by Michael Nevradakis, Ph.D., Childrens Health Defense:
Over 50 U.S. medical schools will begin requiring coursework in nutrition education, after voluntarily joining a $5 million initiative championed by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. this week.
Several doctors said the initiative will strengthen an area of medical education that was previously lacking.
“This initiative addresses a national gap in medical education,” said Stephanie Fleming, director of communications for the University of Missouri School of Medicine.
TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/
“Physicians have historically received very little formal training in nutrition,” Fleming told The Defender. “Nutrition education gives future physicians evidence-based tools to prevent and manage many of the most common chronic illnesses.”
As part of the initiative, announced Thursday, participating institutions have agreed to offer at least 40 hours of nutrition education, or a 40-hour competency equivalent, beginning in the 2026-27 academic year.
Schools may construct their curriculum based on a list of 71 core nutrition competencies developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Kennedy said the initiative will help address the chronic disease epidemic in the U.S.
“Chronic disease is bankrupting our health system, and poor nutrition sits at the center of that crisis,” Kennedy said in a statement. “Today medical schools are committing to change how America trains its doctors — by putting nutrition back where it belongs: at the heart of patient care.”
As of Thursday, 53 medical schools in 31 states had agreed to participate.
Initiative tackles ‘preventable disease crisis’
Family medicine physician Dr. George Fareed said the initiative will improve Americans’ health.
“It will have only positive benefits for Americans’ health in the future. Nutrition is key to longevity and wellness. Doctors will be better prepared to educate their patients on proper nutrition,” Fareed said.
HHS cited data showing that the U.S. spends $4.4 trillion annually to treat chronic disease and mental health and that 1 million Americans die from food-related chronic illnesses each year. HHS described this as a “preventable disease crisis.”
Tackling the chronic disease epidemic and improving Americans’ nutrition is a key tenet of Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda. A September 2025 report by the White House’s MAHA Commission called for increased nutrition education.
Read More @ ChildrensHealthDefense.org
