The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) recently announced its plans to invest more than $3.6M to provide nutrition training to healthcare professionals and medical students. 

This announcement comes as a result of the White House Challenge to End Hunger and Build Healthy Communities. According to a statement from the White House: 

“The Challenge was a nationwide call-to-action to stakeholders across all of society to make commitments to advance President Biden’s goal to end hunger and reduce diet-related diseases by 2030—all while reducing health disparities.”

In support of this initiative, the IFM is focusing its commitment on the integration of nutrition and health.

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Why does this matter? 

According to a report by Harvard’s Food Law and Policy Clinic, 86% of physicians in the U.S. report they feel unqualified to offer nutritional advice to patients. 

This is a critical gap that urgently needs to be addressed, given that almost half of all American adults have one or more preventable chronic disease, many of which are related to poor-quality eating patterns. These include cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, and poor bone health. (1)

The IFM’s investments are targeted at addressing this existing gap over the next three years. Specifically, the organization’s plans include: 

1. Investing more than $3M in scholarships and discounts to provide ACCME-accredited nutrition and functional medicine training to healthcare professionals and medical students serving patients in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), medically underserved, and military/veteran populations.

2. Investing more than $600,000 to expand collaboration and partnerships with at least 10 academic medical centers through integration of functional medicine into core curricula, thereby training the next generation of providers supporting patients in making healthy food and lifestyle choices.

Looking forward

This news from the IFM represents a significant step in the right direction when it comes to providing more people with access to nutrition-focused treatments, approaches, and care. 

This sentiment was reiterated by the CEO of IFM, Amy R. Mack, MSES/MPA, in a statement from the organization: 

“Understanding how nutrition supports health and well-being is critical to ending hunger and creating healthy communities. Nutrient rich foods fuel the body, reduce inflammation, and prevent or reduce chronic diseases, which promotes optimal function and longevity. In collaboration with their healthcare practitioner, a focus on healthy function empowers patients to take charge of their health through personalized dietary and lifestyle choices tailored to their unique needs and goals.”

Key Takeaways:

• The IFM plans to invest more than $3.6M to provide nutrition training to healthcare professionals.
• 86% of physicians in the U.S. report they feel unqualified to offer nutritional advice to patients. 
• The IFM plans to address this disparity with their ongoing initiative.