Nutrition Curriculum

Overview

Preparing Physicians for Nutrition-Informed Care

The UMKC School of Medicine has established a longitudinal, required nutrition education curriculum aligned with federal guidance and the evolving role of nutrition in preventing and treating chronic disease. Nutrition is taught as a core clinical competency, preparing graduates to counsel patients, manage cardiometabolic disease, and address food-related determinants of health.

This initiative is embedded across all years of medical training and integrates biomedical science, clinical application, lifestyle medicine, culinary medicine, and community-based experiential learning.

Faculty Leadership

Interim Faculty Champion

Alexander Norbash, MD
Dean, UMKC School of Medicine
Institutional sponsor for longitudinal nutrition education and strategic alignment.

Core Faculty Leadership

  • Sara Gardner, MD — Dean for Curriculum; biomedical and longitudinal curriculum design
  • Bong Nguyen, PhD — Nutritional Sciences and Metabolic Health; nutrition science, diabetes, metabolic research, and outcomes evaluation
  • Jannette Berkley Patton, PhD — Community nutrition and National Diabetes Prevention Program
  • Tracy Stevens, MD — Culinary medicine and Food-as-Medicine programming (Saint Luke’s Health System)
  • Kathryn “Katie” Miner, MD — Lifestyle medicine, culinary medicine, and plant-based nutrition

Curriculum Structure

Required Longitudinal Nutrition Curriculum (≥ 40 Hours)

Nutrition education at UMKC is required, longitudinal, and clinically integrated across the medical curriculum.

Year

Hours

Modality

Focus

Year 3

20

Core required module

Biomedical science of nutrition, metabolism, nutrition in disease

Year 4

5

Small-group applied project

Nutrition–pharmacology interface, case-based problem solving

Year 5

15

Clerkship-integrated

Nutrition for special populations (pediatrics, obstetrics, surgery, renal/liver disease, cardiometabolic care)

Total

40+

Required, longitudinal

Experiential Learning

Nutrition instruction is reinforced through case-based learning, clinical application, experiential programs, and elective enrichment.

Biomedical Nutrition and Metabolic Health Science

Students receive foundational and advanced training in:

  • Nutrition biochemistry and metabolism
  • Obesity, diabetes, and cardiometabolic disease
  • Nutrition in endocrine and chronic disease management
  • Evidence-based dietary interventions

Led by Dr. Bong Nguyen, this component integrates nutritional science, metabolic research, and clinical translation.

Experiential Learning: National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP)

For over a decade, UMKC medical students have participated in the CDC-recognized National Diabetes Prevention Program, led by Dr. Jannette Berkley-Patton.

Students serve as health coaches in a 22-session lifestyle and nutrition intervention, gaining experience in:

  • Nutrition counseling
  • Behavior change coaching
  • Chronic disease prevention
  • Community health engagement

This provides hands-on exposure to evidence-based nutrition and lifestyle medicine in real-world settings.

Culinary Medicine and Food-as-Medicine

Through a partnership with Saint Luke’s Muriel I. Kauffman Women’s Heart Center, UMKC students participate in the Food as Medicine Everyday (FAME) program under Dr. Tracy Stevens.

The program includes:

  • A four-week immersive culinary medicine elective
  • Hands-on and virtual teaching kitchens
  • Instruction in food-as-medicine principles
  • Nationally distinctive experiential learning

Students learn to translate nutritional science into practical, patient-centered guidance.

Lifestyle Medicine and Plant-Based Nutrition

Led by Dr. Kathryn Miner, UMKC offers elective instruction in:

  • Lifestyle medicine pillars
  • Culinary and plant-based nutrition
  • Nutrition counseling and preventive care

These offerings support expanded training in nutrition, physical activity, and sustainable health behaviors.

Research, Scholarship and Outcomes Evaluation

UMKC integrates nutrition education with research and program evaluation, including:

  • Clinical and community-based nutrition research
  • Studies in food security and metabolic health
  • Learner outcomes tracking and continuous improvement

The program emphasizes data-driven refinement, scientific publication, and alignment with national nutrition and public-health priorities.

Assessment and Continuous Improvement

Nutrition competencies are evaluated through:

  • Case-based assessments
  • Small-group projects
  • Clinical clerkship application
  • Ongoing curricular review

The School of Medicine remains committed to continuous enhancement of nutrition education in alignment with evolving scientific evidence and federal guidance.