(P33-03-26) Physician Nutrition Education Curriculum: 20-year Legacy of the Nutrition Academic Award

Objectives: Between 1998-2005, NIH granted 21 Nutrition Academic Awards (NAA), aiming to embed nutrition into U.S. medical school curricula. As a NAA recipient, our institution developed a vertically integrated program spanning medical school, graduate medical education (GME), and practicing physicians, in close collaboration with registered dietitians.

Methods: Summarize implementation of medical nutrition education from 2006-2026 at one institution.

Results: Undergraduate Medical Education: Nutrition education has remained a part of the core curriculum through two major revisions since the NAA, with integration throughout preclinical (didactic and case-based formats) and clinical rotations. Three electives (Clinical Nutrition, Food Systems and Health, Breastfeeding Management) enroll about 35% of students and tailor learning experiences to students’ training goals. A Culinary Medicine selective, featuring clinical experiences, case-based learning, and a teaching kitchen, reaches 17% students. These offerings reach over 50% of students and provide exposure to interdisciplinary nutrition providers.

GME: Per year, over 25 Residents and Fellows from pediatrics, family medicine, medicine, dentistry and others enroll in Nutrition electives. Pediatric residents also attend a yearly nutrition half-day learning conference and can participate in a Food as Medicine elective.

Advanced Training: Subspecialty clinical training is provided through a 1-year Pediatric Nutrition-Obesity Fellowship that has trained 17 MD/DOs since 2006. Research training is available through a T32 for both MD and PhDs.

Faculty: The Pediatric Nutrition Section includes 9 MD and 7 APP who lead 2 outpatient referral clinics (Obesity Medicine and Growth-Medical Nutrition) and support others (e.g. bariatric surgery, dysphagia/feeding), plus an inpatient Nutrition MD consult service. Faculty teach at all learner levels, including to community physicians and in the institution’s Dietetic Internship. Essential to the quality and sustainability of all nutrition education programs is a coordinator, initially supported by the NAA.

Conclusions: The NAA award established the foundation for a comprehensive Medical Nutrition training program. This model could inform current national initiatives to bolster nutrition education across medical education.

Funding Sources: None