U.S. Representatives Vern Buchanan and Jim McGovern have called for reforms to nutrition education in American medical schools. This comes after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Education announced an initiative encouraging medical education organizations to include comprehensive nutrition training.
“As we work to combat the rising chronic disease epidemic, increased nutrition education is critically important for professionals working in the medical field,” said Buchanan. “We need to ensure that medical practitioners provide patients with the knowledge and resources necessary to help them lead longer, happier and healthier lives.”
“There is an overwhelming bipartisan consensus in Congress that medical professionals in this country do not receive enough instruction when it comes to nutrition,” said McGovern. “I have met with countless medical students, physicians, and other providers who tell me they aren’t given the right tools to properly screen and refer patients who are suffering from diet-related disease or struggling with food insecurity. I’m proud to continue bringing this issue to the forefront so we can improve lives, make America healthier, and save our health care system a lot of money.”
The letter sent by Buchanan and McGovern was also signed by several other members of Congress: Dwight Evans, Mike Kelly, Robin Kelly, Mike Kennedy, Laurel Lee, Nicole Malliotakis, Carol Miller, Greg Murphy, Chellie Pingree, Ayanna Pressley, Lloyd Smucker and Rudy Yakym.
This recent effort follows a similar letter sent by Buchanan and McGovern on April 25, 2024 urging the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to enhance preparation for doctors regarding diet-related diseases. According to research published in 2024, most U.S. medical schools do not require clinical nutrition classes—only about 14 percent of residency programs mandate a nutrition curriculum.
Buchanan has advocated for preventive care measures during his time in Congress representing Florida’s 16th district since 2007 (https://buchanan.house.gov/about). In March 2025, his Chronic Disease Flexible Coverage Act (H.R. 919), aimed at expanding treatment options through employer healthcare coverage for those with chronic diseases, passed unanimously in the House. Earlier that year he introduced two additional bills—the Permanent Telehealth from Home Act (H.R. 1407) which seeks to remove geographic barriers for telehealth services; and the Lung Cancer Screening and Prevention Act (H.R. 1406) designed to promote access to advanced lung cancer screenings.
The letter addressed ongoing dialogue around nutrition education standards including previous communications with ACGME as well as references to earlier Congressional resolutions and White House strategies calling attention to gaps in physician preparedness regarding diet-related conditions.
Buchanan was born in Detroit in 1951 and resides in Sarasota (https://buchanan.house.gov/about). He holds degrees from Cleary University (1975) and University of Detroit Mercy (1986).
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