This program is supported by an independent education grant from Lilly. This online education program has been designed for healthcare professionals globally.

In this virtual webinar, leading experts Dr David Lau and Dr Ralph Audehm explore how to formulate long-term maintenance plans and utilize physiological data to dismantle the "stopping rule" fallacy. They will also discuss the creation of personalized long-term expectations and how to navigate difficult conversations with patients.

Moving beyond short-term interventions, this dynamic webinar blends cutting-edge physiological science with immersive, real-time communication training. Through live roleplay and audience polling, you will practice translating clinical guidelines into high-impact patient conversations that drive long-term health outcomes.

Credits: 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (1.00.00 hours)

Session Highlights

• Evaluate the Biological Drivers of Weight Regain: Explain how persistent metabolic slowing and neurohormonal adaptations defend fat mass following weight loss, demonstrating to patients that regain after stopping anti-obesity medications is driven by underlying physiology rather than a lack of willpower.
• Apply Clinical Evidence to Long-Term Care Planning: Integrate key trial data (such as STEP 1 extension and SURMOUNT-4) and international guideline recommendations to counsel patients on the necessity of continuing effective pharmacotherapy to maintain weight loss and cardiometabolic benefits.
• Implement Structured Maintenance Protocols: Utilize the Long-Term Maintenance Algorithm to establish regular monitoring intervals, adapt treatment pathways based on individual patient progress, and pre-define clear triggers for treatment re-escalation or restart.
• Identify and Mitigate Weight Stigma: Recognize the impact of healthcare-related stigma, social bias, and internalized shame on patient engagement, employing bias-aware strategies and non-judgmental language to explore the root causes of treatment fatigue.
• Master Patient-Centered Communication Skills: Apply Motivational Interviewing and Shared Decision-Making frameworks—guided by the Communication Playbook—to navigate complex dialogue, validate patient ambivalence, and co-create sustainable, individualized management goals.

Who Should Watch

This program is designed for healthcare professionals involved in the treatment and management of people with obesity in primary care settings, including:

• Primary Care, Family Medicine, or General Practice physicians,
• Nurse Practitioners,
• Physician Assistants

Presented by

Dr. David Lau is a practicing endocrinologist and Professor Emeritus of Medicine, University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine. He is Editor-in-Chief emeritus of the Canadian Journal of Diabetes, founder of Obesity Canada and Past-President of the Canadian Association of Bariatric Physicians and Surgeons (CABPS). He was Co-Chair of the evidence-based 2020 update of the Canadian Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) on the management of obesity, led by Obesity Canada and CABPS. He also served as a primary panel expert committee member of the and 2021, 2016 and 2012 update of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of dyslipidemia and prevention of cardiovascular disease in adults. He was an Expert Panel member of the 2018 evidence-based Diabetes Canada CPGs.

Dr Ralph Audehm is a general practitioner who graduated from Melbourne University in 1984 and has worked for over 25 years in general practice. He is experienced in managing all types of patients. He obtained a Diploma from the Royal Australian College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in 1987 and is an Honorary Clinical Associate Professor at the Department of General Practice, University of Melbourne. He has had a long-standing interest in the management of chronic conditions in General Practice especially diabetes and heart disease.

Continuing Education Information

Commercial support: This activity received monetary support through an independent education grant from Lilly.

This continuing education activity will be provided by AffinityCE and MedAll. This activity will provide continuing education credit for physicians. A statement of participation is available to other attendees.

Disclosures

Dr David Lau has disclosed financial interests or relationships within the past 24 months with the following ineligible companies: Advisory Board for AbbVie; Zealand Pharma, Eli Lilly Canada Inc., Novo Nordisk Canada Inc., Structure Therapeutics USA Inc. and Grant/Research Support from Boehringer-Ingelheim, Eli Lilly Canada Inc., Novo Nordisk Canada Inc. Dr David Lau does not intend to reference any unlabeled or unapproved uses of products during the presentation.

Dr Ralph Audehm has disclosed financial interests or relationships within the past 24 months with the following ineligible companies: Advisory Board and speaker for Lilly and NovoNordisk. Dr Ralph Audehm does not intend to reference any unlabeled or unapproved uses of products during the presentation.

AffinityCE staff, MedAll staff, as well as planners and reviewers, have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose.

Mitigation of Relevant Financial Relationships

AffinityCE adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CME activity, including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others, are required to disclose all financial relationships with ineligible companies. All relevant financial relationships for anyone associated with the content of this activity were mitigated prior to the release of this program.

Activity Accreditation for Health Professions

Physicians

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of AffinityCE and MedAll. AffinityCE is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AffinityCE designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Physician Assistants

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of AffinityCE and MedAll. AffinityCE is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AffinityCE designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physician assistants should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Nurse Practitioners

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of AffinityCE and MedAll. AffinityCE is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AffinityCE designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Nurse practitioners should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Nurses & Other Professionals

All other health care professionals completing this continuing education activity will be issued a statement of participation indicating the number of hours of continuing education credit. This may be used for professional education CE credit. Please consult your accrediting organization or licensing board for their acceptance of this CE activity.

System Requirements

Mobile device (e.g., large-format smart phone; laptop or tablet computer) or desktop computer with a video display of at least 1024 × 768 pixels at 24-bit color depth, capable of connecting to the Internet at broadband or faster speeds, with a current version Internet browser and popular document viewing software (e.g., Microsoft Office, PDF viewer, image viewer) installed. Support for streaming or downloadable audio-visual materials (e.g., streaming MP4, MP3 audio) in hardware and software may be required to view, review, or participate in portions of the program.

Unapproved and/or off-label use disclosure

AffinityCE/MedAll requires CE faculty to disclose to the participants:

• When products or procedures being discussed are off-label, unlabeled, experimental, and/or investigational (not US Food and Drug Administration [FDA] approved); and
• Any limitations on the information presented, such as data that are preliminary or that represent ongoing research, interim analyses, and/or unsupported opinion.

CME Inquiries

For all CME policy-related inquiries, please contact us at ce@affinityced.com.

Participation Costs

There is no cost to participate in this program.

This continuing education activity is active starting November 19th 2026 and will expire on November 20th 2026. Estimated time to complete this activity: 60 minutes.