Nutrition education implementation plan
Helping future physicians become more well-rounded through enhanced nutrition education
Purpose and commitment
Geisinger School of Medicine is committed to strengthening nutrition education across undergraduate medical education to better prepare future physicians to prevent and manage diet related chronic disease. In alignment with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services initiative, we will pursue a 45.5 competency-equivalent hour nutrition education curriculum.
This effort builds on substantial foundational work and reflects our commitment to transparency, continuous improvement and accountability in medical education.
- Lobo S and Byerley J. Opinion. Healthy eating is vital to health care. Published in Scranton Times Tribune: Scranton Times Tribune. September 18, 2025 at 11:21 AM EDT; https://www.thetimes-tribune.com/2025/09/18/opinion-healthy-eating-is-vital-to-health-care/; The Citizen’s Voice (Opinion: Healthy eating is vital to health care - WorldNews); Pottsville Republican Herald
Milestone pathway
Geisinger School of Medicine has selected the 40-hour competency-equivalent pathway, integrating nutrition education throughout required coursework and clinical experiences.
- Proposed curriculum: 45.5 competency-equivalent hours across 8 priority competencies
- Framework used: Medical Education Nutrition Competency Framework (71 competencies)
- Implementation start: Spring 2027
- Tracking and reporting: Ongoing, with annual public updates
Contact Information
Sonia Lobo, PhD
Professor and Associate Dean for Student Research & Scholarship
HHS Nutrition Education Faculty Champion
slobo1@geisinger.edu
Julie Byerley, MD, MPH
President, Geisinger College of Health Sciences
Dean, Geisinger School of Medicine
Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer, Geisinger
jbyerley1@geisinger.edu
Baseline assessment
We’ve already completed the following preparatory work:
Curriculum mapping
A comprehensive baseline assessment and curriculum map documenting existing nutrition related instruction across all phases of the curriculum
• Notarianni A, Taye M, Feeley K, Hamers M, Mamillapalli S, Waite GN, Lobo S. Hungry for More? An Assessment of Nutrition Education in Geisinger’s Total Health Curriculum. SCRIP. 2023 Nov 6;7. https://doi.org/10.64057/001c.141900
Stakeholder input
Qualitative engagement with medical students, faculty and community partners to identify facilitators, gaps, and barriers to nutrition education
• Kunitsky O, Taye M, Feeley K, Johnson H, Glynn A, Stivale A, Hamers M, Notarianni A, Mamillapalli S, Waite G, Lobo S. Food for thought: a qualitative assessment of medical trainee and faculty perceptions of nutrition education. BMC Med Educ. 2024 Dec 30;24(1):1550. doi: 10.1186/s12909-024-06588-4.
Curricular resources
Development of Nutriments — modular, evidence-based nutrition learning resources embedded in the clinical presentation framework
• A guide for Phenylketonuria
Gaidula S, Shaw S, Lobo S, Mamillapalli S, Waite G. Nutriments: Integrating PatientCentered Nutrition Education for Medical Students within a Clinical Presentation Framework. Med Sci Educ. 2026 June 17. doi: 10.1007 ls40670-026-02791-8.
Implementation strategy
- Map existing nutrition content to the HHS Medical Education Nutrition Competency Framework.
- Identify competencies that are broadly represented, have limited representation or are not currently identified.
- Prioritize gaps within Phases 1, 2 and 3, with emphasis on applied clinical nutrition skills.
- Align mapping outputs with curriculum governance and LCME documentation, where appropriate.
Deliverable: Public summary of curriculum mapping findings, priority competency gaps and planned curricular enhancements
2026 Baseline Findings: A curriculum-wide mapping analysis aligned existing nutrition content with the Medical Education Nutrition Competency Framework. The analysis identified strengths in foundational nutrition science, nutrition assessment, evidence-based patient care and behavior-change counseling. Priority areas for enhancement include clinical biomarker interpretation, motivational interviewing, interprofessional nutrition care, personalized meal planning and experiential culinary medicine. These findings are informing longitudinal curricular enhancements across Phases 1, 2 and 3.
Detailed gap analysis coming soon.
- Transition selected Nutriments modules from optional to required or longitudinally integrated learning experiences
- Embed nutrition competencies within existing required courses, clerkships and assessments
- Avoid adding standalone courses where possible by integrating nutrition into existing clinical contexts
Deliverable: Updated curriculum map documenting how priority gaps are addressed and tracking progress toward proposed 45.5 competency equivalent hour curriculum
• Appoint faculty champion for nutrition education
• Establish a small working group with representatives from medical education, clinical departments and curriculum leadership
• Provide faculty development resources to support nutrition education delivery and assessment
Deliverable: Public identification of faculty champion and governance structure
Professor and Associate Dean for Research & Scholarship
HHS Nutrition Education Faculty Champion
- Track student exposure to nutrition competencies using curriculum mapping tools.
- Incorporate nutrition‑related learning objectives into existing assessments where feasible.
- Collect learner feedback and outcome data to guide continuous improvement.
Deliverable: Annual summary of progress and evaluation findings
- Spring/Fall 2026
- Competency mapping and gap analysis
- Fall/Winter 2026
- Finalization of implementation plan and faculty leadership
- Spring 2027
- Initial implementation and required integration
- 2027 – 2028
- Expansion, assessment refinement and continuous improvement
