Culinary Medicine: Cooking Up Health

For M3/M4 students, dates for the 2026-27 academic year are 2/15/27- 2/26/27.

The course runs Monday–Friday, generally 8am–5pm, with occasional evening sessions.

Daily Content

Each day includes:

• Self-directed learning — Videos, readings, case-based modules, and assignments exploring the connections between nutrition and health
• Faculty-guided sessions — Daily in-person or Zoom sessions for didactics, hand-on and discussion-based learning

Hands-On Cooking Sessions (3–4 sessions)

You'll receive grocery lists and recipes in advance, then cook alongside peers and faculty with chef-guidance, building real skills like knife techniques, meal prep, and putting nutritious recipes together from scratch. Sessions are offered both in-person and over Zoom.

Community Experiences

This course goes beyond the classroom with meaningful field experiences:

• Field trips — Visit community-based nutrition organizations to see how food-as-medicine education and nutrition insecurity work is happening on the ground in Chicago
• Co-teaching with Common Threads — Partner with this local nonprofit to teach nutrition and cooking to grade school children in the Chicago area
• RD Shadowing — Observe Registered Dietitians in clinical settings to understand how nutrition care is delivered in practice

Absences

Standard Feinberg policy states: Students may request up to 3 days off from a 4-week elective or 2 days from a 2-week elective to participate in interviews for the residency match only.  Students missing more than 3 days in a 4-week elective or more than 2 days in a 2-week selective or enrichment elective for reasons of illness, family emergency or residency interviewing, or university holiday may not receive credit for the elective.

Goals

Culinary Medicine bridges culinary concepts and medical education into a hands-on, interdisciplinary experience. This elective equips future clinicians with a practical and evidence-informed foundation in diet, lifestyle, and nutrition — and how these factors relate to disease.

The course aims to strengthen medical students' core competencies, including counseling patients with dietary concerns and understanding nutrition's role in conditions such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and autoimmune disorders. Through kitchen-based learning, students will explore plant-based meals, practice using substitute ingredients, discuss behavior change strategies around diet, and develop healthy habits applicable to both their personal lives and clinical practice.

Objectives

At the completion of this elective, students will be able to:

• Integrate nutrition into patient care — Discuss diet with patients and offer practical guidance on healthy food choices and meal preparation for the prevention, management, or reversal of chronic diseases including obesity, heart disease, and functional bowel disorders.
• Build a practical coaching skill set — Use kitchen tools and equipment confidently, help patients navigate healthy grocery shopping, and make appropriate ingredient recommendations for specific health needs.
• Develop foundational culinary skills — Prepare nutritious meals and model healthy eating behaviors in their own lives, strengthening their credibility when counseling patients.
• Identify and address barriers to healthy eating — Engage patients in shared, patient-centered problem solving around diet, health promotion, and disease prevention.
• Apply cultural and social awareness — Recognize how cost, availability, culture, education, location, religion, and personal values shape dietary habits, and factor these sensitively into patient interactions.

Competencies

This elective is designed to support mastery of the following competencies:

Nutrition Knowledge

• Core nutrition concepts and their role in preventing and managing chronic disease
• Macronutrient identification and the principles of whole-foods and plant-based diets

Patient Communication & Counseling

• Discussing dietary modifications with patients managing chronic disease
• Explaining nutritional concepts in accessible, jargon-free terms
• Guiding patients through recommended dietary changes

Cultural & Socioeconomic Competency

• Awareness of food access, cultural food practices, and socioeconomic factors that influence dietary choices

Practical Nutrition Self-Care

• Stocking a kitchen with healthy staple items
• Planning a week of balanced meals and snacks
• Budgeting time and money to prepare healthy food consistently

Full attendance across all weeks is expected. This is a graded medical school elective, and pre-work and assignments are a required and integral part of the learning experience. If you anticipate any absences, planned or unexpected, please discuss them with Dr. Ring in advance.

Students will be evaluated on:

• Attendance and active participation in group sessions
• Completion of weekly assignments
• Completion of virtual cooking sessions
• Attendance and participation in service-learning classes
• Completion of pre- and post-course surveys, including course evaluations, reflections, and self-assessments of knowledge, skills, and confidence related to food, cooking, and nutrition

Who Should Apply

This course is designed for students with a genuine interest in the role of nutrition in health. No prior cooking experience is necessary. Culinary sessions focus on whole-food, plant-forward diets and are welcoming to vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores alike. 

Credit & Eligibility

This elective is approved for credit by the curriculum committee. This course is open to Feinberg School of Medicine students only.

Enrollment & Selection

Maximum enrollment is 12 students per session. If applications exceed available spots, priority will be given to students who can attend all sessions and demonstrate genuine interest in the course content. Among qualified applicants, spots are filled in the order applications are received.

The 2026–27 culinary medicine course is led by faculty from the Osher Center for Integrative Health: Melinda Ring, MD; Anna Shannahan, MD; and Lori Walsh, MD. The course is further enriched by a range of guest faculty and community partners who contribute to the educational experience.