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Advanced Studies · Postgraduate CAS in Mid-Life Clinical Sciences and Reproductive Endocrinology
Postgraduate Certificate of Advanced Studies in Mid-Life Clinical Sciences and Reproductive Endocrinology
Reproductive endocrinology, the systemic clinical sciences of mid-life and the psychology, longevity and nutrition of the ageing adult, taught as one 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 who want structured, current, assessed expertise in mid-life clinical sciences and reproductive endocrinology, and who will prescribe, review and govern hormone therapy and the care that follows it in their own service. 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.
Mid-life medicine arrives in one consultation: the endocrine transition of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in women and men; its downstream cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic, thyroid, adrenal, rheumatological and neurological effects; screening for cancer; and the psychological and longevity questions that follow. This programme teaches the reproductive endocrinology first, then the systemic clinical sciences, and ends with psychological health, evidence-based longevity medicine and the multidisciplinary clinic, with a capstone management plan presented to the university's examiners.
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
Menopause and perimenopause, including premature ovarian insufficiency
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
Male testosterone deficiency (late-onset hypogonadism)
Knowledge Amber · Evidence Amber · Real-world Red
Not yet at the Equinox · UK (NHS England) · as of 8 October 2026 · How the triangle works
Golden Triangle
Osteoporosis and fragility fracture risk
Knowledge Amber · Evidence Amber · Real-world Red
Not yet at the Equinox · UK (NHS England) · as of 8 October 2026 · How the triangle works
Golden Triangle
Cardiovascular disease in women after the menopause: diagnosis, treatment and sex bias
Knowledge Amber · Evidence Amber · Real-world Red
Not yet at the Equinox · European Union · as of 6 October 2026 · How the triangle works
Syllabus v3
Twelve weeks in three phases
Three hours of live contact and directed study each week; two livestreamed London Saturdays.
Phase 1 · Weeks 1–3
Reproductive endocrinology and the HPG axis
- The mid-life endocrine transition
- Advanced menopause therapeutics
- Andropause and late-onset hypogonadism
Phase 2 · Weeks 4–8
Systemic clinical sciences: CKM, musculoskeletal and neurological
- Early-stage CKM syndrome, part I: insulin and adiposity
- Early-stage CKM syndrome, part II: MASLD, hypertension and inflammation
- Bone health and osteoporosis prevention
- Cancer screening and timely diagnosis in mid-life
- Thyroid, adrenal, rheumatological and autoimmune disease: the endocrine and inflammatory differential
Phase 3 · Weeks 9–12
Psychology, longevity medicine and clinical integration
- Psychological health and the ageing brain
- Evidence-based longevity: nutritional medicine, pharmacology, molecular biology and physical interventions
- Multidisciplinary triage, applying AI to screening and prevention, and capstone integration
- Synoptic assessment: the final week
By the end you will be able to
- Explain the endocrinology of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in mid-life, distinguish physiological ageing from pathological decline, and track female and male endocrine biomarkers.
- Prescribe hormone replacement therapy and testosterone replacement therapy safely: routes, risk profiles, contraindications, premature ovarian insufficiency, the genitourinary syndrome of menopause, erectile dysfunction in the andropause consultation, and long-term monitoring.
- Recognise early-stage cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome after sex-hormone withdrawal: visceral adiposity, insulin resistance, hypertension and MASLD, with the risk-scoring tools for primary care triage.
- Assess bone health and cancer screening in mid-life, and separate thyroid, adrenal, rheumatological and autoimmune disease from perimenopausal and metabolic causes of tiredness, pain and mood.
- Recognise burnout, brain fog, chronic fatigue, migraine, insomnia and unmasked neurodivergence in mid-life, and appraise longevity interventions (nutrition, pharmacology, molecular biology and physical interventions) critically.
- Run a complex multidisciplinary clinic and present and defend a multi-system management plan for a patient with overlapping reproductive, cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic, endocrine and neurological symptoms.
Week by week
Week 1 · The mid-life endocrine transition
Live contact (3 hours). Mapping the multi-system nature of mid-life health. The endocrinology of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. Distinguishing physiological ageing from pathological decline.
Directed study. Reviewing the clinical interface between primary care and specialised community hubs; tracking female (FSH, LH, AMH, oestradiol) and male endocrine biomarkers.
Registry atoms (proposed; signed before publication). Golden Triangle: Menopause, perimenopause and POI. Acromegaly, Hyperprolactinaemia, Hypopituitarism, Pituitary tumours, Neonatal jaundice (including pathological and physiological jaundice)
Week 2 · Advanced menopause therapeutics
Live contact (3 hours). Evidence-based hormone replacement therapy (HRT) prescribing protocols. Transdermal and oral risk profiles. Managing premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) and the genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM). Worked clinical cases of menopause, and of menopause with complexity (for example an existing raised breast cancer risk).
Directed study. Working through NICE NG23; evaluating absolute and relative contraindications for oestrogen and progestogen therapies.
Named in the week: NICE NG23
Registry atoms (proposed; signed before publication). Golden Triangle: Menopause, perimenopause and POI. Genitourinary syndrome of menopause, Menopause/ perimenopause, Menopause/ perimenopause, Adrenal insufficiency (including primary and secondary), Ovarian cancer, Ovarian torsion
Week 3 · Andropause and late-onset hypogonadism
Live contact (3 hours). The ageing male endocrine system. Safe administration and long-term monitoring of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). Managing polycythaemia, prostate health and cardiovascular risk. Erectile dysfunction in the andropause consultation: assessment, causes, and when to treat or refer. Worked clinical cases of andropause, and of andropause with complexity.
Directed study. Analysing the BSSM guidelines; designing local tracking templates for haematocrit, PSA and lipid profiles.
Named in the week: BSSM guidelines
Registry atoms (proposed; signed before publication). Golden Triangle: Male testosterone deficiency. Polycythaemia
Week 4 · Early-stage CKM syndrome, part I: insulin and adiposity
Live contact (3 hours). Introduction to the cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) framework. The impact of sex-hormone withdrawal on visceral adiposity and insulin resistance. Mid-life weight gain pathophysiology.
Directed study. Evaluating pharmacological interventions for weight management (for example GLP-1 receptor agonists) in the context of hormonal transitions.
Registry atoms (proposed; signed before publication). Golden Triangle: Obesity. Airway compromise/ management, Arginine vasopressin deficiency/ resistance (diabetes insipidus), Metabolic syndrome, Obesity, Organisation, management and leadership, Weight gain, Alcohol withdrawal and opioid withdrawal
Week 5 · Early-stage CKM syndrome, part II: MASLD, hypertension and inflammation
Live contact (3 hours). Managing the downstream effects of metabolic shift: hypertension and endothelial dysfunction. Pathophysiology and screening for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Testing the hypothesis of systemic, dysfunctional inflammation (the inflammasome) and the evidence for it. Aldosterone escape: the mechanism proposed in drug-resistant hypertension and myocardial fibrosis, and the evidence for it.
Directed study. Cross-referencing cardiovascular and hepatic risk-scoring tools (for example the FIB-4 score) for primary care triage.
Registry atoms (proposed; signed before publication). Golden Triangle: Hypertension · Cardiovascular disease in women after the menopause. Disease prevention/ screening, Hypertension (essential or secondary), Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), Metabolic syndrome, Chronic liver disease (including decompensation and cirrhosis of the liver), Hypertension in pregnancy (including gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia, eclampsia)
Week 6 · Bone health and osteoporosis prevention
Live contact (3 hours). Osteoporosis risk and advanced therapeutics (bisphosphonates, SERMs, denosumab). Interpreting DXA and FRAX.
Directed study. Reviewing Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS) clinical guidance on drug holidays and long-term fracture risk reduction.
Named in the week: Royal Osteoporosis Society clinical guidance
Registry atoms (proposed; signed before publication). Golden Triangle: Osteoporosis and fragility fracture. Fracture(s) (including pathological fractures), Osteoarthritis, Osteoporosis and fragility fractures
Week 7 · Cancer screening and timely diagnosis in mid-life
Live contact (3 hours). What a screening programme must show; why screening can look better than it is; predictive values; the suspected-cancer referral pathway for people with symptoms; red flags in the mid-life consultation. The advantages and disadvantages of total-body MRI, genetic screening panels and multi-cancer early-detection blood tests, including the NHS-Galleri trial.
Directed study. Auditing local screening uptake and referral timeliness for one practice population and proposing one change.
Registry atoms (proposed; signed before publication). Airway compromise/ management, Fibromyalgia, Joint pain/ swelling/ stiffness (acute and chronic), Menopause/ perimenopause, Menopause/ perimenopause, Organisation, management and leadership, Pain management (acute and chronic)
Week 8 · Thyroid, adrenal, rheumatological and autoimmune disease: the endocrine and inflammatory differential
Live contact (3 hours). Thyroid disease as part of the early-stage CKM pillar; separating thyroid, adrenal, perimenopausal and metabolic causes of tiredness, weight change and mood; when to test and when to refer; when to check an early-morning cortisol; atypical presentations of hypothyroidism and hypoadrenalism, with worked examples. Fibromyalgia and menopause-related arthralgia; the differential diagnoses of polymyalgia rheumatica and autoimmune disease (for example systemic lupus erythematosus); when to refer to rheumatology.
Directed study. Building a one-page differential and testing pathway for tiredness and widespread pain in a woman or man aged 45 to 60, citing named guidance.
Registry atoms (proposed; signed before publication). Airway compromise/ management, Fatigue, Headache, Menopause/ perimenopause, Menopause/ perimenopause, Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME)/ chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) (awareness and approach), Organisation, management and leadership, Primary headache disorders (including migraine, cluster headache, tension headache), Stroke
Week 9 · Psychological health and the ageing brain
Live contact (3 hours). The short-term and long-term effects of psychological burnout, brain fog, chronic fatigue, migraine, insomnia, unmasked neurodivergence and untreated vasomotor symptoms. Unmasking neurodivergence (ADHD and autism) in mid-life as coping mechanisms fail during hormonal shifts. Differentiating endocrine-driven mood disorders, occupational burnout and non-organic causes of fatigue. How an ageing brain is detected, and how to intervene.
Directed study. Evaluating psychological screening tools (for example the ASRS for ADHD, GAD-7, PHQ-9) and mapping referral pathways for psychiatric support.
Registry atoms (proposed; signed before publication). Golden Triangle: Migraine · Neurodivergence in the perimenopause. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Disease prevention/ screening, Fatigue, Occupational lung disease, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Week 10 · Evidence-based longevity: nutritional medicine, pharmacology, molecular biology and physical interventions
Live contact (3 hours). Clinical application of nutritional interventions. The role of the gut microbiome in oestrogen metabolism (the estrobolome). Formulating an anti-inflammatory diet. Evidence-based prescribing of micronutrients, macronutrients and antioxidants. Pharmacological and molecular biological interventions proposed to slow ageing, and the quality of the evidence for each. Physical interventions.
Directed study. Critically appraising recent clinical trials on dietary interventions, prebiotics and probiotics, and longevity supplements in mid-life cohorts.
Week 11 · Multidisciplinary triage, applying AI to screening and prevention, and capstone integration
Live contact (3 hours). One hour on applying AI to healthcare screening and prevention, precision and personalised medicine, and metabolic versus chronological age; two hours running a complex multidisciplinary clinic with multi-morbid case studies (for example a woman with neurodivergent burnout, menopausal symptoms, early-stage CKM disease and a high osteoporosis risk).
Directed study. Finalising the capstone essay write-up and refining clinical reasoning for the viva defence.
Registry atoms (proposed; signed before publication). Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), Osteoporosis and fragility fractures, Metabolic syndrome, Chronic liver disease (including decompensation and cirrhosis of the liver)
Week 12 · Synoptic assessment: the final week
Live contact (3 hours). Oral presentations: students present their capstone case management 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). Airway compromise/ management, Organisation, management and leadership, Performance, learning and teaching, Generates management plans in emergency and acute presentations, and manages patients perioperatively
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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