Culinary Medicine

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Department
Interdisciplinary Medicine
Course Number
IDIS 307
Course Title Culinary Medicine
Course Director
Alicia Tucker, MD
Length (Weeks)

2
When Offered

Weeks 16-17, 24-25 and 32-33 (2024-2025)
Prerequisites

None
Availability Notes
Contact Name
Dr. Tucker
Contact Phone
Contact Fax
Contact Email
altucker@childrensnational.org
Other Contacts

Chef Instructor & Registered Dietitian Jennifer Leon (jleon@mfa.gwu.edu)
Location

Hybrid: Seva Teaching Kitchen (1810 K Street NW, Washington, DC) and virtual
Limit
18
Report

TBD
Evaluation

Grading: Pass/Fail based on the following:

  • 8 Quizzes (one from each module) - 15%
  • Experiential Learning Project - 50% (see breakdown below)
    • Oral Presentation - 35%
    • Summary Reflection (summarizing what the student did, what the student learned, and advice for future learners/next steps) - 15%
  • Class Participation (case discussions, cooking, field trips) - 35% 

Please note:

  • 70% is required for passing the course.
  • Attendance is mandatory. Make up work will be required for missed sessions.
Description

Purpose and Rationale for the Course: The purpose of this course is to provide students with evidence-based, practical knowledge in order to better understand nutrition and how it relates to the health of patients and their communities through hands-on cooking classes and the educational modules from Health meets Food Culinary Medicine Curriculum. The GW Office of Clinical Public Health Programs has licensed the Health meets Food curriculum, which makes GW part of a consortium of over 50 health professional schools teaching this curriculum, sharing best practices, and participating in evaluation research on the impact of the curriculum. More information about the program can be found at CulinaryMedicine.org.

Course Description: The pre-clinical curriculum addresses nutrition topics mainly from a biochemical or epidemiological perspective. This curriculum is intended to address nutrition from a more in-depth, clinical perspective through a series of modules. Each module is composed of a pre-classroom online lesson, one journal article, and a quiz. Following this preparation, each class starts with an in-person or virtual knife/equipment skills demonstration. Then students will apply cooking skills to make recipe to reinforce lessons. In each class student will also complete a case study and discuss over a shared meal.

Students will also be connected to a variety of guest speakers and site visits to enhance their knowledge of food security and practical application of culinary medicine in clinical and community settings. There will also be a final project and presentation allowing students to reflect and apply their learned lessons from the class. 

Most food items will be made available to students; however, projected food costs are approximately $50-$75 per student (may be more or less depending on pantry supplies, group purchasing, and location items are purchased).

Course Learning Objectives:

By the end of this course, the student should be able to:

  1. Demonstrate knowledge of culinary medicine principles.
  2. Practice applying culinary medicine principles to patient-centered scenarios.
  3. Describe an aspect of the socio-economic and/or cultural context of dietary choices in the local community.
Additional Notes
See this article highlighting GW's Culinary Medicine elective: GW MD Program Adds Culinary Medicine Elective