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The American Diabetes Association's annual conference, known as the ADA Scientific Sessions , is always the biggest diabetes event of the year, and 2021 marked the second time this 5-day congress was held completely online because of the lingering COVID-19 pandemic. When held in person, the conference normally convenes roughly 16,000 physicians, researchers, and diabetes industry experts from across the globe. This 81st annual event drew 11,600 people from 119 countries between June 25 and 29 — slightly lower than the 12,527 registered attendees for the 2020 virtual event. For both, the event organizers expected more people to tune in afterward, thanks to the recorded online sessions being made available for up to 3 months following the conference. Despite its virtual nature, this year's conference included nearly 200 presentations with more than 900 presenters on any range of topics. And to top it off, there were roughly 1,100 research posters delving into the latest ...

Like everything else in 2020, the biggest diabetes conference of the year was anything but normal. The American Diabetes Association's 80th annual Scientific Sessions were, for the first time ever, held completely online as a sprawling, fast-paced, virtual streaming experience. Thousands of medical professionals from across the globe tuned in for the five-day event, June 12 through 16, many in casual clothes rather than professional conference attire — from their kitchens, living rooms, and home offices with curious kids, home decor, and pets popping in occasionally. So it goes in 2020, as the world navigates the ripple effects of a global pandemic that's catapulted us into virtual business and telehealth mode. The SciSessions have been held as a huge in-person gathering consecutively since the org's founding in June 1940, with the single exception during World War II when the conference was not held. "There was a lot of trepidation about what this year...

The healthcare professionals formerly known as “diabetes educators” will henceforth be referred to as “Diabetes Care and Education Specialists” (DCES). This was the biggest news coming out of the mid-August 2019 annual meeting of the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE), the professional org that will also be changing its name soon as well to fit with this rebranding effort. That new name: Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists (ADCES). It’s all part of something called Project Vision , a multi-year plan to define and refresh the roles, capabilities and care priorities of its roughly 14,000 members nationwide. This effort dates back to at least two years ago, when the organization realized that something had to be done to address the tides of change in diabetes education. Yes, We Said “Rebranding” The announcement of the new job title by current AADE President Karen Kemmis on the first day of the #AADE19 conference was met with some en...

A little girl with a green bracelet sees an adult man wearing one and asks if he has diabetes, and when he says “Yes” she responds with: “It’s OK, we can have diabetes together.” Elsewhere, a boy crawls under a round banquet table in search of a dropped insulin cartridge that isn’t even his own. When asked why, he notes it’s for another green bracelet wearer, and it’s just what we do for each other. All around, kids and adults exchange hugs and laughs. There are abundant smiles, emotional moments, and diabetes device flashes. There’s a sense in your gut that you are part of a community, a club, a family... that people living with type 1 are a tribe who understand and look out for each other, no matter our differing politics or where we hail from, our brand of advocacy, or even how long we’ve been touched by this illness. That is the magic of the annual Children With Diabetes Friends For Life conference, going strong for 20 years now each July in Orlando, FL. It began as a...

You can never fully appreciate the magic of a Friends For Life diabetes conference until you have the opportunity to attend one yourself. For me, that chance came most recently with a short journey to Niagara Falls, Ontario. Just picture a beautiful rainbow shining in the misty sunlight over the great natural wonder of the falls, and that's pretty much how I felt being surrounded by "my diabetes tribe" in Canada, those who "get it" when it comes to living with diabetes. I've been lucky enough to attend a few different FFL events over the years, from the big summer conference that brings thousands to Orlando, FL, each July to other smaller events sprinkled around the country. This #FFLCanada18 gathering in early November (just as Diabetes Awareness Month kicked off) was my first one outside the U.S. and certainly made an impact. Like all the wonderful FFL events, it featured a variety of talks on all manner of diabetes topics -- from managing exerci...

This year marks the 17 th anniversary of Friends For Life, the annual diabetes fest hosted at the Orlando Disney World Resort by the non-profit Children with Diabetes , with the 2016 event wrapping up last week. While the conference started off serving type 1 children, it has grown over the years to encompass everyone in our ecosystem — from siblings to grandparents of children with diabetes, to adults with type 1 — many of whom first came to the event as children themselves years ago. This was my first time attending FFL. I’d heard good things about it, but to be honest, I’ve been struggling with some diabetes overload and I wasn’t sure how I’d feel once I got there. The night before I departed, my mother asked me, “Are you looking forward to your conference?” To which I replied flatly: “I can’t work up the energy to be excited about anything that deals with diabetes.” But as it turns out, I was wrong. It turns out that while we don't have a cure for diabetes yet, w...