The U.S. Health Department reports that about half of all American adults—117 million individuals—have one or more preventable chronic diseases, many of which are related to poor quality eating patterns and physical inactivity. While many infectious diseases have been conquered, the rates of noncommunicable diseases—specifically, chronic diet-related diseases—have reached epidemic such proportions that new terms like diabesity and portion distortion have been created to describe it.
The education of health care providers and those in health related fields excludes or only superficially covers nutrition. Those on the front line of health care know that nutrition is the key to prevention of and the first line therapy for chronic disease, such as diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. However, surveys routinely report that these health care providers feel unprepared to counsel their patients on nutrition.
The George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences seeks to close the nutrition education gap with a Master of Science in Health Sciences (MSHS) in Integrative Medicine, with a concentration in nutrition.
This is the first and only MSHS in Integrative Medicine Nutrition in the nation. Learn more here.
“There are lots of providers out there who are seeing patients with chronic diseases, like diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and the primary, first-line, therapy for those conditions is diet and exercise,” said Leigh Frame, PhD, MHS, Program Director, GW Integrative Medicine Programs. “They have no training in diet or exercise. Exercise, we can refer them pretty easily to a personal trainer or they can find some group activity. But nutrition knowledge is a little bit harder to get.”
Dr. Frame added, “That's what our program is designed to do. For example, a physician who's been in practice for anywhere from one to 30 years who wants to learn a little bit about the Integrative Medicine approach, and wants to really get a deep dive in nutrition, would apply to our master's program.”
The MSHS in Integrative Medicine Nutrition is for health care providers and those in health related professions (health educators, health coaches, personal trainers, etc.) who wish to obtain mastery of nutrition and nutrition counseling. It also allows students seeking extensive nutrition education to also gain a foundation in integrative medicine.
This new master's degree program offers the opportunity to gain a foundation in the INTM approach while taking a deep dive into Nutrition.
• A progressive, scientifically rigorous, and forward-thinking educational platform for personalized and lifestyle medicine,
• And the backing of an institution committed to leading the way in evidence-based Integrative medicine — this approach has been a part of GW since 1998.
Throughout the coursework, students concentrating in nutrition learn to think critically and probe emerging research as part of evidence-based practice. The Clinical Research in Integrative Medicine course prepares students to design and lead outcomes research—a critical need for the field. Students also have the opportunity to develop and vet a business plan focused on delivery of integrative medicine and nutrition with the help of leaders in the field. As an online, active learning program, the flexible, asynchronous schedule can also fit into the schedule of a busy professional.
Dr. Frame designed the program to focus on utilizing the Integrative Medicine approach to health care, with emphasis on the role of diet and nutrition counseling. Recognized by the Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists, this new program fulfills the academic requirements for the Certified Nutrition Specialist Credential.
“It's really valuable for any healthcare provider,” Dr. Frame said of the new nutrition concentration. “You now have this expertise in nutrition, so even if you're an MD, you're now MD, CNS, which shows that you have a real commitment to nutrition and the knowledge to back up that practice.”
