Overview

• Health and Education officials asked medical schools, residencies, licensing boards, and accreditors to submit concrete plans by early September for embedding measurable nutrition training across the pipeline.
• HHS outlined targets spanning college prerequisites, the MCAT, medical school coursework, licensing exams, residency standards, board certification, and continuing medical education.
• The initiative leans on studies showing gaps, including a 2024 analysis finding 75% of U.S. medical schools have no required clinical nutrition class and earlier estimates of about 19 required hours over four years.
• The Association of American Medical Colleges says all 182 surveyed schools report required nutrition content, emphasizing integrated instruction rather than stand‑alone courses.
• Clinicians support stronger training yet point to time limits in visits, the need for more dietitians and insurance coverage, and unresolved legal power to mandate curricula or tie funds to compliance, as Texas and Louisiana enact related requirements.