Sigma Nutrition Radio #587: How Should Nutrition Be Taught in Medical Training? – Akash Patel
Dec 16, 2025
Akash Patel, a fourth-year medical student and nutrition education advocate, discusses the alarming gap in nutrition education for doctors. He highlights his pilot program at the University of Miami and the importance of equipping future physicians with nutritional knowledge to combat diet-related diseases. The conversation explores innovative ways to integrate nutrition into medical curricula and the need for standardized competencies. Akash also emphasizes the collaboration between doctors and dietitians as essential for improving patient outcomes and addressing public health challenges.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Curriculum Focus Misses Practical Diet Skills
- Medical curricula emphasize nutrient-deficiency facts but often omit practical dietary counseling skills needed for common chronic diseases.
- Akash Patel highlights this disconnect between disease burden from diet and what doctors are taught.
Student-Led Lecture Series Sparked Momentum
- Akash created a student-driven lecture series after finding a curriculum gap and positive student & faculty response validated it.
- He found lectures useful but saw they faded without longitudinal integration and sustainable structure.
Make Nutrition An Accreditation Priority
- Push for inclusion of nutrition competencies at accreditation and board-exam levels to create incentives for medical schools to adopt them.
- Without LCME or board requirements, schools lack strong reasons to add mandatory nutrition content, says Akash Patel.