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US health department says 19 more medical schools pledge nutrition training requirements

By Reuters Reuters
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr., standing next to Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent, Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, and Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center Dr. Jessica Snowden, speaks during an event about nutrition education, at the U.S. Department of Heath and Human Services in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 8, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr., standing next to Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent, Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, and Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center Dr. Jessica Snowden, speaks during an event about nutrition education, at the U.S. Department of Heath and Human Services in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 8, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper Kylie Cooper Reuters

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on Monday that 19 additional medical schools pledged to require at least 40 hours of nutrition education, or an equivalent competency requirement, for students starting in fall 2026.

Here are more details:

• Florida Atlantic University, the University of Maryland and the University of Massachusetts were among the medical schools that made the voluntary pledge.

• The new pledges bring the total number of participating medical schools to 73, after 54 schools joined the Trump administration's nutrition education effort earlier this year.

• HHS and the Department of Education also said eight medical accrediting, testing and board organizations committed to strengthening nutrition training across medical education, testing and residency programs.

(Reporting by Kunal Das in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo)

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during an event about nutrition education, at the U.S. Department of Heath and Human Services in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 8, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during an event about nutrition education, at the U.S. Department of Heath and Human Services in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 8, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper Kylie Cooper REUTERS

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 3:16 PM.

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