Rouses JAN-FEB_2017_FINAL-flipbook

the Eat Right issue

T his space tucked in a small but bustling strip mall near the historic Treme neighborhood in New Orleans hardly looks like a typical medical school classroom. First, there are no desks, but rather dining tables and chairs scattered about the front, an industrial kitchen occupying the back. And missing is the skeleton hanging from a stand in the corner. Doctors’ coats are replaced by chefs’ jackets. The only items hanging in this academic arena are pots and pans, towels and aprons. Knives are not used in surgery but to chop onions. On this busy Monday night, medical school students from Tulane University are just wrapping up a discussion of a case study — perhaps discussing a 64-year-old gentleman showing the early signs of diabetes, or a 41-year-old female with a history of hypertension in her family.The talk focuses on medical advice as well as advising the patient on nutrition. It is all a part of the learning process that These community cooking classes have grown to become an integral part of the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine’s curriculum, a division of the medical school first introduced in 2012. The founder and Executive Director of the program is Dr. Timothy Harlan, an internist and assistant dean for Clinical Services at Tulane University School of Medicine, who is also known as “Dr. Gourmet” from his appearances on the Food Network. Working closely with Dr. Harlan is Chef Leah Sarris, the program’s director, Food as Medicine by Mary Beth Romig photos courtesy Tulane University has become routine at the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine at Tulane University. As the classroom discussion is winding down, folks begin filing in, preparing to participate in the next part of the classroom experience, where the medical students team up with people from the community who want to learn better ways of preparing healthy, affordable meals, as well as general tips on nutrition.

6

MY ROUSES EVERYDAY JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2017