Greenville, N.C.-based East Carolina University is piloting a program that adds cooking and nutrition classes to its physician assistant curriculum.
The program allows healthcare students to learn how to cook nutritious meals, and learn the science of macro- and micronutrients and how they impact overall health, according to a Dec. 3 university news release.
Several universities across the country have incorporated nutrition courses into medical education, but they are most often done in physician programs, not in advanced practice provider programs. However in primary care, patients are more likely to interact with an APP.
"I want to ensure that we’re equipping them with information that translates to patient care," Lauren Sastre, PhD, an assistant professor of nutrition science in the East Carolina's College of Allied Health Sciences, said in the release.
The program is a collaboration between the nutrition sciences department and physician assistant and nurse practitioner programs.