Every Continuing Medical Education event strives to deliver a mix of information on new discoveries and practical advice that can be implemented in a daily practice. Each of the presentations at this year’s day-long symposium were tightly focused on providing the attendees exactly that.
The opening keynote delivered by Martin Abrahamson, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, set the tone for the day. In less than an hour and grounded in three specific case studies, Dr. Abrahamson gave a detailed overview of the variety of different treatment options available as well as their strengths and weaknesses depending on a patient’s particular needs. Internal Medicine Chair and DEO Dale Abel, MD, PhD, followed with specifics on the interaction between diabetes and heart failure. Dr. Abel focused on both the underlying mechanisms that link the two conditions, as well as how to treat individuals with diabetes who are at risk of heart failure.
Each presentation seemed to build on and connect to the previous one. Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Nidhi Bansal, MBBS, MPH, detailed the variety of lipid reducers providers could choose. Helena Laroche, MD, MS, Assistant Professor in General Internal Medicine, offered pearls for providers to help guide patients toward effective and practical weight loss and management tactics, including but not limited to the surgical otpions.
In the afternoon, Brian O’Neill, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in Endocrinology provided evidence that exercise of any intensity has physical benefits that extend beyond weight management. William Sivitz, MD, Professor in Endocrinology, gave an overview of the complications, in addition to the heart failure discussed that morning, that can result from diabetes and how to prevent, identify, and treat them.
Lisa Morselli, MD, second-year fellow in Endocrinology, and ARNP Rhonda Fruhling, MS, MHCDS, CDE, described technological advances providers may consider for their patients. The day closed as it began, in a talk titled “Incorporating Recent Advancement to Improve Patient Care for Diabetes and Obesity,” Yumi Imai, MD, Associate Professor in Endocrinology, gathered the threads into a final package.
Each year since this conference was revived a couple years ago, attendance has increased steadily. By keeping the topics tightly focused on what providers need to know in their daily practice, it is hard to imagine that those numbers will not continue to grow. Congratulations to the conference organizers on a successful event.