UAMS to Host 31st Annual Diabetes Update for Healthcare Professionals

UAMS prepares for 31st annual diabetes update in Little Rock

Healthcare professionals across various specialties are preparing to gather in Little Rock to address the evolving complexities of diabetes management. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has announced it will host its 31st Annual Diabetes Update on Nov. 14, 2026. This daylong educational program, held at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, aims to equip clinicians with the latest strategies to improve patient care and strengthen the communication necessary to increase patient adherence.

As reported by UAMS, the conference is designed to move beyond theoretical knowledge, focusing instead on practice-changing updates. The curriculum is built around large- and small-group interactions, allowing the healthcare team to exchange information with expert faculty. According to details provided by the UAMS cloud-cme portal, the program includes breakout sessions and simulation-based learning where participants can critically review available resources and analyze real-life case scenarios.

The stakes for this level of specialized training are significant. Diabetes management is not merely about blood sugar monitoring; it involves a complex web of cardiovascular health, nutritional stability, and technological integration. By focusing on patient adherence, the program addresses one of the most persistent hurdles in chronic disease management: the gap between clinical recommendation and daily patient behavior.

New technology and GLP-1 medication updates lead the agenda

A central pillar of this year’s program is the rapid advancement in medical technology. Justin Eastzer, a reporter, podcaster, and advocate for diabetics who founded the multiplatform source Diabetech, will serve as the keynote speaker. Eastzer is scheduled to present on “What’s New and Exciting in Diabetes Technology,” a topic that sits at the intersection of patient autonomy and clinical precision.

The educational schedule also tackles some of the most discussed topics in modern endocrinology. Specifically, the program will cover:

Prescribing information for injectable and oral GLP-1 medications.
Updates to the latest diabetes standards of care.
Medicaid formularies and their impact on treatment access.
New-onset diabetes education and hypoglycemia management.
Ketone monitoring and the prevention of cardiovascular complications, including heart attacks and strokes.

This breadth of topics suggests an effort to address the “whole patient” model. By including discussions on cooking healthy meals alongside technical discussions on ketone monitoring, the conference acknowledges that clinical outcomes are often determined as much by lifestyle as they are by pharmacology.

Professional credits and multidisciplinary participation

Because diabetes care requires a coordinated team approach, the conference is not limited to endocrinologists. The UAMS cloud-cme site notes that the target audience includes a wide array of specialties, including dietetics, nutrition, public health, preventive medicine, and nursing. This multidisciplinary approach is reflected in the various professional credits available to attendees.

The educational program offers a significant amount of continuing education credit across several disciplines:

Professional Group	Maximum Credit/Contact Hours
Physicians (AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™)	8.0
Nurses (ANCC contact hours)	8.0
Pharmacists (ACPE contact hours)	8.0
Physician Assistants (AAPA Category 1 CME)	8.0
Registered Dietitians (CDR CPEUs)	8.0
Athletic Trainers (BOC Category A hours)	8.0

For those planning to attend, the event will take place in the Walton Auditorium on the 10th floor of the Cancer Institute from 7:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Parking is designated at Parking Deck 3, located at the corner of UAMS Boulevard and Capitol Avenue.

The role of UAMS in Arkansas healthcare

The hosting of this event underscores the central role UAMS plays in the state’s medical infrastructure. As the only health sciences university in Arkansas, UAMS manages a massive clinical and educational enterprise. It serves as the state’s only adult Level 1 trauma center and operates a statewide health system that includes hospitals in Pine Bluff, Helena-West Helena, Mena, and Warren.

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With approximately 12,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians, the institution provides a backbone for healthcare delivery across the region, supporting not only its own clinical enterprise but also affiliated hospitals and the VA Medical Center. This scale of expertise is vital for managing large-scale public health challenges like the diabetes epidemic, which requires constant updates to standard-of-care protocols to mitigate long-term costs associated with cardiovascular death and stroke.

Registration and further details regarding the course can be found through the official UAMS continuing medical education portal at uams.cloud-cme.com.

The evolution of diabetes care continues to move toward a more integrated, tech-heavy approach that demands constant re-education of the frontline workforce.

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