Metabolic Health Immersion for Medical Education: A Pilot Program with Continuous Glucose Monitors in Medical and Dental Students

Abstract

Diet-related chronic diseases are increasing in prevalence and poised to dominate the future careers of current medical students. While the value of nutritionally-informed care and nutrition-based health interventions is increasingly recognized, nutrition education is inconsistently and often inadequately included in medical school curricula. One obstacle to incorporating nutrition into medical and dental school curricula is the density of existing coursework, with incorporation of new material necessitating removal of other material. One solution is to engage students outside the classroom in immersive education in nutrition and metabolism using health-wearables. We report the Metabolic Health Immersion for Medical Education pilot program, spearheaded and designed by Harvard Medical students centering on use of continuous glucose monitors (CGM). Students reported enjoyment with the study, felt encouraged to improve health behaviors, and shared that the experience enhanced their understanding of nutrition and metabolism, was valuable to their medical education, and would influence their future patient care. This study demonstrates proof-of-principle that metabolic health immersion opportunities for health care trainees provide a means of helping to address the current deficit in medical school nutrition education.