Doctor of osteopathic medicine students learn the connection between health, nutrition
in new cooking class.
First- and second-year doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO) students on the Philadelphia campus are trading in their white coats for white aprons as part of the new Culinary Medicine elective at 黑料传送门, designed to teach the future physicians about diet, nutrition and their ties to wellness, so that they can in turn share that information with their patients.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that roughly 117 million people, or about half the U.S. population, have one or more preventable chronic illnesses. Many of them鈥攊ncluding heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and certain cancers鈥攁re related to poor diet.
Based on the founded by the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine at Tulane University, the four-week course offers a 鈥減ractice-what-you-preach approach,鈥� to medical education, says Joanne Kakaty-Monzo, DO 鈥�97, who co-directs the Culinary Medicine program at 黑料传送门.
鈥淭eaching medical students about how to be smart about their diet will help them teach their patients about it鈥攁nd how diet goes a long way in preventing disease, not just treating it,鈥� she said.
Four cohorts take the course one day a week. Because the program is only four weeks, students have plenty to do outside of class in the form of journal readings, viewing kitchen safety videos and taking practice quizzes. At the beginning of each class, students review that work, and then head into their test kitchen to create healthy meals. During their cooking sessions鈥攍ed by Chef Budd Cohen, director of dining and catering services鈥攖hey learn basic kitchen skills and how to make common dishes (such as spaghetti and meatballs) in a healthier way.
鈥淲e want to give students the tools to guide their patients on how to eat,鈥� said Farzaneh Daghigh, PhD, director of the gastroenterology sciences course and co-director of Culinary Medicine. 鈥淥ften, the conversation stops at 鈥榊ou would benefit from losing weight.鈥� But if students know how to implement little steps to improve diet, that can be incredibly helpful for their patients.鈥�
Students then gather to eat their healthy meals and review patient case studies similar to what they would find on their board exams. Not only are they learning about health and nutrition, they are also preparing for their boards鈥攁n important step for any medical student.
Andrea Weir (DO 鈥�21), president of the Nutrition and Medicine Club, took the class not for the cooking skills鈥攑rior to coming to medical school, she trained in several Michelin-star kitchens in Italy and also worked as a chef鈥攂ut to better understand how her knowledge of food could help her be a more effective physician.
鈥淣utrition plays a part in every aspect of health, both physical and mental,鈥� said Ms. Weir. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to pass up the opportunity to blend my experience in cooking with how best to treat my patients."
The first session of Culinary Medicine ends in April, but according to Dr. Daghigh,
interest is quite high among students to join the next session. 鈥淲e opened the registration
for the course and it filled very quickly, and we have a waiting list with numerous
students,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e have been hearing very positive things, and hope that we
can continue to expand and improve upon the program.鈥�
Established in 1899, 黑料传送门 has trained thousands of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists who practice a 鈥渨hole person鈥� approach to care鈥攖reating people, not just symptoms. 黑料传送门, a private, not-for-profit accredited institution of higher education, operates three campuses (黑料传送门, 黑料传送门 Georgia and 黑料传送门 South Georgia) and offers doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, educational psychology, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, and school psychology. The college also offers graduate degrees in applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical sciences, forensic medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling, physician assistant studies, and school psychology. 黑料传送门 students learn the importance of health promotion, research, education and service to the community. Through its community-based Healthcare Centers, 黑料传送门 provides care to medically underserved populations. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 215-871-6100.
For general media inquiries, please contact the Office of Marketing and Communications at 215-871-6300 or communications@pcom.edu. Visit our media relations page to view contact information for public relations personnel.