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Advanced Studies · Postgraduate Certificate of Advanced Studies
Postgraduate Certificate of Advanced Studies in Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Medicine (CAS-CVKM)
Diabetes, cardiac, renal and metabolic care, taught as one connected system. Twelve weeks from September 2027, two livestreamed London Saturdays, and a capstone defended before the university's examiners.
Award
Postgraduate CAS
New Vision University (UK Faculty)
Credit
10 ECTS
20 UK credits · 250 notional hours over twelve weeks: 36 hours of live contact and 214 hours of directed study and assessment
Format
12 weeks
Online, with two livestreamed London Saturdays
Dates
1 Sep – 31 Dec 2027
London days Sat 4 Sep and Sat 30 Oct 2027
Fee
On application
Given when you apply
1 · Who it is for
For the extended-scope primary-care clinician
GPs, prescribing pharmacists and advanced clinical practitioners working in NHS neighbourhoods and equivalent international settings, who already hold a level 7 professional qualification and want structured, current, assessed expertise in integrated cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic care. The career stage is established practice: a clinician who already holds a level 7 professional qualification or equivalent experience and who will govern the care this programme teaches.
Diabetes, heart failure, chronic kidney disease, obesity and vascular risk are usually taught, and too often managed, as separate problems. They share one pathophysiology of insulin resistance, inflammation and fibrosis, and the same organ-protective therapies now cut across all of them. This programme teaches that connected reality over twelve weeks, from the metabolic and renal foundations through the cardiovascular and vascular deep dives to the leadership of an integrated clinic, and it ends with the service you will design where you work.
2 · Level
Course content is EQF level 7 (70%) and EQF level 8 (30%); level 8 content is part of every week.
3 · Coverage
The whole syllabus is taught, in twelve weeks over three phases; nothing in it is sampled. Each week is mapped to the atoms of our curriculum registry and signed by the Course Director before it is taught.
4 · The award
Postgraduate Certificate of Advanced Studies awarded by New Vision University (UK Faculty); 10 ECTS (20 UK credits); course content EQF level 7 (70%) and EQF level 8 (30%). New Vision University is not a UK degree-awarding body; recognition of credit is at the discretion of receiving institutions.
It is an academic award, not a UK degree, GMC registration or specialist registration. Examiners are appointed by New Vision University; an external examiner is named for each cohort.
4b · Who conducts it, and who awards
This educational activity is conducted by MD Acumen. MD Acumen Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales (company number 16538952). MD Acumen is not an awarding body.
New Vision University is an international medical school listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools (WDOMS). It is an approved educational awarding body for undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in Georgia. New Vision University is not a UK degree-awarding body.
Each course corresponds to 10 ECTS or 20 UK credits, approximately 200 to 250 hours of learning activity, including learning, assessment and a capstone mini-dissertation.
The educational activity, composition and governance arrangement of this course satisfy the New Vision University Academic Board; hence a Postgraduate Certificate of Advanced Studies is awarded by New Vision University.
Every clinical statement is signed by a named GMC-registered clinician with the date and the guideline version relied on. Nothing reaches a learner unsigned. AI assists the drafting of our material, and no AI decides a mark.
5 · Sponsorship
No sponsorship agreement is in place for the 2027 cohort as at 18 October 2026. Sponsors contribute to the costs of the teaching. They do not influence the course content, the choice of speakers or any aspect of the governance of the award. No attendee data goes to a sponsor without the delegate's explicit consent.
When an agreement is signed this declaration reads: "This teaching day has received sponsorship from [Company] in the form of [an educational grant towards venue and livestreaming costs]. [Company] has had no input into the agenda, the content, the speakers or the materials, which remain the responsibility and copyright of MD Acumen Ltd." The sponsor register is updated within seven days.
6 · The Golden Triangle of its headline conditions
Where each condition stands today
Fixed to the condition and re-examined when its knowledge, evidence or real-world sources change. How the triangle works
Golden Triangle
Cardiovascular disease prevention
Knowledge Green · Evidence Green · Real-world Red
Not yet at the Equinox · UK (NHS England) · as of 7 October 2026 · How the triangle works
Golden Triangle
Hypertension
Knowledge Green · Evidence Green · Real-world Red
Not yet at the Equinox · UK (NHS England) · as of 7 October 2026 · How the triangle works
Golden Triangle
Dyslipidaemia (raised cholesterol)
Knowledge Green · Evidence Green · Real-world Red
Not yet at the Equinox · UK (NHS England) · as of 7 October 2026 · How the triangle works
Golden Triangle
Heart failure
Knowledge Green · Evidence Green · Real-world Red
Not yet at the Equinox · UK (NHS England) · as of 7 October 2026 · How the triangle works
Golden Triangle
Chronic kidney disease
Knowledge Green · Evidence Green · Real-world Red
Not yet at the Equinox · UK (NHS England) · as of 7 October 2026 · How the triangle works
Golden Triangle
Type 2 diabetes
Knowledge Green · Evidence Green · Real-world Amber
Not yet at the Equinox · UK (NHS England) · as of 7 October 2026 · How the triangle works
Golden Triangle
Obesity
Knowledge Green · Evidence Green · Real-world Red
Not yet at the Equinox · UK (NHS England) · as of 7 October 2026 · How the triangle works
Syllabus v2
Twelve weeks in three phases
Three hours of live contact and directed study each week; two livestreamed London Saturdays.
Phase 1 · Weeks 1–3
Metabolic and renal foundations
- Introduction to CVKM architecture and national policy
- Type 2 diabetes, ectopic adiposity, obesity and MASLD
- Hypertension, advanced renal protection and type 2 diabetes to target
Phase 2 · Weeks 4–8
Core cardiovascular and vascular deep dives
- Ischaemic heart disease: STEMI, NSTEMI, angina, cardiomyopathies and the ECG
- Macrovascular disease: stroke, TIA, PAD and post-stent management
- Cardiac electrophysiology: atrial fibrillation
- Heart failure: a dedicated deep dive
- Multi-tasking therapeutics and haemodynamic targets
Phase 3 · Weeks 9–12
System leadership and synoptic evaluation
- Smoking cessation, lipid-lowering therapy and secondary-prevention rehabilitation
- Multidisciplinary team leadership and cross-sector triage
- Capstone peer review and viva preparation
- Synoptic assessment: the final week
By the end you will be able to
- Explain the cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic axis and the strategic shift from single-disease clinics to integrated care, and map the national targets to your own population.
- Diagnose and manage type 2 diabetes, ectopic adiposity, obesity and MASLD, hypertension and advanced renal protection, overcoming therapeutic inertia.
- Manage ischaemic heart disease, macrovascular disease, atrial fibrillation and heart failure across the continuum against both the NICE and the ESC definitions, with the prescribing mechanics of the multi-system agents and strict haemodynamic targets.
- Deliver smoking cessation, lipid-lowering therapy and secondary-prevention rehabilitation, and address socioeconomic variance in access.
- Lead an integrated multidisciplinary clinic, find the missed cases, and design a cross-sector triage pathway between community hubs and secondary care.
- Present and defend a capstone: a budgeted service transformation plan for a cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic model within an ICB, or a critical multi-system case analysis.
Week by week
Week 1 · Introduction to CVKM architecture and national policy
Live contact (3 hours). Pathophysiology of the cardiorenal-metabolic axis; the strategic shift from single-disease clinics to integrated care; understanding the CVD Modern Service Framework targets.
Directed study. Reviewing the DHSC/NHS policy frameworks; mapping local ICB metrics.
Named in the week: DHSC/NHS policy frameworks · CVD Modern Service Framework
Registry atoms (proposed; signed before publication). Golden Triangle: Cardiovascular disease prevention. Chronic kidney disease, Chronic kidney disease, Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), Metabolic syndrome, Acute kidney injury, Acute kidney injury
Week 2 · Type 2 diabetes, ectopic adiposity, obesity and MASLD
Live contact (3 hours). Type 2 diabetes in the cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic setting; visceral and ectopic fat accumulation as the engine of insulin resistance; diagnosing and screening for MASLD (FIB-4 index); advanced weight-management pharmacology (GLP-1/GIP receptor agonists).
Directed study. Setting up practice-level tracking templates for patients on incretin therapies; working through the NICE, ADA/EASD and EASL guidance on type 2 diabetes, obesity and MASLD.
Named in the week: NICE, ADA/EASD and EASL guidance on type 2 diabetes, obesity and MASLD
Registry atoms (proposed; signed before publication). Golden Triangle: Obesity · Type 2 diabetes. Airway compromise/ management, Arginine vasopressin deficiency/ resistance (diabetes insipidus), Diabetes mellitus, Disease prevention/ screening, Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), Metabolic syndrome, Obesity, Organisation, management and leadership, Effectively uses relevant guidelines and critically evaluates information and evidence when assessing a patient, Chronic liver disease (including decompensation and cirrhosis of the liver)
Week 3 · Hypertension, advanced renal protection and type 2 diabetes to target
Live contact (3 hours). CKD staging (eGFR and UACR optimisation); metabolic management algorithms prioritising cardiorenal protection over simple glucose control; overcoming therapeutic inertia; aldosterone escape as a proposed cause of drug-resistant hypertension; blood-pressure targets in CKD.
Directed study. Auditing primary care coding gaps for CKD and diabetes medication optimisation.
Registry atoms (proposed; signed before publication). Golden Triangle: Chronic kidney disease · Hypertension. Airway compromise/ management, Chronic kidney disease, Chronic kidney disease, Diabetes mellitus, Hypertension (essential or secondary), Organisation, management and leadership, Renal cancer, End stage renal disease (including renal replacement therapy and transplantation), Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), Metabolic syndrome, Urinary tract calculi, Hypertension in pregnancy (including gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia, eclampsia), Acute kidney injury, Acute kidney injury
Week 4 · Ischaemic heart disease: STEMI, NSTEMI, angina, cardiomyopathies and the ECG
Live contact (3 hours). Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) pathways; distinguishing STEMI from NSTEMI; managing stable angina; classification of cardiomyopathies; advanced ECG interpretation for ischaemia and structural disease.
Directed study. Case-study analysis of atypical ischaemic presentations; interpreting complex ECG rhythms.
Registry atoms (proposed; signed before publication). Acute coronary syndromes, Cardiomyopathy, Data gathering and interpretation, Ischaemic heart disease (including stable angina), Transient ischaemic attacks (TIA), Gangrene, Heart failure
Week 5 · Macrovascular disease: stroke, TIA, PAD and post-stent management
Live contact (3 hours). Transient ischaemic attack (TIA) rapid triage; stroke secondary prevention; peripheral arterial disease (PAD) staging and antiplatelet optimisation; post-PCI (stent) long-term management, dual-antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) duration, and bleeding-risk balancing.
Directed study. Reviewing NICE and ESC guidelines on long-term antithrombotic combinations.
Named in the week: NICE and ESC guidelines on long-term antithrombotic combinations
Registry atoms (proposed; signed before publication). Airway compromise/ management, Ischaemic heart disease (including stable angina), Organisation, management and leadership, Peripheral vascular disease, Stroke, Transient ischaemic attacks (TIA), Acute coronary syndromes
Week 6 · Cardiac electrophysiology: atrial fibrillation
Live contact (3 hours). Detection and screening strategies for silent AF; rate versus rhythm control algorithms; stroke risk stratification (CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED); DOAC prescribing mechanics, dosing errors in renal impairment, and long-term compliance trackers.
Directed study. Setting up localised, automated primary care audit criteria for under-anticoagulated AF cohorts.
Registry atoms (proposed; signed before publication). Disease prevention/ screening, Stroke, Tachyarrhythmias (including atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, supraventricular tachycardia, torsades de pointes, ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation), Renal cancer, End stage renal disease (including renal replacement therapy and transplantation), Urinary tract calculi
Week 7 · Heart failure: a dedicated deep dive
Live contact (3 hours). The heart failure continuum, taught against both the NICE and the ESC definitions and where they differ; diagnostic pathways using NT-proBNP and rapid echocardiography triage; initiating and up-titrating the foundational therapies, including newly appraised agents.
Directed study. Reviewing international clinical trials for HFpEF treatments; building an NT-proBNP community triage pathway.
Named in the week: NICE NG106 · ESC heart failure guideline
Registry atoms (proposed; signed before publication). Golden Triangle: Heart failure. Heart failure, Deep vein thrombosis, Ischaemic heart disease (including stable angina)
Week 8 · Multi-tasking therapeutics and haemodynamic targets
Live contact (3 hours). Prescribing mechanics, side-effect management and combination sequencing for multi-system agents (SGLT2 inhibitors, GLP-1 receptor agonists, non-steroidal MRAs and ARNIs); multi-drug titration for resistant hypertension to achieve strict targets.
Directed study. Creating a safety protocol for patients concurrently taking an ACE inhibitor or ARNI, an SGLT2 inhibitor and a non-steroidal MRA.
Registry atoms (proposed; signed before publication). Golden Triangle: Hypertension. Airway compromise/ management, Hypertension (essential or secondary), Organisation, management and leadership, Hypertension in pregnancy (including gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia, eclampsia)
Week 9 · Smoking cessation, lipid-lowering therapy and secondary-prevention rehabilitation
Live contact (3 hours). Advanced behavioural change models; pharmacotherapy combinations (varenicline, NRT) for high-risk cardiorenal patients; addressing socioeconomic variance in smoking cessation and cardiac and stroke rehabilitation enrolment. Lipid-lowering therapy in primary and secondary prevention: current agents (statins, ezetimibe, bempedoic acid, inclisiran, PCSK9 monoclonal antibodies, icosapent ethyl) and those in development (lipoprotein(a) inhibitors and CETP inhibitors).
Directed study. Mapping localised barrier frameworks to rehabilitation access.
Registry atoms (proposed; signed before publication). Golden Triangle: Dyslipidaemia. Behaviour/ personality change
Week 10 · Multidisciplinary team leadership and cross-sector triage
Live contact (3 hours). Leading an integrated CVKM multidisciplinary clinic; collaborative decision-making across primary care networks, community pharmacies and acute cardiovascular specialists; how to find the missed cases.
Directed study. Designing a localised, integrated triage pathway to streamline communication between community hubs and secondary care teams.
Registry atoms (proposed; signed before publication). Decision-making and diagnosis, Organisation, management and leadership, Chronic kidney disease, Chronic kidney disease, Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), Metabolic syndrome, Acute kidney injury, Acute kidney injury
Week 11 · Capstone peer review and viva preparation
Live contact (3 hours). Formative peer evaluation of capstone projects; troubleshooting challenging clinical case simulations; polishing presentation and academic defence skills.
Directed study. Finalising the capstone essay text and building presentation slides.
Week 12 · Synoptic assessment: the final week
Live contact (3 hours). Oral presentations: students present their capstone business case or clinical transformation plan to New Vision University's examiners, followed by a viva voce.
Directed study. The capstone essay is submitted; the presentation and the viva are the week's assessment.
Registry atoms (proposed; signed before publication). Performance, learning and teaching
Assessment
The capstone essay and the viva
Two summative elements and a formative log, in a dual matrix. The course content is EQF level 7 (70%) and EQF level 8 (30%). The whole curriculum, including its level 8 content, counts toward the award: grades are set across the entire course content: Pass 51 to 59 per cent, Pass with Merit 60 to 69 per cent, Pass with Distinction 70 per cent and above.
Capstone essay · 70%
3,000 words · an evidence-based service transformation or hub business case, or a critical multi-system case analysis
Oral presentation and viva voce · 30%
A 15-minute presentation of the capstone in week 12 before New Vision University's examiners, followed by a 5-minute defence
Continuous clinical log · Formative
Weekly tracking of three portfolio entries drawn from the directed study
Your capstone is a workplace asset
Service transformation or hub business case
A fully budgeted plan to build a cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic model within an ICB, or a fully priced service-delivery business case for a community Women's Health Hub, ready to put to a clinical lead.
Multi-system case analysis
A critical, guideline-referenced management plan for a complex patient: for example post-stent with CKD, diabetes and heart failure, or a mid-life patient with overlapping reproductive, cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic and neurological symptoms.
Every certificate comes with appraisal-ready records: a one-page reflection record in the fields UK appraisal expects, and a Quality Improvement Activity record for the capstone. They are plain PDFs that any appraisal toolkit accepts. You declare any use of AI in assessed work. The viva is where you defend your own reasoning.
7 · What changed this month
The living curriculum, in public
Guidance is watched for change; when a cornerstone guideline moves, the affected teaching is reviewed, re-signed and re-dated by a named clinician.
Each entry names the module, the change, the signer and the date. The list is read from the learning platform; where it cannot load, see the change log.
Enrolment form opens July 2027
Cohort 1: 1 September to 31 December 2027. The fee is given on application. Join the waitlist now and you will be told first.
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