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By Kim Severson Reporting from Boston April 10, 2026 Lauren Estess, a third-year student at Tufts University School of Medicine, believes knowing how to make chickpea stew will make her a better doctor. She and 14 other students spent a recent evening making dinner as part of a two-month culinary medicine class to train doctors, dentists, and dietitians that the university began offering last spring. Using case studies and cooking, the course aims to convince future medical professionals that good, affordable food targeting specific diseases can be as important as medication.