The Healthcare Culinary Conference at UMass Amherst (part of the nationally acclaimed UMass Chef’s Culinary Conference) is a focused, multiple-day track designed for healthcare professionals who want to close the nutrition gap in clinical care. Nurses, dietitians, physicians, dentists, mental health clinicians, and community health workers, as well as students training for these professions will gain hands-on culinary skills, clear evidence-based guidance, and ready-to-use patient education strategies that aren’t always covered in standard medical or nursing curricula.
Healthcare Culinary Conference
Bring nutrition and culinary skills into your clinical or community-based practice — in ways that are practical, evidence-based, and deeply patient-centered.
Why should you attend?
- Learn clinic-to-kitchen skills: master simple culinary techniques that improve flavor, acceptability, and nutrition—so that what you recommend to patients will be adhered to.
- Translate evidence into practice: practical sessions on applying national dietary guidance while honoring cultural foodways and economic realities.
- Cut through the noise: tools to evaluate nutrition research and spot reliable sources amid conflicting advice.
- Address common clinical needs: sessions on food allergies, reasonable food accommodations, and how to support patients in accessing safe, affordable food.
- Understand policy and public messaging: a multidisciplinary exploration of ultra-processed foods, their definitions, and implications for menu planning, institutional policy, and community health.
Featured experiences that will contribute to enhancing your knowledge and skills include:
Marion Nestle (NYU)
Food Systems in America
How can we move forward to a more plant-based sustainable food supply in the current social climate
Christopher Gardner (Stanford) and Tom Brenna (UT Austin) Moderated by Anna Maria Siega-Riz (UMASS)
Dietary Guidelines: What’s new, old, and different from previous years
A critical review of the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans, examining how recommendations have evolved, where inconsistencies remain, and what evidence means for institutional menu planning and nutrition communication, and public-facing food programs
Wendy Reinhardt (IFIC), Walter Willet (Harvard), Julian McClements (UMASS) Moderated by Eric Decker (UMass)
Ultra Processed Foods Panel
A multidisciplinary discussion on the health implications of ultra-processed foods, how they are defined, and what the evidence suggests for menu development, nutrition policy and public messaging in institutional and commercial foodservice.
Daiva Nielsen (McGill)
Handling Nutrition Misinformation on Social Media
This session equips professionals with tools to identify misinformation, respond effectively online, and communicate nuanced nutrition science in an accessible credible way amid rapidly evolving digital platforms
Leah Pryor Ramana (UVM), Jonathan Pouyorow (Johnson and Wales), Max Goldstein and Nate Wood (Yale New Haven Health Teaching Kitchen) Moderated by Beth Eagleson (Baystate)
Teaching Kitchens and Food is Medicine
The session provides an overview of the teaching kitchens and their application in campus, clinical and community settings. The panel highlights the innovative work of chefs and healthcare providers working in collaboration to promote healthy eating with a goal to treat and prevent chronic illness.
Tour of the UMass Food Bank-Mariana Chilton (UMass)
See the amazing new space that in collaboration with the Amherst Survival Center offer a full-choice, self-guided shopping experience for all members of the campus community who need it.
Register and learn more
Join us to deepen your nutrition expertise, expand your clinical toolkit, and bring delicious, evidence-informed food solutions to the patients and communities you serve.
Cost
Full 3-day fee: $699 (healthcare providers) | $325 (students & community health workers). Includes all meals for all three days, including the Grand Banquet dinner on Wednesday night which is a featured event!
One-day (Wednesday) pass: $199 (includes all meals that day).
Continuing Education
Continuing education: applications submitted for CNE (nurses) and CEU (dietitians). All attendees will receive a certificate of completion to pursue credits with other professional bodies.
