Professional Qualifications

Dr. Elaine Barretto

To effectively assess, design, and implement care that addresses the complex interactions between lifestyle, mental health, gut health, nervous system regulation, metabolic health, and emotional well-being, I’ve pursued interdisciplinary training and practical certifications from leading institutions around the world, listed below.

Certifications, Licenses & Academic Degrees

  • Master of Science in Psychological Medicine & Mental Health, by London Metropolitan University. Dissertation: “Treating the Person Behind the Chronic Pain: A Review of the Science and Practice of Psychological Treatments for Nociplastic Pain”

  • Ph.D. in Engineering and Physics, along with many years of work experience in biomedical engineering (calculating physics in the human body, including medical devices and imaging), both in academia, government research, and industry.

  • MBA in Marketing and Business Strategy

  • Professional Certificate in Healthcare Communications, University of Chicago

  • Certified Lifestyle Medicine Professional (DipIBLM), by the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine

  • National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC), by NBHWC

  • Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Healthcare Professional, by Six Sigma Global Institute

  • Emotional and Binge Eating Licensed Practitioner, by Eating Freely

  • 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-500), by Yoga Alliance

  • Lifestyle Medicine Coach, by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (through Wellcoaches School of Coaching)

  • Certified Culinary Health Coach - CHEF (Clinicians Culinary Health Education Fundamentals), by Harvard Medical School and Institute of Lifestyle Medicine

  • Medical Fitness Yoga Specialist, by MedFit Classroom

  • Certified Yoga & Team Well-Being Coach, by YogaMedCo

  • AI Product Manager Nanodegree, by Udacity

  • Project Management Professional (PMP), by Project Management Institute

Professional Training & Courses

  • Lifestyle Medicine: Improving the Future of Healthcare, Professional Certificate by Doane University

  • Writing for Healthcare Advertising, University of Chicago

  • Continuing Education for Healthcare Professionals, University of Chicago

  • Writing for Patient Education, University of Chicago

  • E-Learning Instructional Design Certificate, by Association for Talent Development (ATD)

  • Certified AI-Powered Instructional Design Professional, by Learnworlds

  • Introduction to Nutritional Psychiatry: Nutri-Psyche, by Deakin University

  • FODMAP and IBS training for Dietitians, by Monash University

  • Nerva IBS Clinicians' Course, by Mindset Health

  • ARFID: An Introduction to diagnosis and management, by University of Winchester

  • Nutritional Psychiatry for Healthcare Practitioners, by Dr. Drew Ramsey

  • Identification and Management of Disordered Eating in Gastrointestinal Disorders, by Monash University

  • Integrative Approaches to Pelvic Pain in Women, by Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, University of Arizona

  • Female Health Yoga Teacher Training, by Yoga Medicine

  • 300-hr Yoga Therapy Teacher Training Course, by Sampoorna Yoga

  • 200-hr Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training, by Sampoorna Yoga

  • Essential Pain Management, by ANZCA - Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists

  • Plant-based nutrition; a sustainable diet for optimal health, by University of Winchester

  • Lifestyle Medicine and Emotional Health, by Evidence in Motion

  • Explain Pain, by NOI - Neuro Orthopaedic Institute, Australia

  • Assessment and education for patients with neural circuit disorders, by Dr. Howard Schubiner (Unlearn your Pain)

  • Functional Nutrition for Chronic Pain, by Integrative Pain Science Institute

  • Mindfulness-Based Chronic Pain Management™ Practical Training, by University of Toronto

  • Gut Health Course - The Plant-Fed Gut, by Dr. Will Bulsiewicz

  • Head to Head with Heartburn, by Dr. Will Bulsiewicz

  • Diagnosing Food Intolerance, by Dr. Will Bulsiewicz

  • Overcoming FODMAP Intolerance, by Dr. Will Bulsiewicz

  • Overcoming Histamine Intolerance, by Dr. Will Bulsiewicz

  • The Power of Awareness: Mindfulness Training, by Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield, by Sounds True

  • Cognitive Fitness by Harvard Medical School

  • Plant-Based Sports Nutrition, by Human Kinetics Continuing Education

  • Culinary Nutrition by Plantlab (formerly Matthew Kenney Cuisine)

  • Foundations of Positive Psychology Specialization by University of Pennsylvania

  • Mindfulness Fundamentals by Mindful Schools

  • Mindful Educator Essentials by Mindful Schools

  • Unlocking EQ by Six Seconds

  • Nervous System & Restorative Yoga Training, by Yoga Medicine

  • Eating Disorders: How Yoga Teachers Can Help, by Eat Breathe Thrive

  • Mindsight Approach to Well-Being: A Comprehensive Course in Interpersonal Neurobiology, by Dr. Dan Siegel - Mindsight Institute

  • Agile Meets Design Thinking, by University of Virginia

Conferences & Workshops Attended

  • Integrated Platform for Research in Advancing Metabolic Health Outcomes of Women and Children (IPRAMHO) International Meeting 2026, KKH Singapore, Feb 2026.

  • Graphika, Conference on Creativity, 1-2 March 2025, Manila.

  • Lifestyle Medicine Summit, Oct 18-24, 2024.

  • Lifestyle and Mental Health - RCPsych and BSLM Joint Event, 22 May 2024

  • GI Motility & Brain-Gut Disorders: Evidence vs Consensus, 25th Annual Course in Neurogastroenterology & Motility, Harvard Medical School, 19 October 2024.

  • Meditation and Psychotherapy: Self-Transcendence and Non-duality, Harvard Medical School, Apr 12 – May 10, 2024

  • Lifestyle Medicine: Tools for Promoting Healthy Change, Harvard Medical School, 9-11 June 2023

  • Lifestyle Medicine For Mental Health Symposium, Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine, 18 March 2023

  • Disordered Eating in GI Disease. Webinars by Monash FODMAP, March/April 2023

  • Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Implementation with Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Disorders. ROME Foundation GastroPsych, 18 Feb 2023

  • Singapore Allied Health Conference, 13 to 15 October 2022

  • Trauma, Inflammation, and Recovery: Insights from Neurobiology, March 18th 2022, with Donna Jackson Nakazawa, Confer Webinar

  • Mental Health Reimagined Summit, March 4th and 5th 2022, by Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine

  • IV Congresso Brasileiro de Medicina do Estilo de Vida, Sep 30th to Oct 3rd, 2021, by Brazilian College of Lifestyle Medicine

  • International Conference on Nutrition in Medicine, July 15th to 17th, 2021, by George Washington University and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

  • The Relational Montage of Eating Disorders – with Professor Jean Petrucelli, Confer Webinar, 26 June 2021

  • Asia-Pacific Mindfulness Conference 2021, 14-29 August 2021

  • Solving Chronic Pain Summit: A New Pathway to Relief, 22-24 Jan 2021, by Open Center

  • How to Work with a Client’s Emotional Triggers, by National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine