A multi-disciplinary team at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine will develop, implement, evaluate, and disseminate a comprehensive medical nutrition curriculum focused on primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The curriculum will be developed as an integral part of Curriculum 2000, a nationally recognized medical school curriculum reform initiative at the University of Pennsylvania.
The specific aims of the project are: 1) To develop a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary, culturally sensitive curriculum so as to produce meaningful change in understanding of key principles, and more importantly, to improve clinical practice skills; 2) to implement the curriculum within the School of Medicine and University of Pennsylvania Health System (i.e. undergraduate and graduate levels, and to physicians in practice), as a series of modules, so that knowledge is reinforced, and leads to lasting clinical practice behavioral change; 3) to evaluate the curriculum using process and outcome measures; 4) to disseminate the curriculum (through conference attendance and sponsorship, publications, and Internet web site expansion) so that other academic medical centers may benefit; 5) to actively promote the development of new research projects in nutrition and CVD prevention among Penn faculty; and 6) to ensure that the medical nutrition curriculum in CVD prevention is supported by the Institution at the conclusion of the grant period. The curriculum will be organized around the following broad topics: 1) the science of nutrition related to primary and secondary prevention of CVD; 2) methods to assess nutritional status and cardiovascular risk; 3) behavioral change and treatment strategies; 4) and nutritional issues for special populations defined by age, ethnicity, and socio-economic status. The project builds upon the team's significant experience and success in developing and implementing a general curriculum on nutrition, and in effectively disseminating this curriculum throughout the academic medical community.
