From The Intelligent Optimist

Summer 2016

Students at the Tulane University School of Medicine are being trained to look not only to Big Pharma for med-ical solutions, but also to the farmers’ market. The Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine at the New Orleans university is the first culinary medicine program in the country. Designed to teach medical students the art of cooking and eating healthfully, and the importance of diet to health, the program is run by Tulane professor Dr. Timothy Harlan, a chef turned physician who is the doc of DrGourmet.com. He co-wrote the curriculum with chef Leah Sarris.

Students who trade their white coats for aprons between immunology classes and lab sessions, in the words of Harlan, learn to talk about nutrition and diet “in a way that communicates change to their patients.” Though the growth and development of many common chronic conditions, such as heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, can be prevented by adopting a healthier diet, recent polls show that fewer than 25 percent of physicians believe they are sufficiently trained to talk to their patients about diet and exercise. Since the program’s launch in 2012, at least 16 medical schools and health care centers have licensed the Goldring curriculum, developed in partnership with the College of Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.

Student Dennis Ren talked about the benefits of the unorthodox curriculum as pans clanked in the background in the 4,600-square-foot teaching kitchen. “It gives us as medical students and future physicians concrete advice that we can give to the patients. Rather than saying, ‘You need to lower the sodium,’ we can say, ‘Instead of adding all this salt to your dish, why don’t you try to add some acid like lemon juice, which brings out the flavor just as well?’”

The Goldring Center is accessible to the public through free cooking classes, events like a celebrity-chef dinner series, and a free kids’ summer camp. Tulane’s program comes as medical schools around the country revamp their curricula to equip future doctors with other practical skills such as communicating clearly and compassionately with patients and working within teams. Just what the doctor ordered. | Sara Beladi | FIND OUT MORE: Healthy recipe archives: tmedweb.tulane.edu/mu/teachingkitchen/recipes