The American Heart Association has expanded its education portfolio to help clinicians put the new cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome guideline into practice. The new resources, announced on October 12, 2026, range from 15-minute micro-learnings to in-depth courses and practical tools, with continuing education credit offerings varying. The move comes as cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic conditions—such as Type 2 diabetes and obesity—increasingly overlap, making coordinated care more critical than ever.
Since 2023, the American Heart Association has been a leader in advancing CKM health by convening experts across science, clinical care, and industry and developing resources to improve diagnosis and management of these interconnected conditions. “CKM syndrome challenges clinicians to look beyond a single condition and consider how cardiovascular, kidney and metabolic health influence one another,” said Ambar Kulshreshtha, M.D., Ph.D., a family practice physician and member of the Association’s CKM Health Initiative, as well as a professor of family and preventive medicine at Emory School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. “These educational resources support a range of learning styles and busy schedules, giving care team members practical ways to build knowledge, stay current with the latest evidence and apply recommendations.”
The Association’s CKM education can be found on the CKM Health for Professionals site, designed to help physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare team members confidently apply the latest CKM science in practice. Offerings include Micro-Learnings (15 minutes or less), which are short videos and activities that allow clinicians to refresh their knowledge on topics like measuring waist circumference or highlights from the 2026 CKM Syndrome Guideline. Other topics include the PREVENT equations, a framework for weight management conversations, and bridging gaps in CKM care.
For deeper learning, the Association offers podcasts (30-minute episodes) on the latest CKM recommendations and strategies for implementing evidence-based care, including a half-hour episode offering CE credit on therapeutic applications for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Videos on demand (60+ minutes) include the recorded version of live events, such as the CKM Syndrome Guideline Unpacked: A Unified Approach for Interdisciplinary Prevention & Care, a virtual summit featuring insights from the guideline writing committee. Additional offerings address cardiovascular risk assessment, chronic kidney disease screening, GLP-1 receptor agonists, and managing patients with heart failure and CKM syndrome.
Apps and tools are designed to support CKM care at the point of practice, including a QuickStart guide for the American Heart Association Predicting Risk of cardiovascular disease EVENTsTM (PREVENT) Online Calculator, which estimates 10- and 30-year cardiovascular disease risk by integrating cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic health measures. The Guidelines-on-the-Go app (available for iOS and Android) puts the latest science and clinical recommendations at your fingertips. Toolkits and additional resources include the CKM Care Clinical QuickStart Guide, a concise, step-by-step guide covering screening, risk stratification, staging, and management.
Several of these educational experiences are offered by the American Heart Association’s Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Health Initiative™, supported by founding sponsors Novo Nordisk and Boehringer Ingelheim, supporting sponsors Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation and Bayer, and champion sponsor DaVita. The initiative aims to raise awareness of the connections between CKM syndrome conditions, improve diagnosis rates, and help clinicians and patients better manage their risk for cardiovascular disease. For regular updates on new science and learning opportunities, follow American Heart Association Science on X @HeartNews. Connect with the American Heart Association on heart.org, heart.org, and stroke.org. View the original release on www.newmediawire.com.
