Ruth Q. Wolever, PhD

Ruth Q. Wolever, PhD, NBC-HWC is a Professor (Clinician Educator Track) of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, with secondary appointments in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. She leads the Vanderbilt Health Coaching Certificate Program. Ruth is also the Chief Science Advisor and a subject matter expert for eMindful.

Ruth is a nationally-board certified health and wellness coach (NBC-HWC) and a clinical health psychologist. She has over 25 years’ experience training and mentoring medical and allied health professionals in behavioral medicine, emotional health and coaching. She also has over 25 years of experience designing, implementing, and evaluating behavior change programs for medical patients and those at risk for chronic disease. Ruth is internationally recognized for her expertise on Health and Wellness Coaching, is a founding member of the National Consortium for Credentialing Health and Wellness Coaches and served as the inaugural President of the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching from Jan 2016 - Feb 2019 (formerly named the International Consortium for Health and Wellness Coaching). 

In addition to her focus on training, Ruth studies integrative health coaching and mindfulness-based approaches to self-regulation and lifestyle change for those with, or at elevated risk for, diabetes, heart disease, insomnia, tinnitus, chronic pain and other stress-related disorders. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NCCAM – now NCCIH, Office of Women’s Health, NHLBI, NIDCD, and NIDDK), United States Air Force, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, industry, and philanthropy. Prior to joining Vanderbilt, Ruth was the Founding Research Director for Duke Integrative Medicine and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke School of Medicine.  

Ruth has co-authored over 80 articles and academic chapters, and collaboratively given over 260 peer-reviewed or invited presentations. She also co-authored The Mindful Diet, released in 2015 by Simon & Schuster. Ruth has served as an expert consultant in emotional health and behavior change for Everyday Health, for GlaxoSmithKline, for Nurtur (a fully owned subsidiary of Centene), for the Samueli Institute, for Nokia, and for clinics on better integrating behavioral health into primary care models. She is particularly interested in the intersection of mindfulness, inter-professional training, and behavior change.