Clinical Nutrition Internship Program

Due to COVID-19, the Clinical Nutrition Internship Program will not be conducted in 2021.

The Clinical Nutrition Internship Program (CNIP) is designed for medical students to foster interest in the role of nutrition in the practice of medicine, medical research, health promotion and disease prevention.

The CNIP will introduce medical students to a unique blend of educational experiences to enhance their knowledge and familiarity with the importance of nutrition in health promotion, disease prevention and the provision of medical nutrition therapy.

Internships last eight weeks and are usually scheduled over the summer. Both clinical and academic aspects of nutrition are involved in the training.

One intern is chosen each year.  A $2,500 stipend is provided.

Click here to download a PDF detailing Clinical Nutrition Internship Program (CNIP) Eligibility and Guidelines.

The deadline for applications was March 1, 2020.

Eligibility Applicants must:

  • Be currently enrolled in a medical or osteopathic medicine program
  • Select a qualified mentor in one’s home institution or a location of their own choosing. A qualified mentor must be a nutrition professional who is a member of ASN who agrees to perform this role in advance of the application and is identified with contact information included in the application.
  • Participate in an 8-week internship (typically during the summer)
  • Document ability to sustain interest and further advance understanding of clinical nutrition within medical school following the internship and provide acknowledged support of the applicant’s advisor

If an applicant is unable to identify a mentor in their home or other institution of their choosing, the following institutions have offered to host an internship for summer 2020.  Travel/lodging expenses are the responsibility of the applicant.

  • Los Angeles, California (UCLA)
  • New York, New York (Columbia University Medical Center)
  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia)
  • Richmond, Virginia (Virginia Commonwealth University)
  • Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (University of British Columbia)
  • Yakima, Washington (Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences)

One intern is chosen each year.  A $2,500 stipend is provided.

Roles Defined

  • Applicant: The student is the applicant. He/she agrees to participate fully in the CNIP program, if chosen, and work with his/her mentor to participate in the defined activities.
  • Mentor: The mentor is an ASN member who agrees to work with the student after the student is chosen for the internship program. The mentor can be from one of ASN’s pre-approved internships or an ASN member identified by the student and listed in their application.
  • Advisor: The advisor is someone at the student’s current institution that helps ensure that the student’s interest in clinical nutrition is sustained and further developed upon completion of this internship. A broad-based nutrition plan for the remainder of his/her medical school training must be submitted as part of the advisor statement of support form. The plan should demonstrate how it relates to the nutrition program at the student’s institution. The advisor and mentor may be the same person.

Intern Activities include:

  • Visit at least one nutrition clinic (i.e., outpatient, eating disorders, obesity, pediatric nutrition clinics) each week.
  • Participate in at least 8 nutrition support rounds.
  • Attend at least one research conference each week, (i.e., lab meeting, research seminar, journal club meeting) to be followed by discussion between mentor and student.
  • Spend one half day with a dietitian on four or more occasions. Ideally, the student should work with different dietitians in various specialties or on days that a dietitian is working in different settings (example: inpatient, outpatient, rehabilitation, clinical rounds, etc.).
  • Write a 3-5 page research paper on a clinical or research nutrition topic of the student’s choice, to be completed and presented to the mentor at the end of the eight week program. A copy of this paper must be sent to the ASN office and the student’s medical school advisor.
  • Complete an evaluation form at the end of the internship for ASN.

Question about the Clinical Nutrition Internship Program?

Contact ASN Awards

Program Timeline Dates/DeadlinesProgram Activity
March 1, 2020Completed applications and materials due to ASN
April 2020Winners notified by ASN
April 2020Winner(s) send headshot for ASN promotional materials and web site.
April 2020Winners select and contact mentors for internship
Eight weeks within May – August 2020Internship
August – September 2020Complete evaluation and research paper

Application Guidelines and Instructions

All applications must be submitted via the ASN Foundation Application Portal. The following information will be required during the application process.

Applicant Information

  • Contact information
  • ASN membership status
  • Current year in medical school
  • Expected graduation date
  • Medical school advisor contact information
  • Qualified mentor contact information, if the applicant prefers to complete the internship in a location of their own choosing

Application information

Information including educational history, experience in clinical or research in the field of nutrition, other formal education experience, and preferred internship location

Personal statement, 7000 character limit without spaces, approximately 2 single-spaced typewritten pages.

The personal statement should address:

  • Previous nutrition experience
  • Current plans for future medical career
  • Thoughts on how a nutrition internship would help meet your professional goals

Required uploads (in PDF format)

  • A curriculum vitae or resume
  • Letter from applicant’s medical school confirming active student status
  • Medical school transcript
  • Letter of recommendation from the applicant’s advisor or other medical school faculty member
  • Completed advisor statement of support form (must include plan for student’s future nutrition experiences)
  • Completed qualified mentor form, if the applicant prefers to complete the internship in a location of their own choosing

Interested in Sponsoring this Award?

Contact Gwen Twillman