Diagnosis & Treatment of Vitamin D Deficiency

Wednesday, April 9, 2008 * 12:30pm - 6:00pm
Garren Auditorium, University of California, San Diego

accrediting sponsor                                          

Register: http://grassrootshealth.org/register or call 619-823-7062.
Attendee registration is complimentary.
 

Dear Colleague:

Have you been reading the press about vitamin D? We live in sunny Southern California, surely we don't have a problem. Or, do we? Does vitamin D really prevent cancer? Can it be used to treat it? What other diseases might its deficiency contribute to? Hypertension? Type 1 diabetes? Multiple Sclerosis, osteoporosis, muscle weakness in the elderly, preeclampsia? Could these diseases be in large part 'deficiency' diseases? This seminar will address what we really know, what we don't, what current research is going on and what needs to be done. The focus is especially on what practitioners can do to diagnose and treat any deficiency that exists today.

The seminar will be conducted by some of the country’s most notable vitamin D researchers and practitioners: Cedric F. Garland, Dr. P.H., University of California San Diego Moores Cancer Center, Robert Heaney, MD, Creighton School of Medicine, Bruce Hollis, PhD, University of South Carolina School of Medicine and William B. Grant, PhD of SUNARC. There will be an extensive web based follow up with participants after the session to determine ongoing findings and answer questions. Many standard public health measures in the county will be tracked over the next few years as well.

Target Audience

The target audience for this activity includes all healthcare practitioners.

Objectives

At the end of the course, the participants should be able to

1. List at least ten vitamin D sensitive diseases
2. Quantify potential benefits of solving the vitamin D deficiency
3. Quantify a dose-response relationship for osteoporosis, falls/muscle weakness in the elderly, pregnant and lactating women, type 1 diabetes and several cancers
4. Interpret the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D test for diagnostic and treatment measures (including the seasonal variation in measurements)
5. Identify and quantify any risk categories for vitamin D treatment

Needs Assessment

The content of this educational activitiy was determined by assessment of educational need and includes literature reviews, new research publications (2007), interviews with researchers and practitioners and public health professionals

Accreditation Statement

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for continuing Medical Education through the joint sponsorship of the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and GrassrootsHealth. The University of California, San Diego School of Medicine is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The University of California, San Diego School of Medicine designates this educational activity for a maximum of 4.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Cultural and Linguistic Competency

This activity is in compliance with California Assembly Bill 1195 which requires CME courses with patient care components to include curriculum in the subjects of cultural and linguistic competencies. Cultural competency is defined as a set of integrated attitudes, knowledge, and skills that enable health care professionals or organizations to care effectively for patients from diverse cultures, groups and communities. Linguistic competency is defined as the ability of a physician or surgeon to provide patients who do not speak English or who have limited ability to speak English, direct communication in the patient’s primary language. Cultural and Linguistic Competency was incorporated into the planning of this activity. Additional resources on cultural and linguistic competency and informaton about AB 1195 can be found on the UCSD CME website at http://cme.ucsd.edu

Disclosure

It is the policy of the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine to ensure balance, independence, objectivity and scientific rigor. All faculty participating are required to disclose any real or apparent conflict of interest related to the content of their presentation. All conflicts of interest will be resolved prior to an educational activity being delivered to learners through one of the following mechanisms 1) altering the financial relationship with the commercial interest, 2) altering the individual’s control over CME content about the products of services of the commercial interest, and/or 3) validating the activity content through independent peer review. All faculty are also required to disclose any discussions of off label/unapproved uses of drugs or devices.