Dr. Campbell is a board-certified family physician. Thomas is executive director of a nonprofit organization in Ithaca, NY partnering with eCornell (Cornell University’s online education organization) to promote optimal nutrition through science-based education, advocacy, and research. A graduate of Cornell University, Thomas, with his father T. Colin Campbell, PhD, co-authored “The China Study, The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and The Startling Implications for Diet, Weight-Loss, and Long-Term Health.” The book has been a worldwide bestseller. Dr. Campbell continues to have a particularly strong interest in nutrition and lifestyle counseling. With strong evidence that many of the most common chronic diseases can be prevented and treated with lifestyle changes, Dr. Campbell strives to partner with patients to support them in helping them improve their health.
Course Overview
In this course, you will focus on the effects of plant-based eating throughout a lifetime, including its powerful impact on our day-to-day existence. You will explore the practical application of this lifestyle, including its role in raising a healthy family, enjoying longevity and quality of life, improving athletic performance, and ensuring lasting behavior change.
Much of this application includes dispelling popular myths — that children require dairy, that athletes require supplementation, etc. You will also enhance your understanding of personal behavior and the tools that support positive and sustainable lifestyle change.
By the end of this course, you will have the knowledge and confidence to take control of your health and help others do the same.
Featured Experts are:
- Padma Garvey, MD
- Jackie Busse, MD
- Evelisse Capó, PharmD
- Michelle Loy, MD, FAAP, DipABLM, DipABOIM, DABMA
- Robert Cheeke
- Lilian Aguilar
- Matthew Lederman, MD
- Jill Edwards, MS, CEP
- Bruce Monger, PhD
- Allison Wilson, PhD
- Doug Lisle, PhD
- Samara Sterling, PhD
- Brie Turner-McGrievy, PhD, RD
This course includes:
- Three self-check quizzes
- One required discussion
- Two optional discussions
- Several activities
- Downloadable transcripts
- Readings
The following courses are required to be completed before taking this course:
- CNS601 Nutrition and Society
- CNS602 Nutrition and Chronic Disease
Key Course Takeaways
- Explore the effects of plant-based nutrition throughout the lifespan, including on fertility, pregnancy, infancy, childhood and adolescence, adulthood, and longevity
- Examine the suitability of a whole food, plant-based diet for fueling fitness and athletic performance
- Investigate the effects of food choices on the health of the environment
- Identify effective ways to implement sustainable healthful behavior change
- Strategize how you might share your knowledge with others to spark change

How It Works
Course Authors
For more than 40 years, Dr. T. Colin Campbell has been at the forefront of nutrition research. His legacy, the China Project, is the most comprehensive study of health and nutrition ever conducted. Dr. Campbell is the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University. He has more than 70 grant-years of peer-reviewed research funding and authored more than 300 research papers. In addition, he is co-author with Thomas Campbell, M.D., of the bestselling book, “The China Study: Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health” and wrote the New York Times bestseller “Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition” with Howard Jacobson, Ph.D.
Who Should Enroll
- Anyone seeking to improve their personal health
- Medical and health professionals
- Chefs or food managers
- Athletes and personal trainers
- Parents
- Teachers
- Entrepreneurs
100% Online
cornell's Top Minds
career