An organization that empowers vegan advocates worldwide through grant funding has awarded Wayne State University School of Medicine student Lakshman Mulpuri a travel award to represent the school’s Plant Based Nutrition Group at the International Conference on Nutritional Medicine, scheduled for July 26-27 at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C.

Mulpuri, a second-year medical student, is president of the Plant Based Nutrition Group, or PBNG, a medical student interest group that aims to serve Detroit through the promotion, dissemination and exploration of topics and activities related to plant-based nutrition.

He received the grant from VegFund, an organization that promotes vegan advocacy through supporting effective outreach that inspires people to choose and maintain a vegan lifestyle.

The conference attracts health care professionals and experts on plant-based nutrition from around the world who will present the latest advances in nutritional research, Mulpuri said.

“I hope to develop new connections that will help strengthen PBNG’s existing programs and provide new avenues for future collaborations and research projects,” he added.

“We host unique and well-established speakers monthly at the School of Medicine to speak about the benefits of plant-based medicine. These attract crowds of 70 or more, consisting of medical students, health care professionals and community members,” Mulpuri said. “Additionally, we engage in community outreach events, such as our healthy eating and living workshop at Auntie Na’s Village (a nonprofit in Detroit) last month. We also give personal and professional support for medical students, providing them with opportunities to contribute to our burgeoning research projects while also empowering them to improve their diet through our 30-day vegan challenge and cooking demos.”

PBNG also provides support and encouragement for plant-based nutrition to become an integral part of clinical care and medical education.