THE clinical nutrition training REQUIRED in leading medical schools:
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Harvard University
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Johns Hopkins University
- Tufts University
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University of North Carolina
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Uniformed Services University
- University at Buffalo
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University of Nebraska
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University of Texas Southwestern
- University of New Mexico
- Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine
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University of Miami
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University of Manitoba
- University of South Florida
Gaples Institute Course Addresses 25 Nutrition Competencies
— DEVELOPED BY EXPERT PANEL —
The Gaples Institute clinical nutrition course supports learners in achieving 25 of the nutrition education competencies (including the top 10) recently identified in the expert consensus statement Proposed Nutrition Competencies for Medical Students and Physician Trainees: A Consensus Statement (JAMA Network Open, 2024). These competencies span domains such as foundational nutrition knowledge, patient dietary counseling, interprofessional collaboration, appropriate referral for nutrition care, and more.
11,000+ medical students and clinicians have enrolled.
97% said it will change their practice.
Who Created This Med Ed Nutrition Course?
The course director is Stephen Devries, MD, a preventive cardiologist, executive director of the Gaples Institute, and Harvard faculty member and educator at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
The course has benefited from the reviews and contributions of a diverse field of experts, notably including Dr. Walter Willett from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, as well as a wide range of registered dietitian nutritionists, pediatricians, lipidologists, practicing physicians, and experts in food insecurity.
Peer-Reviewed Studies of the Gaples Institute Nutrition Course for Clinicians:
Gaples Institute Course Required at Harvard Medical School:
Read the study of educational outcomes and Harvard students’ reflections.
Gaples Institute Course Required at Tufts University School of Medicine:
Read the study showing how the course is integral to an educational “three-course meal.”
Gaples Institute Course Required at University of North Carolina School of Medicine:
See the study of how the course is incorporated into an interprofessional experiential curriculum.
Gaples Institute Course Outcomes in Graduate Medical Education:
Read the study of the course impact on Family Medicine Residents.
Gaples Institute Course Addresses Residents’ Nutrition Education Gaps:
Read the study of the educational outcomes on Internal Medicine and Family Medicine Residents.
Gaples Institute Course Fills the Gap in MedEd Nutrition Training
Medical educators recognize the need to improve nutrition education in medical school and residency programs. How can nutrition training in MedEd be enhanced when class time and resources are limited?
The nonprofit Gaples Institute nutrition course is a condensed, self-paced online MedEd nutrition learning program that focuses on clinically relevant nutrition education essential for medical students and residents.
The course includes key principles with links to the original literature and features topics of special relevance including motivational interviewing, screening for food insecurity, and application of learning to both patient and self-care—ideal for medical schools and graduate medical education.
Join the 13 leading medical schools that now require the Gaples Institute nutrition course in their curriculum. See the current listing of medical schools on this page.
Prepare the next generation of physicians to help address the growing burden of diet-related disease.
Condensed and Impactful MedEd Nutrition Curriculum for Medical Schools and Residency Programs
Many institutions recognize the profound opportunity of strengthening nutrition training for medical students and residents—yet they lack resources and local expertise to develop a sound nutrition curriculum.
The Gaples Institute’s award-winning condensed nutrition course is a ready-to-use solution developed by Dr. Stephen Devries, a preventive cardiologist and faculty member at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
What's In the Course?
Award-winning nutrition curriculum from a trusted
nonprofit, developed and vetted by national leaders
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- Why Poor Nutrition is a Health Crisis
- Clinician Self-Care and Important Ways to Maintain Resilience
- Nutrition and High-Potency Weight-Loss Drugs
- The Magnitude of Health Benefit Possible from a Healthy Diet
- Focus on Whole-Food Diets
- Heritage Diets and Importance of Cultural Adaptations
- Evidence of How Diet Can Improve Health Conditions Including Diabetes, Heart Disease, and More
- Maternal Nutrition
- Nutrition and Hospital Outcomes
30-60 minutes - Saturated Fats: Importance of Healthful Replacement
- Polyunsaturated Fats, Including the Health Impact of Both Omega-3 and Omega-6
- Cholesterol: Sources and Health Risks
- Monounsaturated Fats and Their Effect on Health and Cardiovascular Risk
- Cultural Considerations for Dietary Fat Recommendations
- Oils and High-Temperature Cooking
30-60 minutes - Carbohydrates: Chemistry and Food Sources
- Understanding Glycemic Load
- What is a Whole Grain?
- Cultural Considerations for Whole Grain Recommendations
- Fiber: A Marker of Dietary Quality
- Alcohol and Health
- Dietary Protein: Requirements and Availability from a Wide Variety of Food Sources
- Sodium and Calcium: Sources and Recommended Quantities
30-60 minutes About Nutrition
- Food Insecurity and Your Role as a Clinician
- Popular Diets: Definitions and Scientific Status
- The 3 Skills of Motivational Interviewing
- Counseling With Cultural Sensitivity and Adaptations
- Strategies for Rapid Nutritional Counseling
- How Clinician Resilience and Self-Care Affect Patient Care
- More than 20 patient Q&A scenarios covering a wide variety of clinical examples
30-60 minutes Group Discounts for Medical Schools and Residency Programs
Medical school educators recognize the need to enhance nutrition education but often find it challenging due to limitations of time and resources. The nonprofit Gaples Institute course removes those obstacles. Based on our experience with 13 medical schools that now require the Gaples Institute nutrition curriculum, we make it easy for educators to prioritize nutrition education in medical schools and graduate medical education. Most importantly, the interactive Gaples Institute nutrition curriculum delivers—the course is consistently rated highly by learners, and 97% of medical students report it will change their practice.
Each of the medical schools that requires the Gaples Institute nutrition curriculum has re-enrolled for additional years. The reasons are clear: the Gaples Institute course is packed with concise, evidence-based, highly vetted, and actionable nutrition learning that meets the needs of today’s medical students.
You can be confident about the content from the Gaples Institute. We never accept corporate funding and we do everything possible to make high-quality nutrition training affordable.
Join these leading institutions who now require the Gaples Institute nutrition course in their medical school nutrition curriculum:
This will be greatly appreciated by medical students, and by their instructors who themselves have not received the education that they should have and who don’t have the time to develop such material on their own.
Walter Willett, MD, DrPH
Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition,
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Here, finally, is the resource to fill in the knowledge gap. This information is not only what every doctor needs to know, but is precisely what all patients want their doctor to know.
Robert Bonow, MD
Former President, American Heart Association
Goldberg Distinguished Professor of Cardiology,
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
I have taught nutrition to medical students, residents, and fellows for 45 years. How I wished I had had an educational tool such as this.
Neil Stone, MD
Bonow Professor of Medicine,
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
I have reviewed the entirety of the course and can attest that it is based on solid evidence that should be part what every medical student learns.
Walter Willett, MD, DrPH
Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition,
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
This is the most helpful module I've done in all of medical school and certainly relevant in the outpatient primary care setting.
Medical Student Feedback
University of North Carolina School of Medicine
A fantastic online educational experience.
David Rakel, MD
Professor and Department Chair,
Family & Community Medicine,
University of New Mexico School of Medicine
Student skills in counseling standardized patients have improved noticeably. As an educator, I appreciate the deliberate inclusiveness of a wide variety of patients, and fundamental grounding in updated evidence.
Deb Erlich, MD
Master of Medical Education, FAAFP
Family Medicine Clerkship Director and Associate Professor
Tufts University School of Medicine
I took away a ton of useful material for myself and to use with patients.
Medical Student Feedback
Tufts University School of Medicine
Great course! Appreciated the brevity while still delivering important content. Thank you for this empowering and thought-provoking learning experience.
Medical Student Feedback
Uniformed Services University School of Medicine
Data is key. This course has opened my eyes to important factual information to address some of the most common ailments facing the American population. As a future physician, I intend to continue learning about developments in nutrition science.
Medical Student Feedback
Johns Hopkins University
- Easy group registration process for your entire class or clerkship group
- Vetted by leading nutrition educators and research scientists
- 4 hours of condensed, self-paced nutrition education for clinicians-in-training
- Award-winning and interactive clinical scenario-based learning
- Downloadable/printable quick-reference sheets for every module
- Customized reports to help you monitor learners' progress
Enhance your school's nutrition education program effortlessly
Prepare your roster, and the Gaples Institute does the rest!
Watch students and residents gain skills and confidence
Nutrition knowledge for patient care—and clinician self-care.
Empower the
next generation of clinicians
Students emerge ready to guide patients toward better nutrition and better health!
Equip emerging clinicians with the nutrition science they need, PLUS:
.
Frequently Asked Questions:
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How can medical schools benefit from this nutrition education program?
The Gaples Institute nutrition course for clinicians is a turn-key solution to nutrition education in MedEd. The course is authored by preventive cardiologist and Harvard educator Stephen Devries, MD, and the content is thoroughly vetted and updated annually—so institutions can be confident that it contains the very latest and best available evidence on nutrition science.
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How do I register my medical school class or residency program?
Medical schools and residency programs are eligible for a group discount and should submit their information using the orange button above to inquire about special pricing applicable to entire medical school classes and residency programs. Once we learn your needs and implementation timeframe, the nonprofit Gaples Institute does the rest. Each learner receives unique course login credentials at the time you choose, and students can learn at their own pace, from anywhere. We make the process very easy, as confirmed by our feedback over many years from medical schools and residency programs.
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Does this course advocate any specific diet, or any specific philosophy about nutrition and health?
The course was developed without any preconceived dietary agenda. The course is designed to present a balanced, thoroughly evidence-based summary of the best scientific studies available regarding nutrition and health. Content has been thoroughly vetted and acclaimed by nationally recognized nutrition educators and scientists, including dietitians, pediatricians, internists, cardiologists, and many more.
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Who funded the development of this nutrition course?
The course was developed entirely through philanthropy to the nonprofit Gaples Institute. The Gaples Institute neither seeks nor accepts corporate support.
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What health and nutrition studies were used in the creation of this course?
230 landmark health and nutrition studies are cited, with content and references updated annually. Clickable links are provided throughout the course and learners are encouraged to explore the original literature. A PDF reference list of all cited literature is provided at the end of each module’s downloadable key takeaways.
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What makes the format of this online residency and medical school nutrition education course unique?
Unlike typical online courses that use a video or slide-deck format, this highly interactive and engaging UME and GME program is presented on a dynamic delivery platform that encourages active learning and discovery.
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How can my institution monitor learners' course completion?
The Gaples Institute provides robust completion reports to medical school and residency course directors. In addition, every learner who completes the course receives a certificate that can be submitted to verify completion.
