712 - The FICC: The development of a Food Insecurity Clinical Curriculum

Publication Number: 2695.712

Danielle R. Abraham, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Arlington, VA, United States; Karen Ganacias, Medstar Georgetown University Hospital Kids Medical Mobile Van, Washington, DC, United States; Catherine Ingard, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, United States

Background: Food insecurity (FI) affects one in seven U.S. children¹. Despite its prevalence, medical education often lacks training on FI, screening, and interventions for food-insecure families². Although prior studies show that targeted educational interventions can improve FI knowledge and screening comfort, these approaches remain inconsistently applied across institutions and stages of medical education³⁻⁴.

Objective: This study aimed to (1) assess Georgetown University medical students' baseline knowledge and confidence to educate on FI in pediatric populations, and (2) develop a FI curriculum for medical students during their pediatric clinical rotation.

Design/Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Georgetown University medical students. An anonymous, web-based survey assessing knowledge and perceived barriers to addressing FI was distributed via institutional email and class group chats in April 2025. In October 2025, an educational session was integrated into the pediatric clerkship, providing the first cohort with case-based instruction and scenario practice on screening for FI and connecting families to community resources (Figure 1). A post-intervention survey was administered to evaluate changes in knowledge, perceived barriers and suggested curriculum improvements.

Results: 101 medical students completed the pre-survey; 18 completed the post-curriculum survey. Prior to the educational intervention, 45% of medical students knew how to screen for FI in the clinic; 39% reported no confidence in connecting families to resources. Reported barriers included lack of knowledge, discomfort initiating sensitive conversations, and uncertainty about available resources (Table 1).

After the curriculum was implemented, all respondents reported knowing how to screen for FI. Confidence in connecting families to appropriate resources rose from 30% to 57% reporting "confident," while those "not at all confident" decreased from 39% to 7%. Qualitative feedback highlighted that the session enhanced students' comfort and provided concrete tools for patient discussions (Table 2).

Conclusion(s): A case-based educational session integrated into the pediatric clerkship improved medical students' knowledge, confidence, and preparedness to address FI in pediatric populations. Incorporating targeted FI education into medical training can strengthen future physicians' ability to recognize and respond to FI in the clinical space. Limitations include a small post-intervention sample. Future work will include longitudinal follow-up, and objective measures to assess impact on students' sustained knowledge and practice.

Table 1: Baseline knowledge and confidence on FI screening and resources


Table 2: Post FI curriculum survey of knowledge and confidence on FI screening and resources


Figure 1: Example Case Scenario in Food Insecurity Curriculum