Indiana University School of Medicine is the largest MD program in the US, featuring nine Indiana campuses. IU School of Medicine integrates the impact of nutrition on health throughout its competency-based curriculum to prepare physicians to address diet-related diseases, promote preventive care and encourage healthy living. Nutrition education is woven into foundational courses, organ-system modules and clinical training, emphasizing the physiological and social determinants. Students learn how diet influences chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and hypertension, while also exploring micronutrient deficiencies and malnutrition. Small-group and team-based discussions reinforce practical counseling skills, enabling students to assess dietary habits and develop patient-centered care plans. During clinical rotations, learners apply nutrition principles in primary care and specialty settings, focusing on lifestyle modification and interprofessional collaboration with dietitians and other professionals. IU School of Medicine highlights population health, food insecurity and health disparities, encouraging future physicians to consider community and public health perspectives when addressing nutrition-related challenges.
Medical students from the West Lafayette campus volunteer at Food Finders Food Bank. Service-learning projects across the state include community gardens, soup kitchens and other organizations addressing food insecurity and access to healthy nutrition.
Nutrition education in Phase 1 is delivered through longitudinal integration within foundational biomedical science courses, with the most comprehensive instruction occurring in the six-week Gastrointestinal System and Nutrition course.
The six-week Gastrointestinal System and Nutrition course provides a structured foundation in the biochemistry, physiology and clinical relevance of nutrition, including macronutrient and micronutrient metabolism, digestion and absorption, vitamin and mineral function, and the pathophysiology of nutritional deficiencies and excesses. Students learn how nutrition influences gastrointestinal, metabolic and systemic health through topics such as malabsorption syndromes, obesity, metabolic liver disease and macronutrient deficiencies. The course is co-designed and co-taught by a multidisciplinary team of PhD faculty with expertise in the above relevant topics, MD faculty with expertise in clinical nutrition applications in the clinical environment (including board-certified obesity specialists in gastroenterology and lifestyle and preventive medicine), and registered dietitian nutritionists with clinical expertise.
Nutrition concepts are further reinforced across multiple Phase 1 foundational science courses, including: Health Systems Science 1 and 2, Molecules to Cells and Tissues, Fundamentals of Health and Disease, Neuroscience and Behavior, Cardiovascular and Hematology, and Endocrine- Reproductive-Musculoskeletal and Dermatologic Systems. Within these courses, students examine nutrition-related topics such as metabolism, endocrine regulation and cardiovascular physiology, exploring how dietary patterns, energy balance and metabolic processes contribute to both the development and prevention of chronic disease.
Clinical application of nutrition is introduced early through Foundations of Clinical Practice (FCP1 and FCP2). Within these longitudinal clinical skills courses, students learn to:
- Obtain nutrition-relevant histories, including dietary intake and lifestyle factors.
- Recognize nutrition-related risk factors for chronic disease
- Counsel patients on evidence-based dietary recommendations and lifestyle modification
- Understand the impact of social determinants of health and food access on nutrition and health outcomes
These early experiences establish the foundation for integrating nutrition assessment and counseling into routine patient care.
During Phase 2, nutrition education transitions from foundational knowledge to applied clinical practice across multiple clerkships.
Students encounter nutrition as a key component of patient management in diverse clinical contexts, including:
- Internal Medicine: management of diabetes, obesity, hypertension and cardiovascular disease through dietary and lifestyle interventions.
- Pediatrics: assessment of growth and nutrition, infant feeding, breastfeeding and pediatric obesity prevention
- Obstetrics and Gynecology: nutritional needs during pregnancy and lactation, including folic acid supplementation, maternal weight gain and dietary management of diabetes in pregnancy.
- Surgery: perioperative nutrition, enteral feeding and nutritional management of gastrointestinal disease
- Family Medicine: preventive counseling related to diet, physical activity and chronic disease risk reduction.
- Psychiatry: identification and management of eating disorders and nutrition-related behavioral health conditions
Across clerkships, students apply nutrition competencies through:
- Nutrition assessment (growth charts, weight trends and laboratory markers)
- Patient counseling on diet and lifestyle modification
- Management of disease-specific nutrition interventions
- Interprofessional collaboration, including referral to registered dietician nutritionists
This clinical integration ensures that nutrition is addressed as a routine component of patient care.
In Phase 3, students build upon foundational and clerkship experiences by applying nutrition principles in advanced clinical settings, including critical care, emergency medicine, sub-internships and specialized electives.
Within critical care and emergency medicine rotations, students encounter nutrition as a component of acute illness management. This includes recognition of metabolic disturbances, fluid and electrolyte management, nutrition support considerations for critically ill patients, and the interaction between medical therapies and nutritional status.
During sub-internships, students assume increased responsibility for patient care and incorporate nutrition considerations into comprehensive management plans. Examples include managing chronic disease through dietary interventions, coordinating nutrition support for hospitalized patients, and collaborating with dietitians and interdisciplinary teams in complex care settings.
Phase 3 also provides opportunities for students to explore nutrition more deeply through elective offerings, including coursework and experiential learning in:
- Culinary Medicine, which introduces practical applications of nutrition science in patient education and food preparation
- Lifestyle Medicine, which emphasizes nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress management and behavior changes as core components of disease prevention and treatment
- Other clinical electives where nutrition plays an important role in patient outcomes, such as endocrinology, gastroenterology and preventive medicine
These advanced experiences allow students to further develop skills in patient counseling, interprofessional collaboration and lifestyle-based interventions, reinforcing nutrition as a key element of comprehensive patient care.
Across all phases of the curriculum, nutrition education emphasizes several cross-cutting themes:
- The role of nutrition in prevention and management of chronic disease
- The importance of patient-centered counseling and behavior change
- Recognition of nutrition-related health disparities and social determinants of health
- Collaboration with interprofessional teams, including registered dietitian nutritionists
- Application of evidence-based dietary guidelines in clinical decision-making
Together, these elements ensure that students graduate with the knowledge, clinical skills and professional competencies necessary to integrate nutrition into comprehensive, patient-centered medical care.