Amy Jasperse, consultant pharmacist and diabetes care and education specialist at Robert C. Byrd Clinic, has successfully passed the Certified Culinary Medicine Specialist board exam.
The hybrid 60-credit curriculum includes a distinctive combination of online nutrition education courses, live conferences, and in-person attendance at hands-on teaching kitchen modules.
The Certified Culinary Medicine Specialist (CCMS) designation identifies clinicians who have a unique foundation for incorporating healthy eating into patients’ diets: comprehensive knowledge of nutrition and the culinary techniques to prepare food that is consistent with real-world budgets, time constraints, and nutritional ideals. Physicians, Physicians Assistants, Pharmacists, Diabetes Care & Education Specialists, Registered Dietitians and Nurse Practitioners are eligible for certification.
By completing the program, clinicians enhance their confidence and quality of care by learning how to:
• Integrate nutritional counseling to supplement pharmacological treatment
• Educate patients about weight loss and weight management
• Develop practical examination-room dialogues that inspire behavioral change
Culinary medicine is a new evidence-based field in medicine that blends the art of food and cooking with the science of medicine. Culinary medicine is aimed at helping people reach good personal medical decisions about accessing and eating high-quality meals that help prevent and treat disease and restore well-being.
The objective of culinary medicine is to attempt to empower the patient to care for her or himself safely, effectively, and happily with food and beverage as a primary care technique.
Amy, in collaboration with a like-minded group from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM), helped develop a culinary medicine elective with hands-on cooking classes for medical students that has been met with great enthusiasm. Classes for the community are being planned for a time when it is safe to do so. Her certification will also aid in educating RCBC patients in improving their nutrition to improve their health.
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