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AWSIM Fall Symposium 2026

Weight-Inclusive Cardiometabolic Care in the GLP-1 Era

Protecting Patient Autonomy and Eating-Disorder Safety
November 18, 2026 · 12:00–6:00 PM ET / 9:00 AM–3:00 PM PT · Live Online

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Who Should Attend

Clinical Education for Weight-Inclusive Health Professionals

AWSIM is a professional home where weight-inclusive health professionals can access evidence-based, patient-centered clinical education and community. The Fall Symposium brings that mission to life through practical guidance for navigating cardiometabolic care in the GLP-1 era.

Physicians

(Endocrinologists, internists, family physicians, cardiologists) — direct cardiometabolic treatment without weight-loss-first framing

Advanced Practice Providers

Practical medication and counseling strategies for complex metabolic patients

Dietitians and Nutrition Professionals

Applying intuitive eating frameworks to diabetes and metabolic disease in real clinical settings

Mental Health Clinicians

Eating disorder safety, diabetes distress, and the psychological dimensions of metabolic care

Practical Solutions for Your Practice

Cardiometabolic Care That Does Not Center Weight Loss

Expand each objective below to see the clinical skills and frameworks covered in each area.

Treat Glycemia and Cardiovascular Risk Directly Without Weight Loss as the Primary Goal

Participants will learn to:

  • Develop individualized care plans addressing glycemia, blood pressure, lipids, cardiovascular risk, and kidney health without positioning weight loss as the primary intervention or measure of success.
  • Identify evidence-based medication and monitoring strategies based on clinical risk, treatment tolerance, and patient-defined goals.
  • Communicate cardiometabolic risk without using fear, shame, or body-size reduction as the central message.

Participants will learn to:

  • Integrate glucose information, flexible carbohydrate awareness, regular nourishment, and hunger, fullness, and satisfaction cues into diabetes care.
  • Use glucose monitoring and CGM data as clinical information rather than as a judgment of foods, behaviors, or patients.
  • Distinguish flexible, evidence-based nutrition support from rigid or restrictive recommendations that may increase distress or eating-disorder risk.

Participants will learn to:

  • Discuss the potential benefits, risks, uncertainties, alternatives, and access considerations associated with GLP-1 medications in relation to each patient’s goals.
  • Screen for eating-disorder history, restrictive patterns, inadequate nourishment, and other safety concerns before and during treatment.
  • Monitor medication tolerance, appetite changes, gastrointestinal effects, hypoglycemia risk, and nutritional adequacy rather than focusing only on weight change.
  • Support patients who choose, decline, discontinue, or cannot access GLP-1 medications.

Participants will learn to:

  • Translate nutrition and movement recommendations into flexible, culturally responsive, financially realistic, and accessible forms of support.
  • Adapt counseling to medication effects, appetite changes, physical ability, food access, work schedules, culture, and caregiving responsibilities.
  • Support movement for function, cardiovascular health, strength, enjoyment, and quality of life without prescribing it as a weight-loss intervention.

Participants will learn to:

  • Select meaningful clinical outcomes such as A1c, blood pressure, lipid levels, kidney and cardiovascular risk, symptoms, function, medication tolerance, quality of life, and patient-defined goals.
  • Evaluate whether treatment is improving the outcomes that matter clinically and personally without using body size as a proxy for health or adherence.
  • Adjust treatment plans through shared decision-making based on clinical response, patient experience, risks, and priorities.

Participants will learn to:

  • Recognize policies, eligibility criteria, clinical workflows, documentation practices, and communication patterns that may reproduce weight stigma or restrict access to care.
  • Identify practical changes in language, equipment, referrals, documentation, and institutional policies that support equitable care for patients of all sizes.
  • Communicate and document weight-inclusive clinical reasoning when collaborating with colleagues or navigating weight-focused systems
Program · November 18, 2026 · All Times ET

Symposium Program

Four sessions, two breaks, and a facilitated networking hour — 12:00 to 6:00 PM ET.

Download Conference Program

Welcome and Symposium Framing

Dr. Lisa Erlanger

12:00 PM – 12:10 PM
12:10 PM – 1:10 PM
Opening Keynote

45-minute presentation followed by 15-minute audience Q&A

by Virgie Tovar, MA

Clinical Session 1

Treating Cardiometabolic Risk Directly in the GLP-1 Era

Dr Madhuri Rao, MD

1:10 PM – 2:15 PM
2:15 PM – 2:30 PM

Break

Clinical Session 2

Intuitive Eating Counseling in the Age of GLP-1s

Janice Dada, RD CEDS

2:30 PM – 3:35 PM
3:35 PM – 3:50 PM

Break

Case-Based Panel

Complex Decisions in Weight-Inclusive Cardiometabolic Care

3:50 PM – 4:50 PM
4:50 PM – 5:00 PM

Transition

Networking and Community Building

5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Faculty

Leading Voices at the Forefront of Weight-Inclusive Medicine

Our faculty brings multidisciplinary depth across endocrinology, nutrition, psychiatry, and primary care.

Featured Speakers

Virgie Tovar, MA

Author, lecturer, and nationally recognized expert on weight-based discriminationView More

Madhuri Rao, MD

Family physician at Massachusetts General HospitalView More

Janice Dada, MPH, RDN

MPH, RDN, is a weight-inclusive registered dietitianView More

Case-Based Panelists

Viveka Prakash-Zawisza

MS, MBA, FACOG

Jordan Shapiro

MD

Mahnaz Mellati

MD

Katy Wetzel

BSN, RN, MSN, C-NP

Glenna Martin

MD, MPH

Chioma N. Tomlinson

PA-C, Lead PA

Continuing Medical Education

Earn Credit While You Learn

The AWSIM Fall Symposium 2026 offers continuing education credit across multiple professions.

Credit Hours

Up to 4.0 CME/CE hours

Accreditation

Accreditation body and co-provider statement to be confirmed and inserted here

Eligible Professions

Physicians (AMA PRA Category 1), APPs, RDs, and mental health licensees

Credit Types

CME, CPE, and applicable state licensure credit — details by profession listed here

Disclosure

Faculty conflict-of-interest disclosures available at registration and posted prior to the event

Documentation

Certificate available through the registration platform following attendance verification

Register

Registration Is Open

Early-bird pricing ends October 15, 2026. AWSIM member discounts and group rates available.

Member Category

Annual Dues

12 Months

Early Bird Symposium

Through Oct 15

Standard Symposium

From Oct 16

Regular

$250

$120

$140

Associate

$150

$85

$100

Affiliate

$100

$55

$65

Fellow/Resident

$0

$0

$0

Students

$0

$0

$0

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Renew Membership + Symposium

Bundled

Regular

$350

Associate

$220

Affiliate

$145

Fellow/Resident

$145

Students

$0

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Till October 15

Early Bird

Member / Non-Member pricing TBD

Register Now

Standard

Member / Non-Member pricing TBD

Register Now

Group Rates

Available for three or more registrations from the same institution

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Our Sponsors

Thank You to Our Supporting Organizations

AWSIM gratefully acknowledges the organizations whose sponsorship helps support the 2026 Fall Symposium. Sponsors have no role in faculty selection, educational content, or CME decisions. AWSIM retains full control over all educational planning and programming

Interested in reaching clinicians committed to weight-inclusive care?

Inquire About Sponsorship
Frequently Asked Questions

Everything You Need to Know Before You Register

Can’t find your answer? Contact us directly.

Yes. The AWSIM Fall Symposium 2026 is a fully virtual event taking place on Wednesday, November 18, 2026, from 12:00–6:00 PM ET / 9:00 AM–3:00 PM PT.

This symposium is designed for clinicians, trainees, educators, researchers, and health professionals who want to provide evidence-based cardiometabolic care without defaulting to weight-loss-first treatment.

It may be especially relevant for physicians, advanced practice clinicians, registered dietitians, diabetes care and education specialists, mental health professionals, pharmacists, medical educators, students, and others working in diabetes, primary care, cardiometabolic care, eating-disorder care, reproductive health, psychiatry, and weight-inclusive medicine.

Yes. This symposium is not designed as a pro-GLP-1 or anti-GLP-1 event. It is designed to help clinicians think critically, ethically, and clinically about cardiometabolic care in the GLP-1 era.

The program will examine how to support patient autonomy, informed consent, eating-disorder safety, and evidence-based care for patients who choose, decline, discontinue, or cannot access GLP-1 medications.

Yes. Recordings will be available after the live event to registered symposium participants.

Registered symposium participants will have access to the recordings and event materials for two years after the live event.

Registration includes live virtual access to the full symposium, including the opening keynote, clinical sessions, case-based panel, and clinical application/community discussion.

Registration also includes access to event materials and recordings for two years after the live event. CME information will be provided pending final approval.

Cancellation and refund requests must be submitted in writing to info@awsim.org.

Registrants may request a full refund up to 15 days before the live event. For the AWSIM Fall Symposium 2026, full refund requests must be submitted by November 3, 2026.

Refund requests received after November 3, 2026 may not be eligible for a refund. If you are unable to attend live, registered participants will still have access to the recordings and event materials for two years after the live event.

For registration questions, scholarship inquiries, LMIC discount questions, or accommodation requests, please contact info@awsim.org.

Contact AWSIM

AWSIM Fall Symposium

  • November 18, 2026
Register Now