Research

REVOLUTIONIZING MEDICAL EDUCATION…REDUCING HEALTH INEQUITIES…

REDEFINING THE INTERFACE OF MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH.

Dominique Monlezun, PhD(c), MPH (Lead Principal Investigator) and the GCCM Research Team direct the 19,500-subject multi-site prospective observational cohort study with a nested randomized controlled trial, Cooking for Health Optimization with Patients (CHOP), across 32 partner sites in 14 states.

It is the first and largest known comparative effectiveness study testing superiority of Mediterranean diet-based hands-on cooking and nutrition education versus nutrition education standards of care for medical professionals, trainees, and patients. CHOP pioneers novel artificial intelligence methods, emerging Bayesian trial designs, and rigorous traditional biostatistical and Geographic Information System (GIS)-guided social networking techniques to optimize medical education and patient care.

The GCCM Research Team particularly focus on automated information gathering, processing, and predictive analytic techniques to integrate multiple data sources and analysis techniques for real-time improvements in this scalable, sustainable model of health system optimization. Interested in becoming a collaborating site? See below! Just have any kind of feedback? We would appreciate hearing your thoughts or insight!

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COLLABORATORS

  1. Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA
  2. University of Texas-Southwestern Medical School Montcrief Cancer Institute, Dallas, TX
  3. UNTHSC Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dallas, TX
  4. Texas Christian University, Dallas, TX
  5. University of Illinois-Chicago College of Medicine, Chicago, IL
  6. University of Colorado-Denver School of Medicine, Denver, CO
  7. Charles R. Drew/UCLA Medical Education Program, Los Angeles, CA
  8. Western University of Health Sciences, Lebanon, OR, or Pomona, CA
  9. University of Texas School of Medicine in San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
  10. Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine Arnot Ogden Medical Center, Elmira, PA
  11. Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ
  12. Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN
  13. University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
  14. Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, East Lansing, MI
  15. Penn State Hershey College of Medicine, Hershey, PA
  16. Mercer University School of Medicine, Columbus, GA
  17. Mercer University School of Medicine, Macon, GA
  18. Mercer University School of Medicine, Savannah, GA
  19. West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV
  20. University of Alabama School of Medicine, Tuscaloosa, AL
  21. A.T. Still University Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kirksville, MO
  22. University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center College of Medicine, Memphis, TN

 

STUDY DESCRIPTION

  • Characteristics: sample size (N=19,500); duration (Fall 2012 – Spring 2023); tracks ([1] Medical Professionals {n1=10,000}, [2] Community {n2=6,000}, [3] Employees {n3=3,000}, and [4] Chronic Disease RCT {n4=500}).
  • Hypotheses: [1] GCCM hands-on cooking and nutrition education classes produce superior DACs for medical professionals and trainees (i.e. medical students) providing patients nutrition counseling compared to traditional clinical education, [2] GCCM classes compared to primary care professional counseling alone produce superior DACs in healthy eating and health metrics, [3] GCCM classes as employee wellness benefit programming compared to primary care professional counseling alone produce superior DACs in healthy eating and health metrics,  and [4] GCCM classes compared to registered dietician-led medical nutrition therapy (MNT) produces superior DACs in healthy eating and health metrics.

 

INTERESTED PARTNER SITE? OR PARTNER NEEDING IRB DOCUMENTS?

  • INTERESTED IN BECOMING A PARTNER SITE? Please contact Dr. Timothy Harlan with your name and institution.
  • PARTNER SITES: to expedite your IRB process, please select the “IRB”  tab under the main “Research” tab on the main menu to access your password-protected document templates.

 

PUBLICATIONS

  1. Monlezun DJ, Kasprowicz E, Tosh K, Nix J, Urday P, Tice D, Sarris L, Harlan TS. Medical school-based teaching kitchen improves HbA1c, blood pressure, and cholesterol for patients with type 2 diabetes: results from a novel randomized controlled trial. Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice. 2015; 109(2): 420-6. doi: 10.1016/j.diabres.2015.05.007.
  2. Monlezun DJ, Leong B, Joo E, Birkhead AG, Sachs BP, Sarris L, Harlan TS. Novel longitudinal and propensity-score matched analysis of hands-on cooking and nutrition education versus traditional clinical education among 627 medical students. Advances in Preventive Medicine. 2015; 2015;2015:656780. doi: 10.1155/2015/656780.
  3. Leong B, Ren D, Monlezun DJ, Ly D, Sarris L, Harlan TS. Teaching 3rd & 4th year medical students how to cook: an innovative approach to balance lifestyle modification and medication therapy in chronic disease management. Medical Science Educator. 2014;24(1)43. doi: 10.1007/s40670-014-0014-5.
  4. Birkhead A, Foote S, Monlezun DJ, Loyd J, Joo E, Leong B, Sarris L, Harlan T. Medical student-led community cooking classes: a novel preventative medicine model easy to swallow. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2014;46(3):e41-e42. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2013.11.006.
  5. Kasprowicz E, Monlezun DJ, Harlan TS. Reducing sodium intake to prevent stroke. Stroke. 2014;45(6):e108. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.114.005157.
  6. Monlezun DJ, Tsai P, Sarris L, Harlan T. Recipe for cancer education: a novel integrated cooking and nutrition education curriculum for medical students and physicians in dietary preventive and supplemental treatment for pancreatic cancer. Journal of Medicine & the Person. 2014; 12(3):125-128. doi: 10.1007/s12682-014-0190-5.
  7. Monlezun DJ, Urday P, Baranwal P, Lister WM, Williamson A, Malhotra S, Sarris L, Harlan TS. Cooking up better doctors as teachers globally: a novel integrated nutrition and cooking class curriculum for pediatric residents to boost their competencies and attitudes in patient counseling. Journal of Medicine & the Person. 2015; 13(2):125-128. doi: 10.1007/s12682-014-0199-9.
  8. Monlezun DJ, Matamoros N, Huggins C, Michaud D, Sarris L, Harlan T. Biting into integrated quality improvement: medical student and staff blinded taste test for sodium reduction improving medical education and care? Journal of Medicine & the Person. 2015; 13(2): 112-117. doi: 10.1007/s12682-014-0200-7.
  9. Monlezun DJ, Ly D, Rolfsen M, Green D, Trudeau E, Rodman A, Telsey B, Davis E, Sarris L, Harlan TS. Digital photography assessment of 1,750 elementary and middle  school student lunch meals demonstrates improved nutrition with increased exposure to hands-on cooking and gardening classes. Journal of Medicine & the Person. 2015; 13(2): 129-134. doi: 10.1007/s12682-014-0203-4.
  10.  Arman D, Monlezun DJ, Peters B, Urday P, Cutler H, Pellicore D, Lim HJ, Sarris L, Harlan TS. CHOP-International: An open access nutrition education tool for physicians, resident doctors, and medical and public health students. Journal of Medicine & the Person. 2015; doi: 10.1007/s12682-014-0202-5.

 

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

  1. Kay D, Abu-Shamat L, Leong B, Monlezun DJ, Sarris L, Harlan T. Improving medical student nutritional counseling competency. J Invest Med. 2013;61(2):511.
  2. Leong B, Monlezun DJ, Kay D, Abu-Shamat L, Harlan T. An innovative approach towards nutrition education in a medical school curriculum. Am Pub Hea Assoc. 2012.
  3. Monlezun DJ, Rodman A, Telsey B, Leong B, Abu-Shamat L, Kay D, Green D, Sarris L, Harlan T. Monitoring USDA nutritional guidelines adherence with novel application of digital photography in elementary school meals. Exp Bio/ASN. 2013.
  4. Monlezun DJ, Rodman A, Telsey B, Leong B, Abu-Shamat L, Kay D, Green D, Sarris L, Harlan T. Enhancing medical student competence with USDA nutritional guidelines. Exp Bio/ASN. 2013.
  5. Joo E, Monlezun DJ, Birkhead A, Leong B, Abu-Shamat L, Kay D, Sarris L, Harlan T. Creation of an evidence-based medical school nutritional education curriculum. Exp Bio/ASN. 2013.
  6. Kay D, Abu-Shamat L, Leong B, Monlezun D, Sarris L, Harlan T. Will improving student dietary habits change patient counseling perceptions? Exp Bio/ASN. 2013.
  7. Birkhead A, Loyd J, Leong B, Joo E, Monlezun DJ, Kay D, Abu-Shamat L, Sarris L, Harlan T. Just what the doctor ordered: nutritional education through community-based cooking classes. Exp Bio/ASN. 2013.
  8. Leong B, Abu-Shamat L, Kay D, Monlezun DJ, Sarris L, Harlan T. An innovative approach to balance lifestyle modification and medication therapy in chronic disease management. Exp Bio/ASN. 2013.
  9. Leong B, Monlezun DJ, Kay D, Abu-Shamat L, Azevedo B, Sarris L, Harlan T. Towards nutrition education in a clinical curriculum. AAMC: SGEA/SGSA/OSR. 2013.
  10. Leong B, Monlezun DJ, Abu-Shamat L, Kay D, Azevedo B, Sarris L, Harlan T. An evaluation of a culinary curriculum to teach nutrition science to medical students. AAMC. 2013.
  11. Monlezun DJ, Azevedo B, Leong B, Kay D, Abu-Shamat L, Sarris L, Harlan T. Innovative informatics-driven optimization of clinical nutrition curriculum for medical students. AAMC. 2013.
  12. Urday P, Monlezun DJ, Harlan TS. A pinch of experience: integrated clinical nutrition curriculum as continuing medical education for practicing physicians. J Invest Med. 2014;62(2):555.
  13. Urday P, Monlezun DJ, Harlan TS. Integrated hands-on cooking and clinical nutrition curriculum improves pediatric residents’ competencies and attitudes toward nutrition education for patients. J Invest Med. 2014;62(2):533.
  14. Hill K, Monlezun DJ, Harlan TS. Novel application of genomics heat map model for meta-analysis of clinical nutrition curriculums to improve physician-guided nutritional lifestyle management of chronic disease. J Invest Med. 2014;62(2):554.
  15. Faruqi J, Monlezun DJ, TS Harlan. Will increasing premedical student exposure to registered dieticians in cooking sessions improve future physicians’ nutritional education for patients? J Invest Med. 2014;62(2):555.
  16. Monlezun DJ, Birkhead A, Leong B, Sarris L, Harlan TS. Optimizing clinical nutrition competencies and health habits with medical student-led hands-on cooking Demonstrations for Underserved Communities. AMSA. 2014.
  17. Monlezun DJ, Coleman J, Peters B, Sarris L, Harlan T. Have your cake and eat it too: a novel collaboration between a fresh market store and a medical school-based teaching kitchen with student-led cooking and nutrition classes. Am Pub Hlth Assoc. 2014.
  18. DeValle N, Desai A, Monlezun DJ, McGowan G, Sarris L, Harlan TS. The first social innovation comparative effectiveness trial for employee wellness programming with hands-on cooking and nutrition education. Soc Gen Intern Med. 2015.
  19. Arman D, Shepard S, Monlezun DJ, McGowan G, Sarris L, Harlan TS. A novel simulation-based comparative effectiveness trial to improve resident nutrition education competencies and patient outcomes. Soc Gen Intern Med. 2015.
  20. Day D, Monlezun DJ, Budnick I, Sarris L, Harlan TS. World’s first multi-center comparative effectiveness trial for simulation-based medical education with deliberate practice for nutrition education: multivariate model normalization for baseline. Soc Gen Intern Med. 2015.
  21. Monlezun DJ, Coleman J, Feigenbaum S, Cardello F, McGowan G, Sarris L, Harlan TS. Cooking in the desert: novel social network-driven development of the first evidence-based hands on cooking and nutrition education for systematically improving patient outcomes and reducing health disparities. Soc Gen Intern Med. 2015.
  22. Dart L, Vanbeber A, D’Agostino D, Smith-Barbaro P, Farmer D, Argenbright K, Aspegren K, Monlezun D, Sarris L, Harlan T. A culinary medicine course for health professionals: recipe for better health. TX Acad Nutr Diet Food Nutr Conf. 2015.
  23. Monlezun DJ, Harlan TS. A teaching kitchen based multi-center culinary medicine education initiative for medical students improves attitudes towards dietary counseling, personal health habits and nutrition knowledge. Am Pub Hlth Assoc Annual Meeting. 2015.
  24. Saccoccia B, Monlezun DJ, McGowan G, Lakhmani P, Sarris L, Harlan TS. Tulane based teaching kitchen pilot study improves HbA1c, blood pressure, and cholesterol for patients with type II diabetes. American Association of Diabetes Educators. 2015.
  25. McGowan G, Monlezun DJ, Saccoccia B, Lakhmani P, Sarris L, Harlan TS. Nutrition in medical education: comparing dietary habits, attitudes, and competencies of medical students in both traditional medical education and hands-on cooking and nutrition classes. American Association of Diabetes Educators. 2015.