Friends for Life Orlando 2021 is taking place in-person, but there are Fiffles (aka "Friends for Life") who will be checking out some of the sessions virtually. This page is your "home base" for the virtual component of Friends for Life Orlando! Below, you'll find session descriptions and links to the Zoom Webinars for each session that our team is live-streaming from Coronado Springs.
Virtual Friends for Life Orlando 2021
Click on individual session boxes below to join in!
Sessions will start at their indicated times (Eastern US).
Use the password that was provided in the email sent out on July 5, 2021.
Friends for Life Orlando 2021 Virtual Meet Up Space
Wednesday Kumospace Meet Up Time
Living with diabetes? Parenting someone with diabetes? The spouse, significant other, friend, or family member of someone living with diabetes? Come say hi during this informal meet-up on Wednesday night.
7 pm - 9 pm ET
Virtual Sessions for Thursday, July 8, 2021
Richard Rubin Memorial Opening Keynote Telling Your Story:
How to Get Your Voice Heard
Cherise Shockley and Leigh Fickling
Every story matters. And when it comes to diabetes, every diabetes story should have the chance to be heard. Diabetes advocate and PWD Cherise Shockley joins CWD mom and advocate, Leigh Fickling to share their stories and help you curate yours.
9:00 - 10:00 am
Beginning Your Journey with Diabetes
Henry Rodriguez, MD
If you are here at Friends for Life, diabetes is part of your journey. Dr. Henry Rodriguez brings his experience working as a pediatric endocrinologist to help you start your journey off on the right foot.
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Time In Range: Why is Everyone Talking About It?
George Grunberger, MD
Time in Range is a new "buzz term" in diabetes care, but what is it all about? World-renowned endocrinologist and CWD Board member, Dr. George Grunberger, will share his knowledge about Time in Range and the key takeaways for families and people with diabetes.
1:30 - 2:30 pm
Technology Research Update: Closed Loop Systems, Apps and More
Rayhan Lal, MD
Technologies are changing at an ultra-rapid pace. Dr. Rayhan Lal brings his expertise as a pediatric and adult endocrinologist, as well as PWD, to provide an update on the newest technologies in the diabetes world.
3:30 - 4:30 pm
Kumospace Meet Up Time
Living with diabetes? Parenting someone with diabetes? The spouse, significant other, friend, or family member of someone living with diabetes? Come say hi during this informal meet-up on Thursday night.
6:30 pm - 8 pm ET
Virtual Sessions for Friday, July 9, 2021
Diabetes and Eye Health
Ben Szirth
Dr. Ben Szirth has been coming to Friends for Life conferences for over a decade and providing retinal screenings for the attendees. Dr. Ben will help you and your family learn everything there is to know about keeping eyes healthy with diabetes.
9:00 - 10:00 am
Top Tips from the Diabetes Team
Henry Rodriguez, MD, Eleni Sheehan ARNP, FNP-BC, CDCES and Maureen Monaghan, PhD
Diabetes is one part a science, one part an art, and one part keeping you on your toes. Our panel of health care professionals include an endocrinologist, a diabetes educator, and a diabetes psychologist offer their top tips in managing diabetes.
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
HbA1C: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Irl Hirsch, MD
A1C has been the gold standard for diabetes "control" for the last 30 years, but the times are changing, and CWD is on the cutting edge of this trend. Endocrinologist Dr. Irl Hirsch will discuss the benefits and the pitfalls of utilizing the A1C to gauge diabetes management.
1:30 - 2:30 pm
Closing Keynote: Why Advocacy Matters
Phyllisa Deroze, PhD, George Huntley, Cherise Shockley, and Cynthia Deitle
Many things are hard to understand until you get an up close and personal view, and diabetes is no exception. The more we advocate for change, the more we benefit, as a community. Join this panel discussion to hear from our CWD experts about why advocacy matters, how to get your voice heard, and how to work with the diabetes community to improve access, education, and quality of life for us all.
3:30 - 4:30 pm
Virtual Exhibit Hall
Friends for Life Orlando 2021 Exhibit Hall
We’re proud to be bringing our Exhibit Hall to Friends for Life Orlando 2021, and we’re really grateful that our sponsors and our supporters have worked with us to see our vision for this year’s virtual event come to life.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT
Thank you for being part of our Virtual Friends for Life Orlando (VFFLO) 2021 family! By registering, you'll have access to live-streamed sessions from FFL, as well as exclusive invitations to some virtual social events.
While we offer our VFFLO content at no cost, there is a lot of behind-the-scenes work being done by our staff to make this event happen. Your generous donations help keep our organization going. We ask that you please consider the recommended $10 per person donation for VFFLO by giving at Cwd.is/GiveOrlando2021.
