Beyond Glucose: The Immunologic Architecture of Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes

Topic: Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes
Accreditation Type: Physicians — maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™
Accreditor: The France Foundation
Expiration Date: August 31, 2027
Estimated Time to Complete Activity: 60 minutes

This educational activity is intended for AAI members and clinicians.

This activity provides an overview of inflammation as a core mechanism for obesity-associated comorbidities, including T2D. Discussion includes the distinct immunologic environments of visceral vs subcutaneous adipose tissue, how immune dysregulation precedes insulin resistance, how inflammation differs in people compared to animal models, and the practical barriers clinicians face in recognizing elevated inflammatory burden at the point of care.

Upon completion of this activity, learners should be able to:
1. Describe the relationship between chronic inflammation and obesity and T2D
2. Explain the role of adipose tissue in inflammation and immune dysregulation related to T2D and obesity
3. Explain the anti-inflammatory properties of GLP1 and dual incretin therapies
4. Integrate immunologic and metabolic insights in the management of obesity and T2D

Barbara Nikolajczyk, PhD
Professor of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences
Associate Director for Translational Research in Diabetes, Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center
Associate Vice Chair for Basic Science Research, Internal Medicine
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY

Marie E. McDonnell, MD
Director, Brigham Diabetes Program
Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension
Boston, MA

Thomas Jensen, MD
Associate Professor
Director of Diabetes and Metabolic Medicine for Transplant and Co-Director of MASLD Multidisciplinary Clinics
University of Colorado Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology
Aurora, CO

Barbara Nikolajczyk, PhD
Professor of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences
Associate Director for Translational Research in Diabetes, Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center
Associate Vice Chair for Basic Science Research, Internal Medicine
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY

Marie E. McDonnell, MD
Director, Brigham Diabetes Program
Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension
Boston, MA

Thomas Jensen, MD
Associate Professor Director of Diabetes and Metabolic Medicine for Transplant and Co-Director of MASLD Multidisciplinary Clinics
University of Colorado Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology
Aurora, CO

Margaret Das, PhD
Medical Writer
The France Foundation
Old Lyme, CT

Successful completion is achieved by reviewing the CE information, completing the activity, and completing the posttest and evaluation form. A score of at least 75% on the posttest is required to successfully complete this activity. The participant may take the test until successfully passed.

Credit Fulfillment
If you are requesting AMA credits or a certificate of participation, your certificate will be available for download.

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This activity is jointly provided by The France Foundation and the American Association of Immunologists.

In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by The France Foundation and the American Association of Immunologists. The France Foundation is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the health care team.

The France Foundation designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. All other health care professionals completing this course will be issued a statement of participation.

In accordance with the ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education, all individuals in a position to control the content of this educational activity must disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies. All identified conflicts of interest are reviewed and mitigated to ensure independence, objectivity, balance, and scientific rigor.

This activity adheres to generally accepted standards of scientific integrity, including requirements for appropriate study design, data collection, and analysis. The organizers of this activity are committed to providing high-quality CME/CE that promotes improvements in health care and serves the needs of learners and not commercial interests. When applicable, collaborating partners participate in the disclosure and mitigation process.

Planning committee members, faculty, reviewers, and activity staff have disclosed the following relevant financial relationships. All relevant financial relationships listed have been mitigated.

Name of Individual	Role in Activity	Name of Commercial Interest(s)	Nature of Relationship(s)	Mechanism(s) implemented to resolve conflict of interest
Barbara Nikolajczyk, PhD	Planning Committee Member Faculty	No relevant financial disclosures	NA	NA
Marie E. McDonnell, MD	Planning Committee Member Faculty	1. Abbott	1. Contract Research	All final planning decisions concerning content, learning objectives, and evaluation questions were made by a non-conflicted planning committee member Content was reviewed by a non-conflicted member of the planning committee to ensure that it is not commercially biased, is fair-balanced, and is based on scientific evidence and/or clinical reasoning
Thomas Jensen, MD	Planning Committee Member Faculty	1. Madrigal	1. Consultant	All final planning decisions concerning content, learning objectives, and evaluation questions were made by a non-conflicted planning committee member Content was reviewed by a non-conflicted member of the planning committee to ensure that it is not commercially biased, was fair-balanced, and is based on scientific evidence and/or clinical reasoning
Margaret Das, PhD	Planning Committee Member TFF Content Reviewer	No relevant financial disclosures	NA	NA

Faculty for this educational activity are required to disclose when a therapy or procedure being discussed is off-label, unlabeled, experimental, or investigational and to note any limitations of the data presented (eg, preliminary findings, ongoing research, or expert opinion).

Some faculty may discuss uses of pharmaceutical agents or devices that are not included in US Food and Drug Administration–approved labeling. These discussions are provided solely for educational purposes and should not be construed as a recommendation for any particular use. Learners are encouraged to review full prescribing information for products discussed.

This activity is intended for health care professionals for educational purposes only. The content reflects information available at the time of development and may not represent the most current evidence, regulatory status, or prescribing information. Participants should consult current package inserts, clinical guidelines, and institutional policies before prescribing medications or making clinical decisions.

This activity has been planned and implemented in compliance with applicable accreditation standards to ensure that content is fair, balanced, evidence-based, and free of commercial bias.

This educational activity includes content generated with the support of artificial intelligence (AI)/chatbot tools and reviewed by subject-matter experts. It is intended solely for educational purposes and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment recommendations.

AI‑supported content may contain errors or omissions, and it should not be relied upon as a substitute for the independent clinical judgment of qualified health care professionals or for patient‑specific decision making. Learners are responsible for critically evaluating all information and applying it in accordance with professional standards, current evidence, regulatory requirements, and the laws of their practicing jurisdiction.