Lisa Dougherty

Founder & CEO

Lisa Dougherty founded the MedFit Network in 2013. The MFN is both a professional membership organization for fitness, allied healthcare professionals, gyms, studios, integrative wellness studios, and students and a free online resource directory for the community to locate fitness and allied healthcare professionals with a background in prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation in working with those with chronic disease, medical conditions, disabilities, etc.

She established the MedFit Education Foundation, a nonprofit 501©(3) to in 2017 to elevate the quality and amount of available education for fitness and allied healthcare via weekly educational webinars and a national traveling conference the MedFit Tours with an annual conference in Irvine, CA.

In 2018 she launched both MedFit TV, a collection of educational videos, webinars, and interviews with inspirational people, leading experts in their related fields, and outstanding professionals for both community and professionals, and MedFit Classroom an online learning platform for fitness professionals. She also launched the free quarterly publication, MedFit Professional Magazine and MedFit podcast.

In 2023, she established the MedFit Training and Education Center through the Foundation. The Center in Costa Mesa, CA offers personal fitness services and education in Orange County, for all ages, skill levels, chronic diseases, medical conditions and disabilities.

Lisa has been recognized as a fitness leader several times including Personal Fitness Professional Magazine and the Huffington Post.  She was acknowledged by the White House as a “Champion of Change” finalist in 2016.

► Read Lisa’s story, Improving Lives with Medical Fitness

Education

Lisa is a graduate of the Fitness Instructor Program at University California, Irvine 1999. This program included full university-level anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, nutrition, psychology, and many others.

Certifications

Lisa is a Certified Personal Trainer through the American Council on Exercise since 1999.  The American Council on Exercise (www.acefitness.org) is the largest nonprofit fitness certification and education provider in the world. Widely recognized as “America’s Authority on Fitness,” ACE continually sets standards and protects the public against unqualified fitness professionals and unsafe or ineffective fitness products, programs and trends.

Lisa has been a Healthy Moms® Fitness Certified Perinatal Fitness Instructor since 2006. Healthy Moms® is dedicated to enhancing the physical and psychological well being of women before, during, and after pregnancy

Lisa is American Heart Association CPR & AED certified.

Other Special Training and Continuing Education

  • Medical Fitness Tour conferences. Each event included 10-14 hours of educational sessions, with topics including active & healthy aging, nutrition, genomics, CBD, pre & postnatal fitness, and exercise benefits & programming for medical conditions, including Alzheimer’s, breast cancer, diabetes, hypertension, multiple sclerosis, and osteoporosis.
    • Phoenix, AZ, Feb 2018
    • Glassboro, NJ, April 2018
    • San Francisco, CA, Sept 2018
    • Chicago, IL, Oct 2018
    • Irvine, CA, Feb 2019
  • Stroke Recovery Fitness Specialist: MedFit Classroom June 2021
  • Parkinson’s Disease Fitness Specialist: MedFit Classroom Jan 2021
  • Arthritis Fitness Specialist: MedFit Classroom Dec 2020
  • Stages of Menopause & Exercise Intervention: MedFit Classroom Oct 2020
  • Multiple Sclerosis Fitness Specialist: MedFit Classroom May 2020
  • BEST Exercise Program for Osteoporosis Prevention, 3rd Edition Course; DSW Fitness, Jan 2016
  • Physical Activity Instruction for Disease-Specific Conditions Certificate Program; DSW Fitness, Sept 2015
  • Exercise and Arthritis, 7th edition: Enabling clients to manage arthritis and chronic pain; DSW Fitness, Aug 2015
  • Training the Pregnant Athlete; IDEA Health & Fitness, Aug 2015
  • Exercise and Heart Disease – strategies to help clients prevent and manage heart disease; Oct 2014
  • Exercise and Respiratory Disease – condition-specific exercise design and management strategies to help clients’ lead normal and productive lives; Sept 2014
  • Understanding Dementia – outlines risk factors, symptoms, treatments; INR Seminarsm Aug 2013
  • Exercise and Arthritis – enabling clients to manage arthritis and chronic pain through exercise; DSW Fitness, Dec 2012
  • Exercise and Multiple Sclerosis – tools & strategies to improve fitness and functional ability for clients with MS who have varying symptoms and levels of abilities; DSW Fitness, Sept 2012
  • Exercise for Knee & Hip Replacement – appropriate progressions and guidelines to improve strength, mobility & flexibility; DSW Fitness, June 2012
  • Exercise & Parkinson’s Disease – exercise management strategies for the primary neurological disease of the elderly; DSW Fitness, May 2012
  • lisa-aruba-sunset-jumpExercise & Diabetes – creating, monitoring & progressing exercise programs for clients with diabetes; DSW Fitness, Mar 2012
  • Breast Cancer Recovery Exercise program – assisting breast cancer recovery patients as they build confidence and regain function through specialized therapeutic exercises; DSW Fitness, Dec 2011
  • TRX Suspension Training Certification; Nov 2009
  • Trigger Point Technologies  Myofascial compression techniques™; Feb 2008
  • Exercise & Fibromyalgia – Gwen Hyatt, MS; DSW Fitness, 2005
  • Yoga and Strength – Linda Freeman Resist-A-Ball & BOSU Master Trainer;  2005
  • Training for Strength & Nutrition for Muscle – Len Kravitz, PhD Sr Exercise Physiologist; IDEA Health & Fitness Assoc., 2005
  • Counseling for Health and Fitness; Nutrition Dimension, 2005
  • Full Body Flexibility – Jay Blahnik, Nike Fitness Athlete sponsored by Nautilus, 2005
  • Fit 4 Mom Pre/Postnatal Fitness; Stroller Strides Oct 2006
  • Fit For Labor – Lisa Druxman, MA, Owner of Stroller Strides; 2005
  • Biomechanics of Motherhood – Lisa Druxman, MA Stroller Strides; 2005
  • Exercise & Menopause – Sabrena Newton, MS Curriculum development; A.C.E., 2005
  • Prenatal & Postpartum Fitness Specialty Certification; A.C.E., 2003
  • Teenage Obesity What Can We Do About It; Chris Vega, MPH, RD, 2005
  • The Skill to Define and Design Exercise – Cheryl Soleway, physical therapist; CanFtiPro’s, 1999
  • Yoga Studies – Yoga Teacher; University of California Irvine, 2005
  • Experiential Anatomy & Basic Physiology; University of California Irvine, 2005
  • Yoga for a New Day – Teaching Yoga Asana for Health & Fitness; DSW Fitness, 2004
  • Psychology for Health Fitness Professionals; A.C.E., 2002
  • Fitness Motivation; DSW Fitness, 2002
  • Dietary Supplements Critical Thinking Skills; County of Orange Health Care Agency, 2002
  • Functional Training; MF Athletic Company, 2001
  • Obesity, Diabetes & Overeating in Children & Adults; Institute for Natural Resources, 2001
  • Current Trends in Nutrition; County of Orange Health Care Agency, 2000

Lisa in the News