The Canadian Advanced Learning in Bariatric Care (CALIBRE) course is designed to enhance and upgrade the knowledge of healthcare professionals in obesity management. This course has been developed with the learning needs of physicians in mind, however is open to any licensed healthcare professional who wants to integrate and implement obesity management into their current practice and who are looking for tools and resources on how to respectfully and sensitively manage obesity. Calibre has been designed to inform the process and standard of care for people living with obesity.

Topics that will be covered in this course include: 

  • Determinants of obesity and pathophysiology of obesity 
  • Communication, weight bias, stigma & discrimination 
  • Evidence based obesity treatments
  • Goal setting, outcomes & changing tactics

This course has undergone a review from a patient advisory committee to include perspectives from people living with obesity. 

This program was co-developed and planned by CSEM, EASO and Obesity Canada to achieve scientific integrity, objectivity, and balance.

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Upon completion of this learning intervention, participants will be able to: 

  1. Identify respectful and effective communication styles to mitigate weight bias, stigma and discrimination 
  2. Assess and diagnose obesity using appropriate, evidence-based, objective investigations
  3. Collaboratively evaluate outcomes, expectations and goals with patients
  4. Implement evidence-based obesity care strategies in primary care in keeping with best practices for patient-centered care and safety

  • This 3-credit-per-hour Group Learning program has been certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada for up to 44.25 Mainpro+® Credits. 
  • This activity is an accredited self-assessment program (Section 3) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and approved by the Canadian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism. You may claim a maximum of 18 hours (credits are automatically calculated). Participants should only claim credits commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
  • Through an agreement between the Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada physicians participating in the Royal College MOC Program may record QCHP  Category 3 credits as Royal College MOC Section 3 credits.

Accreditation information will be updated as necessary.

Please remember you must attend all live sessions in the class you register for to qualify for the certificate of completion and any credits that may be awarded to the program.

Class #1:

Access to the platform: End of October 2022

All live sessions run from 7:00pm – 9:00pm ET

Workshop 1: November 15, 2022

Workshop 2: November 29, 2022

Workshop 3: December 13, 2022

The Canadian Advanced Learning in Bariatric Care, CALIBRE, course has been developed to address the learning needs of physicians who want to integrate evidence-based obesity management grounded in the Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines into their current practice.

Non-physicians are eligible to enroll in Calibre however please take into consideration the course was developed for physicians.

This course addresses the following CanMED roles:

Medical Expert

Communicator

Health Advocate

Professional

    • You must be a healthcare professional with a license in good standing 

This 5 module course will kick off with self directed learning including self reflection and testing your knowledge;  followed by three bi-weekly, 2 hour live workshops facilitated by obesity experts. 

Participants will have the opportunity to interact with their peers and ask questions outside of the live course scheduled times. 

To successfully complete the course and receive credits, participants must: 

    • Attend all scheduled live modules
    • Complete all online course material 

Education Delivery Formats Include: 

    • Recorded presentations 
    • Live workshops
    • Case studies 
    • Breakout sessions 
    • Question & answer sessions 
    • Self reflections 
    • Pre & Post knowledge checks

This course has been developed by funding provided by Obesity Canada. There are no sponsors for this course.

CALIBRE – Mental Health

CALIBRE – Pediatrics

CALIBRE – Sleep

CALIBRE – Diabetes

CALIBRE – Cardiovascular

CALIBRE – Cancer

CALIBRE – Arthritis

CALIBRE – NASH

CALIBRE – Obstetrics & Gynecology

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is Calibre?

A. Calibre is a hybrid online CME that combines learn-as-you-go content with live workshops. It was developed through a partnership among Obesity Canada, the European Association for the Study of Obesity and the Canadian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism. Course content was put together by a blue-chip panel of Canadian and global obesity clinicians and researchers, many of them authors of the Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs). Patients with lived experience also contributed their expertise to the program.

Q. Does Calibre focus only on bariatric surgery?

A. Calibre is not just about surgery! The Calibre program focuses on the patient journey from having a conversation about weight to assessment, available treatment options, to goal setting and follow-up.

Q. How does Calibre relate to the Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines?

A. Calibre uses the evidence and clinical recommendations outlined in the Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs), along with the clinical and research expertise of the program’s faculty, to underpin the practical advice for healthcare providers that’s offered through the program. 

Q.What need did you see to develop the Calibre program?

A. While obesity is a chronic disease, it is not a heterogenous one – how it develops and how it can be successfully managed are not the same for everyone who lives with it. Calibre reinforces the new definition of obesity, where excess or abnormal fat accumulation affects one’s health; it’s not about size, BMI or a number on the scale, but about objective health measures. In other words, you don’t have obesity just because you live in a larger body – it’s only when weight affects health, such as having high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. that one can be diagnosed with obesity. 

Healthcare practitioners in Canada and globally typically receive little to no education or training in obesity management, and so professional education is a core activity for Obesity Canada. Obesity Canada administered two needs assessment surveys: one for professionals to determine what gaps there are and one for the public to identify resources that are helpful in managing and discussing their obesity. As well, the guidelines are a comprehensive synthesis of all aspects of obesity prevention and treatment – more than 500,000 peer reviewed papers were assessed in the process of making the guidelines’ 19 chapters. Calibre streamlines the clinical knowledge and tools needed to support patients living with obesity, in a practical but thorough format designed to build clinicians’ confidence in treating obesity in collaboration with their patients. 

Q. How is Calibre different from existing obesity management courses?

A. Calibre covers a lot of material in a manageable amount of time – roughly half of the course is learn-as-you-go videos and self-directed reading, but we include three, two-hour live online workshops so that participants can learn with their peers and from our expert faculty. Calibre aims to provide practical, hands-on knowledge and skills with a focus on providing patient-centred care – meaning setting goals, choosing treatments and supports, adjusting treatment plans and following up in a care plan that has patients’ input and buy-in. The message in Calibre is the message in the CPGs – treatment for obesity is not solely about weight loss, but rather on improving health measures and quality of life so that patients can live their best life. No treatment or combination of treatments are right for every individual, and so Calibre will help clinicians work with patients to identify drivers of obesity and possible ways to address them, while setting realistic goals to improve health and wellbeing.

Q. How did people living with obesity contribute to this program?

A. Obesity Canada recognizes the importance of the lived experience and similar to the work on the CPGs, the perspectives of people living with obesity are central to CALIBRE. Through OC’s Director of Advocacy and Public Engagement, we tap into our patient community for input, feedback and participation in all of our projects including CALIBRE. Individuals living with obesity were involved throughout all stages of the development of this program. People with obesity participated in reviewing all content and presentations, providing feedback and developing and reviewing resources for patients that are included in this training for healthcare professionals. Individuals living with obesity also provided videos that are included in each module, so that the content is centered on real-life lived experiences. 

Q. How many people living with obesity were involved and in what capacity? 

A. There were 7 individuals living with obesity, representing our patient community (more than 2500) were directly involved in the development of this program. Reviews and feedback were provided on all presentations (both recorded and live session), online content, developed resources (both professional and public), case studies, attended scientific planning committee meetings and provided lived experience perspectives to be included in the training modules.