Message from Ann Keeling, CEO, IDF

A just vision for 2012

Welcome to the first newsletter of 2012. Now we are three months into the New Year we have had time to reflect on our achievements of 2011. It was undoubtedly a historic year for IDF and diabetes. We have also been busy planning for 2012 and beyond, to ensure that as a federation, we continue to build momentum with our member associations and catalyse change for the millions of people with diabetes worldwide. Read more

Spotlight on Denmark

This quarter, we put the spotlight on the EU presidency country of Denmark and the Danish Diabetes Association (DDA). We asked Henrik Nedergaard, CEO of DDA, how the UN High Level Summit and the work of the DDA have impacted on national diabetes awareness.

How has the impact of the UN High Level Summit been felt in Denmark?
As a follow-up to the UN High Level Summit, the Danish Diabetes Association (DDA) and OECD Paris are preparing the European Diabetes Leadership Forum (EDLF) on April 25-26. The Forum is held under the auspices of the Danish Presidency of the European Council of Ministers and will include speeches by the Danish Prime Minister, Danish Health Minister, head of the OECD and a keynote address by Kofi Annan. Read more

Five questions with Professor Juliana Chan

Juliana Chan is Professor of Medicine and Therapeutics and Assistant Dean at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital (CUHK-PWH). Prof Chan joins us this quarter to share more information on one of the newest Centres of Education to join IDF’s growing network.

Tell us about your institution? Why did you decide to join IDF's Centres of Education Network (IDFCE)?
The CUHK-PWH Diabetes and Endocrine Centre was established in 1985 as a service and teaching unit at PWH, the teaching hospital of CUHK. Since then, it has expanded to include six functional units operated by over 100 staff members engaged in a series of interlinked research, care and education activities. Read more

A blogger's view with Kelly Close

Kelly L. Close is President of Close Concerns, Inc., a healthcare information firm exclusively focused on diabetes and obesity. Kelly is also editor-in-chief of diaTribe, a monthly online newsletter focused on new research and products for people with diabetes. We asked her for 2012 research predictions and how IDF can further help the diabetes community.

What do you predict will be the high points of 2012 in terms of diabetes research and innovation?
We believe the high points of 2012 will relate to individualized therapies, specifically those which minimize hypoglycaemia and weight gain and optimize time spent “in goal.” Toward that end, combination therapy will become more common and more important. Read more

Champion's corner with Bas van de Goor

"I want to inspire other people with diabetes to have an exciting life full of sport." Bas van de Goor, IDF Blue Circle Champion

Former Olympic volleyball champion Bas van de Goor was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on November 11, 2003. On the same day he saw Olympic legend Sir Steve Redgrave on television. Redgrave’s story about winning his fifth Olympic gold medal with diabetes was an eye-opener for Bas. It taught him everything is possible if you have diabetes. Read more.          

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A brighter future for indigenous people's health

Currently there are 370 million indigenous people worldwide, representing 5% of the world’s population.  While the percentage of indigenous peoples is low, the burden of diabetes on indigenous peoples is undeniable. 50% of indigenous adults over 35 years of age have type 2 diabetes. This contributes to a poorer level of health, increased disability and a reduced quality of life. These factors are underpinned by lack of access to education, unemployment, forced displacement and the degradation of their water and land. Clearly diabetes is more than a health issue. It threatens the very existence of indigenous communities and underlines the importance of action at all levels- from individual to international- and from all sectors of society. Read more

Diabetes guide wins national prize

“Scacco al Diabete” written by Massimo Massi-Benedetti, Chair of IDF’s Science Task Force, has been selected out of eleven publications to win a literary prize awarded by the Italian Health Observatory. "Scacco al Diabete" is the first practical guide to controlling diabetes. The publication was drafted under the scientific supervision of the promoters of the Campaign “Buon Compenso del Diabete” (BCD) or “Good Diabetes Knowledge” including IDF, AMD (Italian Diabetes Association) and SID (Italian Society of Diabetology). Read more

What’s next for IDF advocacy in 2012

In the aftermath of an exciting and inspiring 2011, IDF is looking to the next stage of our journey for diabetes advocacy. The UN High-Level Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and the unanimous adoption of the Political Declaration firmly elevated diabetes and NCDs onto the radar of governments and onto the global health and development agenda. But we always acknowledged that the Summit was just the beginning, not the end. Read more

Saving children in the developing world

IDF's Life for a Child Programme continues to grow. Over 8,000 children with diabetes in 37 developing countries are now receiving the diabetes care they require to survive and live healthy lives. Thanks to the breakthrough support recently committed by Nipro Diagnostics, the Programme is now in a position to provide monitoring support to over 5,000 children. Visit the programme website to find out more about Life for a Child and how you can help change the lives of children with diabetes.

Signing for diabetes

The World Diabetes Congress proved to be no exception for the fundraising efforts made by IDF corporate supporter, Boehringer Ingelheim. Healthcare professionals were asked to sign a wall at the Boehringer booth, in support of the Life for a Child programme and for each signature Boehringer donated €10 to the IDF programme. A total of €10,000 was raised in support of the programme.

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