Drexel Food Lab
Title: Trading One White Coat for Another
Student Interns:
Saadhana Deshpande
Drexel University College of Medicine
Academic Preceptor:
Laura Mullin, MS
Drexel University College of Medicine
Community Preceptor:
Rachel Sherman, MPH
Drexel Food Lab
Community Site:
Do good. Feed well. Keep going. The Drexel Food Lab is a faculty-mentored interdisciplinary food product design and culinary innovation research lab solving real-world problems in sustainability, health promotion, and access. Its members apply culinary art and science to improve the health of people, the planet, and economies. In doing so, they not only develop new food products and menu items with entrepreneurs and industry, nonprofit, and government partners, but also develop the Food Lab’s flagship “product”: graduates across disciplines who are poised to improve the food system.
Team’s Experience:
The Bridging the Gaps intern was involved in a diverse array of projects within the Food Lab, including recipe testing and evaluation in a commercial kitchen, assisting with grant writing, and a photography project for one of Drexel’s experiential learning courses. The intern additionally assisted with a workforce development class to enable people with justice histories to eventually seek employment in the culinary industry. The intern also volunteered with local organizations in Philadelphia, such as MANNA and Project Home, to promote food security efforts for the city’s most vulnerable populations. Finally, the intern represented the Drexel Food Lab at the Gen Z Food & Hunger Summit to advocate for federal anti-hunger policies on Capitol Hill.
Reflections
My time at the Drexel Food Lab nourished me, both literally and figuratively. Cooking up delicious recipes and finding joy in learning new culinary techniques has been a treat, as well as capturing on camera the gleeful moments students experience in the lab. Promoting food as medicine was a key part of my journey into medical school, and it has been a privilege to continue exploring this movement alongside local organizations working to end food insecurity in Philadelphia, especially knowing that this city is one of the most food-insecure in the country. Above all, the Food Lab has provided me with a daily reminder of the powerful ability of food to connect us to the land, to our own bodies, and to each other. Whether helping with a cookout to celebrate patients in recovery from substance use disorders or packaging free meals for chronically ill community members, I’ve also gained a deeper understanding of local resources and how to directly support the people here. I am now even more charged to push for a more just and equitable food system, not only as a future physician but also as a member of this community.
Saadhana Deshpande