RFK Jr. to announce new effort to advance nutrition education at America's schools
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will announce a new initiative on Monday to advance nutrition education in U.S. medical schools, aiming for a minimum 40-hour requirement across four years of undergraduate training. The effort, backed by Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Jessica Snowden, targets diet-related diseases responsible for nearly 60% of U.S. deaths annually, with 36 states and 73 institutions already involved.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will unveil a major initiative on Monday to expand nutrition education in U.S. medical schools. The announcement, set for 2:30 p.m. EST in Washington, D.C., will include Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and Dr. Jessica Snowden, Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. The initiative, titled *Advancing Nutrition Education Across the Medical Continuum*, seeks to require at least 40 hours of nutrition education over four years of undergraduate medical training, beginning in Fall 2026. Currently, the program engages 36 states, 73 higher education institutions, and over 52,000 medical students in enhanced nutrition training. Diet-related chronic diseases account for nearly 60% of U.S. deaths annually, with about one million Americans dying from such conditions each year, according to the HHS. Despite this, most physicians report feeling unprepared to discuss nutrition with patients. The Trump Administration has previously highlighted nutrition education efforts on the HHS website, emphasizing its role in disease prevention. Kennedy’s initiative aims to institutionalize these efforts within leading medical education programs nationwide.
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