HHS urges medical schools to add nutrition education across training

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Education Secretary Linda McMahon on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, urged U.S. medical schools, residency programs and certifying bodies to adopt comprehensive nutrition education at every stage of physician training, part of the administration's Make America Healthy Again initiative aimed at reducing diet related chronic disease.

In a joint announcement, HHS and the Department of Education said medical education organizations should embed rigorous, measurable nutrition curricula into premedical standards, medical school coursework, licensing examinations, residency requirements, board certification and continuing medical education. The agencies cited a domestic toll of more than 1 million deaths annually linked to diet related illnesses and estimated annual spending of roughly $4.4 trillion on chronic disease and mental health care as reasons for immediate action. The departments asked institutions to submit written plans outlining scope, timelines, milestones and accountability measures; reports differ on the deadline, with some accounts saying Sept. 8 and others Sept. 10.

Kennedy, who expanded on the plan in a Wall...