
CWD Fellows
CWD Fellows come to FFL to learn about type 1 diabetes in the real world
Additional CWD Fellows will be added in late May 2025

Didem Gunes Kaya, PhD, is a pediatric dietitian at Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics. She graduated in 2009, completed her master’s degree in 2017, and earned her Ph.D. in Nutrition and Dietetics in 2022 with a full scholarship. She is an active member of ISPAD and ESPE. She was selected as an ISPAD JENIOUS Ambassador and Roving Reporters in 2023, received the Allan Drash Fellowship, and was honored with the ISPAD JENIOUS CWD Award in 2024. Additionally, she was selected as a faculty member of the ISPAD Science School for Healthcare Professionals. With over 15 years of experience in pediatric nutrition and diabetes care, she is committed to improving the quality of life for children with diabetes
CWD Fellows Liaison
CWD Fellows Liaison helps oversee the CWD Fellows program at FFL Orlando

Rayhan Lal, PhD, MD, MPH, is pediatric and adult endocrine faculty at Stanford. Rayhan grew up in the California bay area and always wanted to be an engineer. He has had type 1 diabetes for over 30 years. He studied electrical engineering and computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. His two younger sisters were enrolled in DPT-1, were found to be antibody positive, and developed type 1 diabetes. In an effort to help all his brothers and sisters with diabetes, Rayhan decided to switch career paths and pursue clinical medicine at the University of California, Davis. Rayhan could not decide whether to take care of children or adults with diabetes and so did both. He completed a four year residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at the University of Southern California, working with the underserved at Los Angeles County Hospital. Rayhan then completed an adult and pediatric endocrine fellowship at Stanford. As an engineer and physician-scientist with diabetes, his primary research interest is the design, development, and testing of new diabetes technology and therapies with his mentor, Dr. Bruce Buckingham. Rayhan collaborates with many members of the Stanford Diabetes Research Center, industry and the open source diabetes community in an effort to bypass the biological, technological and human factor limitations of existing devices.

Indicates CWD Fellow with diabetes