The Future of Healthcare is Food: WANDA Leads the Conversation at Food as Medicine LIVE

What if your next prescription didn’t come in a pill bottle—but on a plate? That’s the powerful question Tambra Raye Stevenson, MPH, MA—founder and CEO of WANDA: Women Advancing Nutrition, Dietetics, and Agriculture—is asking as she moderates a timely panel at Food as Medicine LIVE in Chicago on May 7, 2025.

This week, health leaders, nutrition advocates, and policymakers are gathering at Food as Medicine LIVE to tackle a transformative idea: food is not just nourishment—it’s healthcare.

On May 7, Tambra Raye Stevenson of WANDA will moderate the panel “The Future of Healthcare is Food: Unlocking the Path to Better Health,” where national leaders will explore how to shift healthcare delivery systems to include nutrition as a core strategy for improving health outcomes.

Panelists include:

• Alan Shannon, Former Public Affairs Director, USDA

• Tornia Morgan, Registered Dietitian, Trifecta Health Solutions

• Katelyn Smoger, Director of Food is Medicine and The Farm, Trinity Health

• Peter Wells, Project Director, Project FoodBox

• Amanda Ryan, Deputy Director, State and Population Health Group, CMS

  
  

The discussion will showcase real-world programs—from hospital-based farms to CSA food boxes—and explore how bipartisan policy, Medicaid waivers, and workforce development can help food as medicine become a normalized part of patient care.

As a staunch advocate for health equity, Tambra will emphasize the urgency of investing in culturally responsive food systems and educating a new generation of nutrition-forward health professionals:

“We need a national vision that connects the dots between agriculture and health—not just in theory, but in funding, policy, and education. The future of healthcare runs through the farm and ends at the kitchen table.”– Tambra Raye Stevenson, MPH, MA

🔑 Key Takeaways to Expect from the Panel

1. Food is medicine—but the system isn’t wired for it (yet). Peter Wells of Project FoodBox will highlight how healthcare and agriculture must stop operating in silos. His dual background in both fields will reinforce that "from seed to patient," the systems must talk—and be supported through policy and funding.

2. Healthcare delivery needs to grow roots—literally. Katelyn Smoger of Trinity Health Michigan will share how their hospital-based farms and CSA programs deliver thousands of healthy food boxes to patients. Attendees will learn how prevention is taking root in healthcare institutions through access to fresh, local food.

3. We must invest in nutrition education and the food workforce. Panelists will call for healthcare professionals to be trained in nutrition and for schools to introduce culturally relevant food education. As Tornia Morgan, RDN of Trifecta Health Solutions, will underscore, “We’re asking doctors to treat diet-related diseases without teaching them nutrition—it’s time we flipped that script.”

4. Policy is the bridge—and we need builders. The panel will explore how long-term public investment and stronger policy bridges between agriculture and healthcare are critical to scale successful models.

This conversation will be more than just timely—it will be catalytic. With Tambra and WANDA at the forefront, the Food as Medicine movement is gaining momentum—and bringing justice to the table.

The revolution will be delicious. Don’t miss it.

The Food as Medicine Network is dedicated to advancing the integration of nutrition into curative and preventative healthcare by bringing together all stakeholders groups to drive policy, scale innovation, and create meaningful change. By providing a platform to highlight and discuss cutting-edge research and clinical implementation strategies, we catalyze cross-sector collaboration and empower leaders across healthcare, policy, and industry to build future-proof solutions.