A New Model for Incorporating Nutrition into the Medical School Curriculum
Authors: Yakub Mohsin , Al‐Eyd Ghaith , Atamna Hani , Atapattu Dhammika , Castro Lony , Estrada John , Lakhan Shaheen , Nausheen Fauzia , Seki Tsugio , Tenore Alfred , Velji Anvar , Suskind Robert 
Published: November 2023

Although there have been numerous attempts in the last 35 years to improve nutrition education in US medical schools, still ~75% of schools do not meet the minimum requirements set by the National Academy of Sciences in 1985. It is difficult to understand this lack of concern by medical schools if one considers (a) the incontrovertible fact that nutrition is essential for health maintenance (b) poor nutrition contributes to development of most chronic diseases and some acute conditions (c) increasing recognition that malnutrition is common in hospitalized patients (d) the ongoing obesity epidemic with all its complications. CalMed‐COM's faculty recognize the importance of nutrition in today's medicine and have moved to integrate a comprehensive nutrition course into the clinical presentation‐based curriculum of this new school. Nutrition topics, and objectives covered in the on‐line course “Nutrition in Medicine” for medical students (University of North Carolina), have been incorporated throughout the 4‐yr program. This curriculum, where students study the clinical presentations of each system, provides an opportunity to understand the significance of nutrition in relation to pathophysiology of disease and treatment of patients. In the first 2 yrs, nutrition concepts and learning outcomes focus on the: a) molecular mechanisms, prevention & treatment of cancer, in the course “Scientific Foundations of Medicine”; b) health effects, fuel metabolism, hydration & supplements of sports nutrition, in “The Structural Integrity of the Human Body” (i.e Integumentary & Musculoskeletal system); c) decision making, reality check of dietary supplements, micronutrients and metabolic stress, in “The Sustenance of the Body” (GI & Nutrition); d) nutritional anemias, in “The Formed Elements of Life” (Hematology); e) role of diet in hypertension & hyperlipidemia, in “The Transport and Delivery of Life's Elements” (Cardiovascular & Respiratory); f) dietary causes of obesity & diabetes, in “The Foundations of Life's Functions” (Endocrine) g) nutrition throughout life, in “The Propagation of Life” (Reproductive ) & “The Continuum of Life”. Nutrition education in the clinical yrs re‐emphasizes nutritional knowledge and skills that physicians most frequently encounter in practice. As a result, CalMed‐COM is structuring its educational approach to a model where students demonstrate incremental acquisition and mastery of nutrition education as they progress through medical school. If the goal of medical education is to form physicians who possess the attributes necessary to meet their responsibilities to society, the precarious position of teaching nutrition in US schools raises a major concern that the goals of these schools fall short and that many future doctors will not be appropriately prepared to deal with the components of modern medical practice. The horizontal and vertical integration of nutrition education at CalMed‐COM can be a successful approach to move students progressively toward a stronger understanding and ultimately greater independence and confidence in the ability to apply this knowledge to practical situations as future physicians.