Nutrition Essentials for the Practicing Physician – What the Evidence Actually Supports

Nutrition is increasingly recognized as a foundational component of medical care rather than a lifestyle issue. Physicians across nearly every specialty encounter patients whose health outcomes are significantly influenced by dietary habits, yet many receive limited formal education in nutrition during their training. As chronic disease remains stubbornly prevalent, physicians need the knowledge and skills to integrate evidence-based nutrition into prevention, treatment, and long-term disease management.

Please join the Illinois State Medical Society in welcoming Melinda Ring, M.D., the Executive Director of the Osher Center of Integrative Health at Northwestern University, to learn more about the fundamentals of nutrition and critical updates for the practicing physician.

Presenter:

Melinda Ring, MD, FACP, ABOIM is the inaugural Tina Trott Professor of Integrative Health at Northwestern University and Executive Director of the Osher Center for Integrative Health, where she also serves as Clinical Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Medical Social Sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine.

She completed her medical training at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and her fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona. Her work at Northwestern spans clinical care, research, and education: She founded the Cooking Up Health culinary medicine course, directs the integrative medicine fellowship, and studies nutrition and integrative approaches to women's health.

Dr. Ring is the author of The Natural Menopause Solution and a contributor to leading textbooks and peer-reviewed publications in the field. She hosts the Next Level Health podcast, is a frequent voice in national media, and delivered a TEDxChicago talk on culinary medicine and the power of patients becoming active partners in their own health.

She has served as chair of the American Board of Integrative Medicine and on the Executive Committee of the Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health, and sits on the editorial boards of the Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine and Global Advances in Health and Medicine. In 2023 she was named Integrative Medicine Physician of the Year by the American Board of Physician Specialties, and in 2021 she received the Bravewell Distinguished Service Award, one of the highest honors in integrative health.

Who can attend

Registration is limited to ISMS members and their employed staff.

Learning objectives

At the conclusion of this activity, learners will be able to:

1. Compare the outcome evidence for major dietary patterns – Mediterranean, DASH, plant-predominant – and explain why pattern-level data has outperformed single-nutrient recommendations in chronic disease prevention
2. Specify evidence-based intake targets for the nutrients where typical American intake most often falls short, including fiber and protein, and describe the mechanisms linking them to cardiometabolic, musculoskeletal, and cognitive outcomes
3. Appraise the current evidence on ultra-processed foods, meal timing, and frequently asked-about diets, distinguishing well-supported findings from extrapolation
4. Identify clinically significant drug-nutrient interactions and nutritional risks in high-prevalence scenarios, including patients on GLP-1 receptor agonists and long-term metformin or PPI therapy

Accreditation

The Illinois State Medical Society is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit designation

The Illinois State Medical Society designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ . Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Disclosure

The planners, faculty, and others in control of content have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.