U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and U.S. Rep. Aaron Bean met with hospital and medical school leaders at Lincoln Memorial University in Orange Park on Wednesday, Oct. 21, to promote federal nutrition initiatives.

The closed roundtable focused on nutrition training for future doctors and food served in hospitals, according to News4JAX’s updated coverage.

LMU President Jason McConnell and Orange Park medical school dean Dr. James Toldi signed the medical school nutrition education commitment at the event, News4JAX reported. Dr. Aaron Carpenter, president of North Florida for Nemours Children’s Health, signed the hospital pledge.

Two voluntary nutrition initiatives

The HHS Advancing Nutrition Education initiative encourages medical schools to provide at least 40 hours of nutrition instruction across four years, or a minimum 40-hour competency equivalent, beginning in fall 2026. These are voluntary commitments, rather than a new nationwide requirement.

LMU’s DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine was already among the participating schools named in a June HHS announcement.

The Make Hospital Food Healthier Pledge asks hospitals to align food purchasing and menus with federal dietary guidelines where clinically appropriate and feasible. HHS recommends limiting ultra-processed foods and sugary drinks while emphasizing fruits, vegetables, whole grains and minimally processed proteins.

Orange Park medical campus

LMU celebrated the opening of its Orange Park health sciences campus on March 23. The site houses both its DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine and College of Veterinary Medicine, according to the university’s announcement.

The 12-acre campus includes two adjacent, repurposed buildings totaling about 130,000 square feet. In its March announcement, LMU said the inaugural medical cohort of 125 students was scheduled to begin classes July 13, with the first medical class expected to graduate in 2030.

In a March university release, Toldi said the Orange Park program would strengthen the regional physician pipeline through partnerships with local physicians and health systems.