Several U.S. medical schools are introducing new courses to teach students about obesity and how it can impact their patients no matter which specialty they end up choosing, according to U.S. News & World Report.
To fight the obesity epidemic, a handful of medical schools have established obesity research institutes and programs to help students better understand the factors leading to obesity and to turn that knowledge into practice during their clinical rotations.
For example, the Jackson-based University of Mississippi Medical Center created the Mississippi Center for Obesity Research to combat the epidemic in the state, which has the third-highest incidence of adult obesity in the nation, just behind Arkansas and West Virginia, according the Association of American Medical Colleges. Fourth-year medical students at Durham, N.C.-based Duke University School of Medicine also have the option to enroll in a four-week rotation on obesity management.
However, some experts suggest U.S. medical schools still aren't doing enough to equip future physicians to handle the medical issues associated with obesity. Daniel Jones, MD, director of clinical and population sciences for the Mississippi Center for Obesity Research at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, said medical students should research schools that provide additional courses or clinical work in obesity prevention so that they can receive the most up-to-date information on the issue.
"This is still an area where there are a lot of unanswered questions," said Dr. Jones. "Medical schools that do high-level research on obesity are more likely to offer up-to-date lessons on this topic. Do they have a research center devoted to obesity or do they have a special clinical program for weight management? Those are clues and, if those things exist, then [incoming medical students] can depend on having professors who are going to be focused and interested in teaching them about the topic."