6-WEEK VIRTUAL COHORT
The Gut-Cardiometabolic Connection
Bridging Gut Health & Cardiometabolic Disease:
A Practitioner Training on Heart, Metabolic, and Vascular Health
May 18-June 25, 2026 | Online
COHORT SCHEDULE
Who This Is For:
PAs, NPs, MDs, DOs, DCs, RDs, NDs, and licensed practitioners working with cardiometabolic risk, insulin resistance, hypertension, or vascular dysfunction.
What You’re Learning
Gut dysfunction plays a central role in the development and progression of cardiometabolic disease—and this cohort is built to help you treat it that way.
You’ll examine insulin resistance, lipid profiles, vascular tone, obesity, and inflammation through the lens of gut-driven mechanisms, with clinical strategies that reflect both emerging research and day-to-day practice.
You’ll finish with a broader understanding of how gut dysfunction contributes to the leading causes of chronic disease—and how to address them with greater clarity and confidence.
Cohort Schedule
Week 1
Foundations of Cardiometabolic Health & The Gut-Heart Axis — Lara Zakaria, PharmD, MS, CNS, CDN, IFMCP
Live Q&A: Thursday, May 21st at 12:00 pm EST
Week 2
Insulin Resistance, Type 2 Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome — Krista P. Crawford, PA-C
Live Q&A: Thursday, May 28th at 12:00 PM EST
Week 3
Dyslipidemia, Atherosclerosis & Cardiovascular Risk Beyond LDL — Lara Zakaria, PharmD, MS, CNS, CDN, IFMCP
Live Q&A: Thursday,June 4th at 12:00 PM EST
Week 4
Weight Resistance, Obesity & The Gut’s Role in Metabolism — Krista P. Crawford, PA-C
Live Q&A: Thursday,June 11th at 12:00 PM EST
Week 5
Hypertension, Arrhythmias & The Gut-Vascular Connection — Rita Wadhwani, MSN, RN, ACNP, CNS
Live Q&A: Thursday,June 18th at 12:00 PM EST
Week 6
Fatty Liver Disease & The Gut-Liver-Heart Axis — Krista P. Crawford, PA-C
Live Q&A: Thursday,June 25th at 12:00 PM EST
Meet Your Educators
Krista P. Crawford, PA-C
With nearly two decades in urgent care and ER, Krista helps clinicians make sense of gut-driven symptoms—especially where cardiometabolic, immune, and hormonal dysfunction overlap. Her teaching brings clarity to complexity in high-stakes care.
Lara Zakaria PharmD MS CNS CDN IFMCP
As a pharmacist and nutritionist with deep expertise in functional medicine, Lara works at the intersection of clinical care and education—helping practitioners connect gut health to the root causes of metabolic, allergic, and autoimmune conditions through sustainable, food-first strategies.
Rita Wadhwani, MSN, RN, ACNP, CNS
With over 25 years of experience across critical care and pediatrics, Rita brings deep clinical insight to her work in gut and cardiometabolic health. Her teaching bridges conventional nursing and functional biochemistry—helping clinicians see how gut dysfunction shapes vascular health, metabolism, and long-term disease risk.
Included With Enrollment
6 on-demand clinical lectures- 6 live Q&A sessions with faculty
- Structured curriculum each week (pathophysiology, root causes, diagnostics, and treatments that bridge the gap between conventional and functional medicine)
- Access to all recordings for 12 months
- Protocols, diagnostic guides, and patient-facing tools
- Submit clinical questions ahead of each Q&A (ideal if you can’t attend live)
- All Q&As are recorded and accessible for 12 months
