Although the link between diet and health is well established, most medical students receive little, if any, training in nutrition or how to incorporate it into patient interactions. new study A paper led by researchers at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health and published January 10 in The American Journal of Medicine offers a model for filling the gap at a time when national efforts to strengthen nutrition education for clinicians are accelerating.

This study evaluated the online self-directed course “Nutritional Science for Health and Longevity: What Every Physician Needs to Know,” which was added to the Harvard Medical School curriculum in 2024. This course is a required course in Health Science and Technology courses and was developed by an educational nonprofit organization. Gapples Institute.

Researchers found that of the 56 students who took the course in 2024 and 2025, more than 80% passed, and most completed it in less than three hours. According to the study, student reflections submitted throughout the course showed that they gained a better understanding of the impact of diet on health and how nutritional counseling can be incorporated into clinical practice, and were more motivated to improve their eating habits.

First author Stephen DeVriesAn adjunct associate professor at the Harvard Chan School and executive director of Gapples, he has taught as much. Face-to-face course For the past four years, it has been available to medical professionals.

Other Harvard Chan School study authors included kelsey kinderknecht, david ginnings, Emma-Louise Aveling, howard coeand walter willett.

learn more

This course integrates nutrition into medical education and practice (Harvard Chan School News)

Last updated date