Medical schools to strengthen nutrition education after call from RFK Jr.

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(The Center Square) – The Association of American Medical Colleges issued a call to action Thursday, seeking more robust nutrition education for doctors in training.

AAMC's move comes after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made a public push for improved nutrition education.

"Nutrition is central to preventing, managing, and treating many of the chronic diseases that continue to drive morbidity, mortality, and health care costs in the United States," said AAMC President and CEO Dr. David Skorton. "Physicians must be adequately prepared with the necessary competencies to address their patients' nutrition-related health needs in collaboration with other health professionals, including dietitians, nutritionists, nurses, occupational therapists, and public health professionals."

In late August, Kennedy called for U.S. medical education organizations to "immediately implement comprehensive nutrition education and training." AAMC responded to Kennedy in early September. On Thursday, AAMC issued its own call to action on the issue.

"Medical education has an essential role to play in advancing awareness and training in nutrition," Skorton said.

The AAMC issued a call to action for U.S. medical schools and academic health systems to strengthen nutrition education across all stages of the medical education continuum. AAMC said it was asking the deans and medical education leaders at its member medical schools to evaluate their existing practices and identify, if needed, additional opportunities to further integrate nutrition education.

The group noted that medical schools have reported increases in integrating nutrition education within their educational programs. AAMC said that in 2014, 38% of schools reported having nutrition content beyond the basic sciences (metabolism, macro and micronutrients). AAMC said in 2024, that figure was 94%.

"The AAMC strongly supports flexibility in the ability of its member medical schools to integrate comprehensive evidence-based curricular content on nutrition across all stages of medical education in alignment with their unique missions and accreditation standards," Skorton said in a statement.

AAMC said plans to integrate nutrition education into meetings starting this fall. It will also join the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine for a 2025 Leadership Summit. AAMC said it also will host a event for medical educators on best practices in medical nutrition education.

In August, Kennedy questioned recent Association of American Medical Colleges data showing that all U.S. medical schools cover nutrition. He said other studies show that most medical students receive fewer than two hours of nutrition instruction. Research published in 2024 found that 75% of U.S. medical schools have no required clinical nutrition classes, and 14% of residency programs have a required nutrition curriculum.

Kennedy called for nutrition education across the continuum.

"Accrediting bodies and medical organizations look the other way, declining to set clear requirements," he wrote in the op-ed. "We train physicians to wield the latest surgical tools, but not to guide patients on how to stay out of the operating room in the first place."

The AAMC represents 173 accredited U.S. and Canadian medical schools. 

Kennedy said nutrition education should start before medical school. 

"Change starts with prerequisites for premed students and nutrition testing on the MCAT," he wrote in an August op-ed. "Accreditors must then establish new standards for preclinical nutrition education, more hours of clinical nutrition training during clerkships, and specialty-specific nutrition requirements across all residency programs."