Nutrition Education · Universidad Central del Caribe School of Medicine
Nutrition as medicine, from the classroom to the community
Beginning with the 2026–2027 academic year, UCC’s required curriculum includes at least 40 hours of evidence-based nutrition education across all four years, preparing bilingual medical students to prevent and manage chronic disease in Puerto Rico and on the U.S. mainland.
Participating in the HHS Advancing Nutrition Education initiative
40+
required hours of nutrition education in the curriculum
4 years
integrated throughout the preclinical and clinical curriculum
2 languages
patient-centered care in English and Spanish
Year 1
students apply nutrition skills with community patients
Our commitment
Nutrition is part of how every UCC medical student is trained
Diet-related chronic disease shapes the health of the communities our graduates serve. Our curriculum prepares them to address it.
Beginning with the 2026–2027 academic year, Universidad Central del Caribe School of Medicine commits to including in its required curriculum a minimum of 40 hours of evidence-based nutrition education, aligned with the HHS Medical Education Nutrition Competency Framework.
Nutrition content will be integrated throughout the preclinical and clinical curriculum, including nutrition assessment, patient counseling, interprofessional collaboration with registered dietitians, and chronic disease prevention and management. Instruction is guided by the principles of food as medicine, culinary medicine, and lifestyle medicine. Starting in the first year, students will apply these skills with patients in community settings through the Longitudinal Primary Care Preceptorship.
This prepares graduates to deliver patient-centered care in English and Spanish to the communities they will serve throughout Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland, including those that are geographically isolated.
Our framework
Guided by food as medicine, culinary medicine, and lifestyle medicine
Three complementary principles shape how nutrition is taught at UCC, from the first year through the clerkships.
1 Food as medicine
Food is part of prevention and treatment. Students learn to screen for food insecurity, connect patients with programs such as PAN and WIC, and work with registered dietitians so that dietary advice is something patients can act on.
In the curriculum
- LPCP I · food insecurity screening
- Surgery · care with registered dietitians
- Ambulatory Med & Research · referrals
- Selected Topics IV · PAN and WIC
2 Culinary medicine
Students learn to turn nutrition science and clinical data into practical, affordable meal plans rooted in patients’ own food traditions.
In the curriculum
- BCB · nutrient content of foods
- PEBM I · Dietary Guidelines and a balanced diet
- LPCP II · practical meal guidance with community patients
- Family Medicine · personalized meal planning from clinical data
3 Lifestyle medicine
Nutrition works alongside physical activity, sleep, stress, and other health behaviors. Students practice behavior-change counseling and motivational interviewing to help patients prevent and manage chronic disease.
In the curriculum
- Clinical Skills II · motivational interviewing
- Family Medicine · dietary patterns in chronic disease
- Internal Medicine · GLP-1 therapy with lifestyle counseling
- Pediatrics · childhood obesity prevention
Implementation plan
Nutrition across the curriculum
A baseline review mapped existing content against the 71 competencies of the HHS framework and identified where nutrition will be expanded. All planned hours are part of required courses and clerkships.
Year 1
16.5
planned hours
Year 2
15
planned hours
Year 3
20
planned hours
Year 4
4.5
planned hours
Planned hours for academic year 2026–27, confirmed each year by course and clerkship directors. Electives are not counted toward the requirement.
Leadership
Who leads this commitment
Faculty champions
- Zilka Ríos, MSAssociate Dean of Medical Education
- Harry Mercado, MDDean, School of Medicine
Subject matter expert champions
- Waleska Crespo-Rivera, BND, MHSA, DrPH
- Martha García, MD
National standards
Aligned with where medical education is going
HHS
Medical Education Nutrition Competency Framework
71 competencies in 10 domains, from foundational nutrition science to counseling and culinary medicine. View the framework
LCME
Element 7.3
Requires curricular content on nutrition for preventing and managing chronic disease, with full enforcement beginning in academic year 2027–28.
USMLE
Nutrition on licensing exams
The National Board of Medical Examiners has committed to nutrition making up 15% of content across all three USMLE Steps.
Learn more about the HHS Advancing Nutrition Education initiative.
Contact
Questions about nutrition education at UCC
Office of the Associate Dean of Medical Education
zilka.rios@uccaribe.edu
(787) 798-3001
Universidad Central del Caribe
School of Medicine · Bayamón, Puerto Rico
uccaribe.edu/som