Polina Sayess, MD, FAAFP, DipABFM, DipABLM

 
Polina Sayess MD Headshot

Dr. Polina Sayess, a lifestyle medicine and primary care physician.

 

Hello, I am Dr. Polina Sayess, a lifestyle medicine and primary care physician.

For over a decade, I have been using key lifestyle pillars such as movement, healthy eating, and stress management to improve personal health conditions that couldn't be helped with conventional treatment alone.

I am passionate about healthy lifestyle interventions, and since being board certified in Lifestyle Medicine in 2018, I have formally strived to incorporate lifestyle medicine principles into each patient encounter. However, time limitations and other constraints meant I knew I could offer far more.

So in late 2022, I started my private telehealth practice to spend more time with patients, thus helping them navigate their mental and physical well-being through a combination of conventional and lifestyle medicine.

My goal is to help my patients improve their health, wellbeing, and vitality by prescribing sustainable healthy lifestyles with medications when needed.

Polina Sayess standing at an impromptu standing desk

Impromptu Standing Desk

Don't let the lack of a standing desk stop you from taking control of your workday—use a makeshift solution and get creative!

 

Spending more time with patients allows me to collect a detailed history and do thorough evaluation and management. This includes personalized lifestyle prescriptions to improve health, well-being and vitality.

Lifestyle prescriptions are helpful for prevention as well as management of chronic medical conditions.

Lifestyle medicine is a core part of the medical care I provide. I currently offer acute, primary care, and lifestyle medicine telehealth services for patients in Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine.


Dr. Sayess’ Professional Profile

Polina Sayess is dual Board Certified in Family Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine with over 14-years-experience.

She has worked as a primary care and urgent care physician at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine.

Dr. Polina Sayess has given multiple presentations and workshops covering healthy lifestyles and physician well-being at local, national and international levels, including at the AAFP Physician Health and Wellbeing Conference, the AAFP Women’s Health Conference, and the AAFP Rural Health Conference.

 
Doctor Polina Sayess Presenting at AAFP

Dr. Polina Sayess speaking at the American Academy of Family Physicians about the impact of sedentary time and physical inactivity.

 

In October 2021, she completed the AAFP Leading Physician Well-Being Certification Program as part of the inaugural cohort of scholars, which equipped her with additional skills to champion change.

 
Dr. Sayess with colleagues discussing primary care and family medicine

Lifestyle Medicine in Primary Care and Family Medicine

 

Dr. Sayess is a co-founder and a Chair of the AAFP Lifestyle Medicine Member Interest Group. In 2020-2021 she served on the AAFP Lifestyle Medicine Advisory Panel. As part of the panel, she co-authored the AAFP Lifestyle Medicine Implementation Guide and Resources and the AAFP Lifestyle Medicine CME webinar Incorporating Lifestyle Medicine into Everyday Practice.

She has served on the Board of the New Hampshire Academy of Family Physicians since 2015.