On May 9th and 10th, 2024, Washington CORE supported “Food as Medicine Conference”, a hybrid event held by and at the Georgetown University School of Medicine. The conference featured speakers from nutrition and microbiome research alongside chefs, fermented food producers, and researchers who have studied the health impacts of specific diets, including so-called “Blue Zones.” Topics of specific focus included the role of the gut-brain axis in neurodegenerative and psychiatric illness, cancer’s relation to diet and the microbiome, COVID-19’s interaction with the microbiome, the impact of space travel on the microbiome, and the importance of food security. For more detailed information, click: At ‘Food as Medicine’ Conference, Microbiome Fuels Big Conversations – Biomedical Graduate Education (georgetown.edu)

Washington CORE was instrumental in inviting Japanese experts in the field of fermentation to speak, including the Vice President of Marukome Miso, President of San-J Soy Sauce, Vice President of Fujiwara Techno-Art. Participants were especially delighted by the koji making demonstration. Koji is a rice based fermented paste used to enhance the flavor of food. The conference was an excellent opportunity to introduce the Japanese traditional culture of fermentation and to promote the Japanese centuries-old philosophy that “A balanced diet leads to a healthy body.”