Description
Topics:
The Metabolic Cascade
• Review the pathophysiology of IR & the progression or IR to T2D
• Connecting IR to fatty-liver disease, cardiovascular disease and renal impairment
Beyond Fasting Glucose
• Outline the diagnostic criteria for IR and the limitations in certain ethnic groups
• Evaluate the clinical utility of fasting insulin, C-peptide and HOMA-IR for early diagnosis
• Review other contributing factors such as acanthosis nigricans, OSA, & ED
Medical Nutrition Therapy for Insulin Resistance
• Evaluate the impact of various diets on insulin receptor sensitivity
• Quantify the metabolic impact of food sequencing on glucose and insulin levels
• Review various strategies to optimize hepatic and peripheral insulin sensitivity
Continuous Glucose Monitors & their place in IR management
• Review CGM principles & devices available in Canada
• Outline how to interpret the results to better direct the patient visit
Exercise Physiology
• Review pathophysiology of glucose uptake via GLUT4
• Design evidence-based exercise prescriptions to optimize metabolic health
Pharmacology and De-prescribing
• Identify which classes of glucose-lowering medications require titration during lifestyle-based interventions & how to safely titrate to prevent hypoglycemia
Maximizing Metabolic Remission
• Outline the place for incretins in reversing insulin resistance
• Considerations when using incretin therapy
The “Forgotten Pillars”
• Review how chronic cortisol elevations impair insulin & hepatic signaling
• Outline the metabolic damage caused by sleep disturbances
• Evaluate the physiological links between social isolation & metabolic dysfunction
Behaviour Change Psychology
• Review the Transtheoretical Stages of Change & its impact on your practice
• Outline how motivational interviewing skills help with patient ambivalence
• Build high-efficacy health coaching habits that automate long-term adherence
From Algorithms to Action
• Implementing learning into practice through case studies
Description:
The Canadian incidence of IR, which is a pre-diabetes state, has risen to 14% and and a further 10% have T1 or T2 Diabetes (T2D). Treating IR before it deteriorates to T2D is possible and can be done through medication interventions and lifestyle changes. In this workshop, we’ll delve into the metabolic cascade, tracing the pathophysiology from early insulin resistance (IR) to type 2 diabetes and its systemic links to fatty liver, cardiovascular, and renal disease. Moving beyond traditional fasting glucose, you will master early diagnostic tools like HOMA-IR and C-peptide, explore CGM interpretation principles specific to the Canadian landscape, and discover how to design targeted, evidence-based nutrition and exercise prescriptions—including the physiology of GLUT-4 activation and the power of food sequencing.
Finally, we will equip you with critical safety frameworks for de-prescribing glucose-lowering medications during lifestyle interventions, evaluate the strategic role of incretin therapies in achieving metabolic remission, and address the “forgotten pillars” of health like chronic cortisol, sleep architecture, and behaviour change psychology. We’ll have practical case studies, motivational interviewing insights, and high-efficacy coaching habits, this session bridges the gap between complex physiology and the daily clinical tools you need to automate long-term patient adherence and drive true metabolic health. Unlock a deeper, highly actionable approach to metabolic health in this comprehensive clinical workshop designed to transform your practice from standard algorithms to real-world patient success
Who Should Attend?
• All professional staff who work with adult clients who are at risk of developing diabetes in Acute, Long-term, Ambulatory, and Community settings
• Home Health Care Staff
• Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Clinical Nurse Specialists, Nurse Educators
• Dietitians, Physicians Assistants, Residents, Interns
• Pharmacists, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists
Lisa Maks, RN, MN, CDE
Lisa brings 38 years of nursing with 22 as a Certified Diabetes Educator in the diabetes field. She is a Diabetes Clinical Nurse Specialist for Providence Health Care in Vancouver, BC. The Diabetes CNS role includes providing expert consultation to prescribers, leadership, education and leading research and quality improvement projects. She makes change at a systems level to provide evidence-based improvements to diabetes management for the people we serve. Lisa is an Adjunct Professor at University of British Columbia. She has presented nationally for over 20 years speaking on diabetes-related topics. She is passionate about diabetes management and has worked in a variety of settings from in-patient, out-patient to community.
