The Nutrition Academic Award (NAA) is a five-year grant awarded to 21 schools of medicine throughout the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) initiated this innovative educational grant to enhance nutrition principles in medical school curriculums and clinical practice. The Nutrition Academic Award was awarded to Feinberg School , Northwestern University in 1998.

The overall goal of the Nutrition Academic Award (NAA) project is to develop, teach and test an innovative nutrition education curriculum designed for medical students at Feinberg School . A secondary aim is the provision of physician-directed nutrition assessment as a standard part of patient care in our medical center environment.

The role of nutrition in prevention and treatment of disease, particularly that for cardiovascular disease, will be emphasized throughout the medical school curriculum. The nutrition education formats include lectures, problem-based learning exercises, diet assessment software, nutrition counseling of standardized patients, internet resources and case studies discussed during clerkships throughout medical school.

Since knowledge alone is insufficient to change behavior, our institution's NAA module also focuses on the physician's attitude towards clinical nutrition and its effect on patient outcome. This will be achieved by teaching the medical students the general principles of nutrition assessment, diet analysis and appropriate nutrition intervention as they relate to patient care. A pre- and post-test nutrition attitude survey administered throughout medical school for the Class of 2003 will determine changes in the students' perceptions of clinical nutrition.

• Feinberg School nutrition curriculum (PowerPoint slide presentation, 134K)

Linda Van Horn, PhD, RD, LD
NAA Specialty: Principle Investigator
Professor and Director, Clinical Nutrition Research
Department of Preventive Medicine, Feinberg School , Northwestern University
680 N. Lake Shore Drive, Suite 1102
Chicago, IL 60611

Alvin Telser, PhD.
NAA Specialty: Nutrition Curriculum
Associate Professor
T8-713 Ward, 303 East Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611

Robert Kushner, MD
NAA Specialty: Medical Nutrition
Professor of Medicine, Feinberg School , Northwestern University
Medical Director, Wellness Institute
150 East Huron, Suite 1100
Chicago, IL 60611

William McGaghie, PhD
NAA Specialty: Medical Education Evaluation
Professor of Medical Education
3-130 Ward, 303 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611

Jay Prystowsky, MD
NAA Specialty: Surgery
Associate Professor, Department of Surgery
300 East Superior St., Tarry 11-759, T231,
Chicago, IL 60611-3010

Arline McDonald, PhD
NAA Specialty: Instructor, Nutrition Biochemistry
Senior Nutrition Scientist
One Baxter Parkway, DF4-2E
Deerfield, IL 60015

Marian Fitzgibbon, PhD
NAA Specialty: Behaviorist
Associate Professor, Psychiatry
Northwestern University Medical School
446 East Ontario, Chicago, IL 60611

Eileen Vincent, MS, RD, LD
NAA Specialty: Project Coordinator and Web Site Development
Assistant Director, Clinical Nutrition Research
Feinberg School , Northwestern University
680 N. Lake Shore Drive, Suite 1132,
Chicago, IL 60611

Carley Riley, Feinberg School , Class of 2003
NAA Specialty: Coordinator, Student Nutrition Committee