Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Advances National Focus to Strengthen Nutrition Education in Medical Schools

Initiative connects medical schools with nutrition expertise, practical resources and flexible models to move nutrition education from priority to practice

CHICAGO, Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (the Academy), in collaboration with the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND), is advancing an initiative to strengthen evidence-based nutrition education in medical schools and prepare future physicians to better understand nutrition's role in preventing and managing disease and improving health outcomes.

The Academy continues its decades-long commitment to integrating nutrition into medical education and establishing registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) as experts in evidence-based nutrition care. Growing national attention, including from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), creates an opportunity to build on that commitment and accelerate progress.

To turn conversations into action, the Academy is bringing together the expertise, resources, and partners needed to support medical schools. This includes connecting schools with nutrition and dietetics programs and RDN educators, identifying flexible education models, and developing practical resources. Central to this work is ensuring RDN expertise remains at the heart of nutrition education, so future physicians can better recognize nutrition needs, collaborate with RDNs, and refer patients for specialized care when appropriate.

"The nutrition education in medical schools initiative builds on the A Seat at Every Table campaign and the Academy's ongoing commitment to improving patient care and health outcomes through the transformative power of food and nutrition. This work will ensure nutrition has a meaningful place in medical education while keeping RDN expertise at the center," said Tamara Randall, MS, RDN, LD, CDCES, FAND, 2026-2027 President of the Academy. "With greater national attention and HHS helping advance the conversation, we have an opportunity to bring more partners to the table and accelerate progress. Together, we can better prepare future physicians to recognize nutrition needs, collaborate with RDNs and connect patients with specialized care."

To advance this effort, the Academy is rolling out resources and tools to move nutrition education in medical schools from interest to action. One component of the broader effort is the ACEND Nutrition in Medical Education Microcredential Framework, a program-level framework that helps ACEND-accredited nutrition and dietetics programs organize focused nutrition education around defined competencies. Aligned with ACEND curriculum competencies and the HHS Medical Education Nutrition Competency Framework, it allows programs to repurpose existing course content into microlearning units that support medical and health professions training.

The Academy is highlighting existing RDN-led partnerships between nutrition and dietetic programs and medical schools that have demonstrated success. These programs show how schools can use different settings and approaches to reach students while addressing the needs of their specific communities:

• University of Utah: Incorporates nutrition across its classrooms, teaching-kitchen, and clinical settings.
• Boston University and Boston Medical Center: Connects nutrition science with patient care through culinary medicine, clinician education, and Food as Medicine infrastructure.
• University of Wisconsin–Madison: Integrates nutrition throughout its MD curriculum in partnership with medical educators, scientists, and RDNs.

These models offer practical lessons for other institutions looking to strengthen nutrition education.

"Preparing the healthcare workforce of the future means ensuring nutrition is understood as an important part of patient care," said Randall. "Future physicians do not need to become nutrition experts. We want to offer clear, practical ways to recognize when nutrition care can make a difference, understand the role RDNs play on the care team, and know when to refer patients for specialized care."

The Academy will continue working with medical schools, nutrition and dietetics programs, healthcare organizations, and other partners to expand successful approaches, develop practical resources and strengthen the role of nutrition and RDN expertise across healthcare education and patient care.

Learn more about the initiative, explore implementation models and access resources at www.eatrightpro.org/nutrition-in-medical-school.

About the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is the world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals, representing more than 112,000 credentialed practitioners. The Academy is committed to improving global health and advancing the profession of nutrition and dietetics through research, education and advocacy.

About the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics
The Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND^®) is an autonomous accrediting agency for education programs preparing students to begin careers as registered dietitians or dietetic technicians, registered. Programs meeting the ACEND Accreditation Standards are accredited by ACEND^®.

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SOURCE Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics