Lakshman Mulpuri and the Fight for Medical Schools to Require Plant-based Nutrition Education

A passionate medical student at Wayne State University, Lakshman Mulpuri is the co-founder of Rooting For Wellness, and a strong advocate for living a plant-based lifestyle. Now having been vegan for four years, Lakshman has accomplished extraordinary work for the plant-based community and continues to pave the way for future generations, specifically by reconstructing medical education. 

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After hearing how Lakshman found his way to eating plant-based, we were surprised by what little knowledge he had about the nutrition behind a vegan lifestyle prior to becoming vegan himself. This was particularly shocking to us considering he was studying medicine. Lakshman was encouraged to go vegan by a close friend, who had just recently switched to a plant-based lifestyle, but he felt as though by doing so he would be sacrificing his health. After doing some research on the internet, Lakshman quickly realized how wrong his preconceived notions were about the nutritional aspects of veganism. “It made me realize how little people actually know about their own profession and ways,” says Lakshman reflecting back on his findings.

Not only is implementing plant-based nutrition education in the medical school curriculum an attempt to broaden the knowledge of doctors through the connection of lifestyle and disease, it is also a pursuit to restore or improve the quality of life of patients. Lakshman doesn’t feel as though there is a problem with the way doctors are treating patients because lives are being saved. However he follows that statement with, “People don’t just want to not die, they want to actually live, and it seems that some of these practices are preventing them from living a full life.” 
 The uniqueness of Lakshman’s story  comes from the fact that he is a medical student himself. Not only does this allow Lakshman to see the way students are being taught to treat patients, he also has first-hand knowledge on what it's like being a student constantly studying to pass tests and exams. Lakshman shares “Students will study what you tell them to study.” This idea was the key motivator when Lakshman decided that if he wanted to implement the importance of lifestyle in the treatment of patients it must start with the lectures students were given.

Lakshman’s approach was to create engaging courses that will connect and engage students. Through guest lectures, cooking demonstrations, and real life plant-based transformation stories, Lakshman’s message was quickly embraced by Wayne State medical students. Using the leverage gained from these lectures, Lakshman approached the administration and with some convincing, the board found a spot in the curriculum for plant-based nutrition education. Over the next several months, a curriculum would be carefully crafted to appeal to both students and patients in need of treatment.
Not only has Lakshman created a wave of reinvention within the tertiary level medical school curriculum, he has further defined the idea that if you want anything done you must do it yourself.