Health Secretary Kennedy Mandates Nutrition Training Across U.S. Medical Education

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Wednesday that formal nutrition instruction will become a core requirement throughout the country’s medical-training pipeline, from undergraduate pre-med programs to residency. The initiative will add dietetics questions to the Medical College Admission Test and embed nutrition competencies in accreditation standards, with the goal of ensuring that "every future physician masters the language of prevention before they even touch a stethoscope," Kennedy said. The move, developed in coordination with Education Secretary McMahon, seeks to equip doctors to prescribe dietary interventions alongside or instead of pharmaceuticals in treating chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease. Advocates say the policy fills a long-standing gap: an estimated 75% of U.S. medical schools do not currently require a dedicated course in nutrition or metabolic health.