Fifty percent of Americans live with one or more chronic illnesses, and diet and physical activity are key risk factors for many. Health care professionals are uniquely positioned to change this trend through patient education, but unfortunately they often lack the training and incentives to deliver this guidance. If there is to be a shift in focus from curative to preventive care, the medical school curriculum must include nutrition and physical activity education.
The Bipartisan Policy Center, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation (AHG), and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) explored several of the innovative approaches taken by medical schools around the country to increase nutrition and physical activity training. The event highlighted perspectives from other key organizations including insurers, licensing and certification boards, and community-based organizations. Smaller breakout sessions in the afternoon provided the opportunity to focus on concrete implementation strategies through more in-depth discussion with convened experts.
Remarks by:
Sec. Dan Glickman
Former Secretary of Agriculture
Senior Fellow, Bipartisan Policy Center
Co-Chair, Nutrition and Physical Activity Initiative, Bipartisan Policy Center
Sec. Donna E. Shalala
Former Secretary of Health and Human Services
President, University of Miami
Co-Chair, Nutrition and Physical Activity Initiative, Bipartisan Policy Center
Howell Wechsler, EdD, MPH
Chief Executive Officer, Alliance for a Healthier Generation
Jim Whitehead
Chief Executive Officer, ACSM
Featuring:
Carol Aschenbrener, MD
Chief Medical Education Officer, Association of American Medical Colleges
Don Bradley, MD
Senior Vice President & Chief Medical Officer, Blue Cross Blue Shield North Carolina
Bill Dietz, MD
Former Director of the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Matt Haemer, MD
Assistant Professor in Pediatric Nutrition, University of Colorado Denver
Suzanne Hecht, MD
Chair, American Board of Family Medicine’s Sports Medicine Exam Committee
Marie-France Hivert, MD
Vice-Chair, American Heart Association Physical Committee
Martin Kohlmeier, MD
Professor of Nutrition, University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health
Eddie Phillips, MD
Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine and Founder of Institute of Lifestyle Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Cynthia Schoettler, MPH
Fourth-Year Medical Student, Boston University Scholl of Medicine
Jennifer Trilk, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville