Introducing the Bower Center for Culinary Medicine

The John D. Bower School of Population Health is proud to announce the establishment of the Bower Center for Culinary Medicine, an innovative new initiative that will merge medical science, nutrition education and hands-on culinary training to improve health outcomes across Mississippi and beyond.

The center will be led by Dr. Caroline Compretta, who will serve as its inaugural director. Under her leadership, the Culinary Medicine Program will embark on an exciting new phase: designing and renovating a state-of-the-art Teaching Kitchen. This space will become the heart of the center’s efforts to train future healthcare providers in practical, evidence-based nutrition and food preparation skills.

Once completed, the Teaching Kitchen will allow the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) Culinary Medicine Program to expand access for medical students and other learners across UMMC’s six professional schools. The curriculum will integrate culinary techniques with population health principles, empowering students to translate nutrition science into patient-centered care.

“The Bower Center for Culinary Medicine represents a critical step forward in linking what we eat to how we live,” said Dr. Thomas Dobbs, Dean of the School of Population Health. “By embedding culinary medicine into health professions education, we’re not just teaching recipes, we’re teaching prevention.”

Through this center, UMMC will join a growing national movement to equip healthcare professionals with the skills to help patients make healthier choices, address diet-related chronic disease, and strengthen community-based wellness programs.

The establishment of the Bower Center for Culinary Medicine underscores SOPH’s ongoing commitment to innovation, education, and community engagement – creating a future where food truly becomes medicine.