HHS announces more than 50 medical schools will require nutrition training for future doctors

More than 50 U.S. medical schools have agreed to increase nutrition education for future doctors, federal officials announced March 5.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Education announced that leaders from 53 medical schools across 31 states have committed to requiring at least 40 hours of nutrition education, or a comparable competency program, for medical students beginning in the fall, according to a press release from HHS.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the initiative aims to address chronic disease by emphasizing diet and prevention in medical training.

“Chronic disease is bankrupting our health system, and poor nutrition sits at the center of that crisis,” Kennedy said in the announcement. “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.”

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the commitment reflects a broader effort to strengthen preventive health education.

“Today’s announcement demonstrates that medical schools can put nutrition and prevention front and center as they train tomorrow’s doctors and health care leaders,” McMahon said.

Medical education groups also participated in the announcement, including leaders from the American Medical Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine.

Federal officials said nutrition education has historically played a limited role in medical training. According to data cited in the HHS fact sheet, less than 1% of lecture hours in U.S. medical schools have traditionally been devoted to nutrition, and about 75% of medical schools have not required clinical nutrition courses. 

The release also cited a 2022 survey published in the Journal of Wellness that found that medical students received an average of 1.2 hours of formal nutrition education per year. 

To support the initiative, HHS said in the release that it will dedicate $5 million through a National Institutes of Health nutrition education challenge aimed at helping medical schools and health training programs develop coursework, clinical training opportunities, and research focused on nutrition science.

The department also said U.S. Public Health Service officers will be required to complete nutrition-focused continuing education beginning this year as part of their professional development.

Participating schools are listed in the HHS fact sheet.