RFK Jr. Calls for Universal โNutrition Education in Medical Schools Following HHS โฃMandate
PHILADELPHIA, PA – Following a recent โขU.S. Department of โHealth andโฃ Human Servicesโค (HHS) demandโค that medical schools integrate nutrition into their curricula, presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has amplified calls for complete nutritionโ education for future doctors. HHS recently directed medical education standards organizations toโข devise plansโข within two weeks to incorporate nutrition into licensing exams and residency requirements.
Teh HHS mandate aimsโ to address a long-standing gap in medical training, with proponents arguingโ that a stronger understanding of nutritionโค is crucial for preventativeโค care and managing chronic diseases. While the directive is new, some local medical schoolsโฃ report โฃalready meeting-andโฃ exceeding-the forthcoming standards.
Drexel University College ofโข Medicine inโ Philadelphia has included nutrition in itsโฃ curriculum since the late 1990s. According to โProfessor Emeritus ofโข Pharmacology and Physiology Michael White, students currently dedicate approximately 20โข hours โto learning about vitamins, food labels, and assessing patient nutritional needs. “Given โขhow much nutritionโข weโ already cover, we don’t โhave muchโค to worry about with that โขdeclaration from HHS and the Department of Education,” White said. He emphasized the faculty’s long-held belief in nutrition’s importance to overall health.
cooper Medical School at Rowan University in Newโ Jersey also reports a robust nutrition program, extending beyond coursework to include research and communityโ outreach. Assistant dean andโข Professor of Biomedical Sciences Sangita Phadtare highlighted student involvement in initiatives like the Cooper Sprouts community โGarden and educational programs for Spanish-speaking residents onโค interpreting food labelsโฃ andโฃ building affordable, โคhealthy meals. “As a school,we try to do our part as we believe that Camden is our home,” phadtare stated. “Even withoutโค anybody โtelling us that, we should be doing that.”
While both institutions express confidence in their current offerings, leaders acknowledge the potential โfor โคfurther expansion of nutrition education. โThe HHS directive, available at https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-education-nutrition-medical-training-reforms.html,signals a nationwide push for greater emphasis on nutrition within the medical field.