The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with the support of the US Department of Education announced a major initiative urging America’s leading medical education organizations to immediately implement comprehensive nutrition education and training. The effort is part of the Trump Administration and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again agenda, which prioritizes prevention and reducing chronic disease through improved diet and public health measures. 

Watch Secretary Kennedy’s direct to camera video and read his Wall Street Journal commentary.

Each year, an estimated 1 million Americans die from diet-related chronic diseases, even as the US spends more than $4.4 trillion annually on chronic disease and mental health care. Despite overwhelming evidence that nutrition is one of the most powerful tools for disease prevention, the vast majority of physicians graduate with little to no training in nutrition counseling.

“Medical schools talk about nutrition but fail to teach it,” said Secretary Kennedy. “We demand immediate, measurable reforms to embed nutrition education across every stage of medical training, hold institutions accountable for progress, and equip every future physician with the tools to prevent disease—not just treat it.”

While recent Association of American Medical Colleges data shows that all US medical schools claim to cover nutrition, other studies show the majority of medical students report receiving fewer than two hours of instruction. Research published in 2024 documents that 75% of US medical schools have no required clinical nutrition classes, and only 14% of residency programs have a required nutrition curriculum. HHS is calling for increased nutrition education thresholds across the medical education continuum. The nation’s medical schools must fundamentally address this critical gap in health care training and ensure that future and current doctors possess the essential knowledge to provide evidence-based nutritional guidance to their patients.

“US medical education has not kept up with the overwhelming research on the role of nutrition in preventing and treating chronic diseases,” said US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “Medical schools across the country must act now to align their training with the latest research so that future physicians have the means to best help their patients stay healthy.  The US Department of Education is proud to stand with HHS in working to lower chronic disease rates, especially in children.”

To close this gap, HHS and Department of Education are calling for nutrition education requirements to be embedded across the six critical areas of:

- Pre-Medical Standards
- Medical School Curricula Integration
- Medical Licensing Examination
- Residency Requirements
- Board Certification
- Continuing Education

HHS has directed US medical education organizations to submit, by September 8, written plans detailing the scope, timeline, standards alignment, measurable milestones and accountability measures of their nutrition education commitments.

This initiative precedes the upcoming release of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which the Trump Administration has identified as a central tool for reversing the chronic disease epidemic as part of its Make America Healthy Again agenda.