Hope Barkoukis will receive the School of Medicine’s highest honor

Hope Barkoukis, chair of Case Western Reserve University’s Department of Nutrition, knew she would be presenting food as medicine at the School of Medicine’s School of Medicine on Nov. 6. What he didn’t know was that he too would be receiving an Award for Excellence in Health Science Innovation—a moment made even more special with his family and friends in attendance.

“It is a great honor to receive this award and to be among such distinguished past recipients,” said Barkoukis. “Most importantly, it is a recognition of innovation in nutrition research and education to move the needle forward for better health for all of us. This award reflects the collective effort and innovation of the entire specialized nutrition sector in the country. wide and has such an impact.”

An experience visiting the economically depressed areas of the City of Cleveland during one of Barkoukis’ first jobs at MetroHealth inspired her in her work in nutrition. He visited the places he prepared with a social worker to try to find out if the children in those villages were socially stable – and nutritionally.

He said: “The problems I saw people dealing with, their challenges in their homes, the lack of necessities and equipment, left a lasting impression. For example, we found houses without a working oven or a way to feed their children. I was willing to be creative and try my best to help them, including getting free access to nutritious food. We’ve seen it a lot again during this pandemic. ”

After earning her master’s degree and PhD in nutrition from Case Western Reserve, Barkoukis dedicated herself to improving health through nutrition and wellness as a valuable tool alongside medicine. .

Barkoukis is passionate about the food-as-medicine movement, which emphasizes using medically prepared foods to manage various chronic conditions. His research interests range from nutrition planning, food and dietary intervention studies; cross-cultural nutritional counseling, body composition techniques, protein analysis and the use of stable isotopes for metabolic research.

He has also studied healthy lifestyle during pregnancy, diabetes, arterial hypertension and recently collaborated with the University Hospitals Department of Dermatology to compare standards of care for people with psoriasis with the aim of teaching them about the Mediterranean diet and evaluating the improvement in symptoms and quality of life.

His National Institutes of Health-funded research on nutrition planning and interventions includes controlling food types of carbohydrates and glycemic index to achieve greater control of the glucose response, which is resulting in significant improvements in patients.

“Hope is recognized nationally for his remarkable efforts to teach us about the importance of food as medicine and the scientific issues related to nutrition and health,” said School of Medicine Dean Stan Gerson. “The impact of his innovative nutritional design and intervention research and programs has benefited patients, students and colleagues, making him well-deserved of this award.”

With the goal of not only teaching students about nutrition and food, but also about health medicine, Barkoukis created the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Wellness and Preventive Care Pathway for medical students in 2016. Through experience, students learn their skills and theirs. health, but also for their future patients.

“When caring for patients, we want them to think beyond prescriptions, to offer suggestions for exercise, emotional well-being, stress reduction and nutrition,” said Barkoukis.

With 250 students, it is now the largest program of pathways – extracurricular opportunities for individual experience – in the School of Medicine.

In addition, approximately 900 graduate, undergraduate and doctoral students have benefited from the new post-test kitchen that opened in the summer of 2023. In addition to the degree programs, The nutrition department also offers popular baby nutrition courses that can be used. to meet university requirements.

The Case Award is the latest in a long list of honors Bourkakis has received throughout his career. He was also awarded the School of Medicine Faculty STAR Award (supportive, team-oriented, authentic, respectful), the Ohio Outstanding Dietetic Educator Award from the Ohio Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics and John’s University S. Diekhoff Award for Outstanding Student Teaching.