SCU’s Dr. Tracy Gaudet Highlights Whole Health Leadership at IFM Conference on Evolution of Medicine Podcast

Dr. Tracy Gaudet, Executive Director of the Doctor of Whole Health Leadership (DrWHL) program at Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU), was recently a featured guest on the Evolution of Medicine podcast hosted by James Maskell. The interview was recorded live at the Institute for Functional Medicine’s (IFM) 2025 Annual International Conference, which focused on the theme of Transformation through Innovation, Connection, and Comprehensive Care.

A nationally recognized pioneer in Whole Health system redesign, Dr. Gaudet shared her insights from leading the historic transformation of care at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), a model now being studied and emulated across the country. Her appearance highlighted the influence of SCU’s faculty and the growing importance of preparing leaders who can drive system-level change in healthcare.

Here are three key takeaways from Dr. Gaudet’s conversation:

1. Whole Health Requires a Cultural Shift, Not Just a Clinical One

Dr. Gaudet emphasized that true transformation in health care is not about adding services, it’s about redefining the very purpose and structure of care. At the VA, this meant shifting from a reactive disease-care model to a proactive Whole Health model that begins by asking patients, “What matters to you?” instead of “What’s the matter?”

She highlighted how this approach prioritizes meaning, purpose, peer support, and personal empowerment—elements she called essential for human flourishing. “We’re moving from medicalized to humanized,” Dr. Gaudet said. “When we reconnect with who we are as human beings, our medical outcomes improve.”

2. Bottom-Up Innovation Drives Sustainable System Change

Dr. Gaudet shared how more than 200 grassroots innovation grants funded by the VA allowed frontline staff and veterans to pilot Whole Health approaches, such as group visits, peer coaching, and community-based Wellbeing Centers. These programs delivered powerful results, including improved outcomes in chronic pain and mental health.

Rather than top-down mandates, the role of leadership was to remove barriers, a model that Dr. Gaudet believes is critical to catalyzing change in complex systems.

3. Whole Health Must Maintain Fidelity to Core Principles

As the popularity of “Whole Health” grows, Dr. Gaudet expressed concern about the term being diluted or misused. “If it means everything, it means nothing,” she warned. She stressed that the power of Whole Health lies in its fidelity to specific, evidence-based practices, such as peer support, meaning and purpose exploration, and scalable self-care skill-building.

Dr. Gaudet’s leadership continues at SCU, where she is educating the next generation of changemakers through the Doctor of Whole Health Leadership program, designed for professionals who want to create impact in public health, community health, policy, and organizational transformation.

Watch or Listen to the Full Interview
Evolution of Medicine Podcast
Episode: IFM Annual International Conference Review: Transformation
Host: James Maskell