School of Medicine & Health Sciences recognized by US Health & Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy for medical student nutrition education efforts
GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences (SMHS) was recognized by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., today for having reached a minimum of 40 credit hours of comprehensive nutrition training in its M.D. curriculum – ahead of schedule.
Calling the initiative a "school-led, consensus-based project," Kennedy praised UND and its partner schools – fewer than one-third of all medical schools in the country – whose curricula qualified them for HHS recognition.
“We must stop chronic diseases before they begin – otherwise, a healthier America will remain beyond our reach,” said UND’s Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean of the School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Marjorie Jenkins, M.D., who was present as Kennedy made the announcement in Washington, D.C. “This initiative empowers and educates the next generation of healthcare providers. Food is medicine, and it’s a testament to the faculty and students at our university that they were having these conversations about nutrition and disease prevention years ago.”
Ahead of schedule
According to the HHS, North Dakota’s only medical school is among the 53 medical training programs in the U.S. "committed to advancing nutrition education" by the end of 2026.
Left unsaid at the event was the fact that the SMHS met the federal agency's nutrition education recommendation for future physicians before the initiative even began.
“We require that students receive at least 40 hours of content specifically labeled as ‘nutrition’ over the course of their four-year medical curriculum,” explained Dr. Pat Carr, Ph.D., associate dean for medical education at the SMHS. “In addition, our clinical faculty embed nutrition content that’s not specifically labeled as such into students’ third- and fourth-year clerkships in the clinical or hospital setting, so they’re really getting more than 40 hours.”
According to Carr, the 40+ hour nutrition curriculum has been in place at SMHS for more than five years, having gone into effect when the School revised its medical curriculum simultaneous to the COVID pandemic.
“There was an intentional increase in nutritional content when we implemented what we called ‘Curriculum 2.0’ in 2020,” said Carr, referencing faculty with expertise in biochemistry and nutrition who developed additional nutrition lectures for medical students. “Nutrition content was increased due to both best practice guidelines and our students’ request that they get more nutrition education.”
Making America healthier (again)
The HHS and the U.S. Department of Education jointly announced the Medical Education Nutrition Competency Framework in August 2025. This framework, developed in partnership with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), encourages “America’s leading medical education organizations to immediately implement comprehensive nutrition education and training."
The medical school-focused initiative is part of Pres. Trump’s Make America Healthy Again agenda, which prioritizes prevention and reducing chronic disease through improved diet and public health measures.
According to HHS, an estimated 1 million Americans die from diet-related chronic diseases annually – despite the fact that the U.S. spends more than $4.4 trillion annually on chronic disease and mental healthcare. One National Institutes of Health (NIH) report notes that poor diet alone costs Americans at least $50 billion annually.
At the time of the announcement, the HHS Secretary called for “immediate, measurable reforms to embed nutrition education across every stage of medical training” and to “equip every future physician with the tools to prevent disease – not just treat it.”
Having seen the impact poor diet has on children in particular, Susan Zelewski, M.D., the School’s associate dean for graduate medical education (GME), helped build the curriculum in question.
“As a pediatrician, I’ve seen the essential role nutrition plays in health and healthcare, and I know that we are preparing our students well for their future careers with this nutrition education,” said Zelewski.
Beyond medicine
Not only medical students are receiving such education. UND’s many health sciences programs likewise address nutrition directly in their curricula.
The SMHS Master of Athletic Training program, for example, requires applicants to complete at least one nutrition course before they can be considered for admission. UND’s physician assistant, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and public health programs likewise educate students on how diet impacts chronic disease, metabolism, and recovery from things like stroke or major surgery.
Part of this increase in nutrition training for medical and health sciences students was a result of the School strengthening ties to UND’s Department of Nutrition and Dietetics within its College of Nursing & Professional Disciplines. The nursing college regularly engages SMHS students in interprofessional training, for example, both in the classroom and within the medical school’s dedicated medical simulation space, the SMHS Simulation Center.
About UND's School of Medicine & Health Sciences
Founded in 1905, the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences is one of only 36 community based medical schools in the country that neither own nor operate their own hospital. As the only medical school in North Dakota, which maintains campuses in North Dakota’s four largest communities, the UND SMHS works in close partnership with the six primary and dozens of smaller critical access hospitals across the state, relying on more than 1,300 community faculty to teach its students.
Focusing on rural and primary care and home to both one of the nation’s oldest and best Indians Into Medicine (INMED) programs and the original Center for Rural Health, the SMHS also houses programs for the training of physical and occupational therapists, physician assistants, athletic trainers, medical laboratory scientists, and public and Indigenous health professionals. Students from each of these programs train together via the SMHS Interprofessional Education program, which includes training in our cutting-edge Simulation Center.
The School manages or partners with area hospitals on more than a dozen post-graduate residency and fellowship programs across North Dakota.
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Brian James Schill
Director, Office of Alumni & Community Relations
School of Medicine & Health Sciences
University of North Dakota
701.777.6048 direct | 701.777.4305 office
brian.schill@UND.edu | med.UND.edu