
https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidflench/