Welcome to your home base for Thursday, July 16th! Today we have our Opening Keynote, programming for parents and adults, entertaining and educational sessions for the kids, virtual exhibit hall hours to meet with our sponsors, and our Family and Friends Virtual Banquet with music and dancing. Check out the links below, which are organized by time slots, for more information on today’s events.
Virtual FFL Orlando Daily Conference Schedule for Thursday, July 16
Click on individual session boxes below to join in.
Sessions will start at their indicated times (Eastern US).
Use password provided in email.
All Day Meeting Rooms - All Times Eastern US
Coronado Hallway
Catch up with your FFLs in the Coronado Hallway.
8:00 am - 8:00 pm
Fiesta Hallway
Stop by the Fiesta Hallway to Chat with your FFLs.
8:00 am - 8:00 pm
FFL Info Desk
Got questions? Find answers at the FFL Info Desk.
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Dedicated Virtual Exhibit Hall Hours 8:00 - 9:00 am Eastern US
Virtual Friends for Life Orlando Exhibit Hall
We’re proud to be bringing our Exhibit Hall to VFFLO, 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.
Session from 9:00 - 9:45 am Eastern US
Opening Keynote: What a Wonderful World with Shawn Shepheard
Sponsored by Lilly Diabetes
In his work as an executive coach and group leader, Shawn absolutely loves to support people with BIG dreams for their future, and to help bring those dreams to life. In this session, Shawn will share some of the key elements to leading a happy and fulfilled life by telling the inspiring story of Friends for Life: how it started, why it continues, and the amazing impact it has had on so many people.
9:00 - 9:45 in Webinar 1
Youth Sessions from 10:00 - 10:30 am Eastern US
Kiddie Kove (Age 0-5)
Story Time with the Orange Team
Start your morning with the Orange Team (aka the CWD Staff dedicated to caregivers and siblings of people with diabetes) for story time and some fun activities.
10:00 - 10:30 in the Kiddie Kove Webinar Room
Elementary (Age 6-8)
Exercise with Harold
Have you met Harold? He’s CWD’s resident fitness expert and all-around-energetic guy. Get ready to get fit and have fun with Harold! Wear comfortable clothes and shoes suitable for exercise, and be sure to have low blood sugar treatments on hand. (Parents – feel free to join this session with your child!) This pre-recorded session will be broadcast through the Elementary Zoom meeting room.
10:00 - 10:30 in the Elementary Webinar Room
Tween (Age 9-12)
VIPWDs
Want to meet some of our VIPWDs (Very Important People with Diabetes)? Join this session to learn more about our special guests, hear about their lives with T1D, and ask your questions!
10:00 - 10:30 in the Tween Meeting Room
Teen (Age 13-17)
Harold Time!
Are you ready to get moving? It’s Harold Time! Join this 30 minute at-home workout featuring CWD’s favorite fitness guide, Harold Sanco, for an intense – and fun – session!
10:00 - 10:30 in the Teen Webinar Room
Sessions from 10:45 - 11:30 am Eastern US
iLet Update: The Bionic Pancreas
Ed Damiano, PhD
Ed Damiano, PhD, will present the very latest on his team’s work to create and deliver a bi-hormonal Bionic Pancreas. Dr. Damiano will trace the beginnings of his research, his earliest participation at Friends for Life in 2007, and share the current status of the iLet Bionic Pancreas system he and his team created. Hear the latest results of real-world, clinical trials, see the current iLet, and learn about upcoming clinical trials that are designed to achieve FDA approval of this revolutionary diabetes care technology.
10:45 - 11:30 in Webinar 1
Nutritional Myths and Misinformation: Clearing Up the Confusion
Paula Kellogg Leibovitz, MS, RDN, CDN, CDE
Are you uncertain about what to believe when it comes to food? Are all-white foods, like bread, potatoes, and rice, considered bad? Should you eat fruit? Can cinnamon and chromium reverse diabetes? If a food tastes good, do I need to avoid it? Paula Leibovitz, MS, RDN, CDN, CDE, is here to answer some of those questions.
10:45 - 11:30 in Webinar 2
Virtual Diabetes Clinics: Are They the Future?
Michelle D. Stancil, RN, BSN and Jay Hewitt
People with diabetes have been ahead of the telehealth trend by sharing CGM and pump data with health care providers and caregivers for remote patient monitoring. But with COVID-19 accelerating and requiring patients and health care providers to communicate remotely, virtual diabetes care may become the standard for the future. Join this session to discuss the best practices for effective virtual diabetes care for patients and health care providers alike.
10:45 - 11:30 in Webinar 3
Diabetes Basics for Families New to Type 1 Diabetes
Manmohan Kamboj, MD, and Kajal Gandhi, DO, MPH
When you're first diagnosed with diabetes, the learning curve is steep. From carbs to ketones, insulin to glucagon, and living life after diagnosis, there’s so much to cover. Join Manmohan Kamboj, MD, and Kajal Gandhi, DO, MPH, for a review of some diabetes basics. Watch the full 75-minute video on YouTube.
10:45 - 11:30 in Webinar 4
Insurance Workshop for Young Adults
Christine Fallabel
Navigating the world of insurance can be tricky, especially as a young adult! During this session learn about the ins and outs of navigating the world of health insurance in the United States. Get information about how insurance works, your rights as a person with diabetes, and tools to set yourself up for success from Christine Fallabel, an expert in public policy, who works to help people with diabetes have better access to health insurance and affordable medication.
10:45 - 11:30 in Meeting 5
Youth Sessions from 11:45 am - 12:15 pm Eastern US
Kiddie Kove (age 0-5)
Fun and Games with Sports Central
Even our littlest Fiffles can join the Sports Central Staff for some fun, exercise, and games to get their bodies up and moving.
11:45 - 12:15 in the Kiddie Kove Webinar Room
Elementary (Age 6-8)
Green Team and Orange Team
In this session, Team Green (those living with T1D) and Team Orange (those who love someone with T1D) will be split into separate groups to create and discuss CWD Storybooks, so please make sure kids have their own device to join their respective breakout rooms. If possible, please download and print the CWD Storybooks ahead of time (Green Team Storybook, Orange Team Storybook). If not possible to print, please use the CWD Storybook as a template and get creative in making your own CWD Storybook!
11:45 - 12:15 in the Elementary Meeting Rooms
Tween (Age 9-12)
Move, Shake, Drop the Mic
Are you going to Move and Shake? Or Drop the Mic? You will have the choice to move, shake, drop, or simply listen in this panel session all about sports and diabetes management. Click to join the room of your choice!
11:45 - 12:15 in the Tween Meeting Rooms
Teen (Age 13-17)
Diabetes Research Update with Marissa Town
What’s new in diabetes research? Visit with Marissa Town, BSN, RN, CDCES, hear the latest on research being done in diabetes and what’s coming for future trials.
11:45 - 12:15 in the Teen Meeting Room
Dedicated Virtual Exhibit Hall Hours 12:30 - 1:30 pm Eastern US
Virtual Friends for Life Orlando Exhibit Hall
We’re proud to be bringing our Exhibit Hall to VFFLO, 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.
Sessions from 1:30 - 2:15 pm Eastern US
Closing the Loop: State of the Art
Bruce Buckingham, MD
Teams of researchers around the world, as well as companies in several countries, are working hard to bring artificial pancreas technology to patients. Dr. Buckingham has served as principal investigator on studies of many artificial pancreas systems and will provide us with both background on and the current state of the art in this breakthrough technology.
1:30 - 2:15 in Webinar 1
The Insulin Express: A Story of Work, Travel, and Life with Diabetes
Oren Liebermann
Oren Liebermann is CNN's Jerusalem correspondent, and he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on Valentine's Day 2014 in the middle of backpacking around the world with his wife. Since then, he has been determined to keep traveling and hopes to inspire others with diabetes to travel as well. Liebermann wrote a book about his diagnosis called The Insulin Express: One Backpack, Five Continents, and the Diagnosis that Changed Everything, and you can join this session to hear his story.
1:30 - 2:15 in Webinar 2
New Insulins and Other Medications in Type 1 Diabetes
Steve Edelman, MD
Join renowned endocrinologist, founder of TCOYD, and fellow person with diabetes, Dr. Steve Edelman, for a review of new insulins and other medications that can help you achieve your diabetes goals.
1:30 - 2:15 in Webinar 3
Accommodations in College, Graduate School, and Beyond
Leigh Fickling, MEd, MS, JD
Hey, College Student! Congrats -- you’re ready to tackle higher education. Before heading off on your own, have you made a plan for accommodations in the classroom or clinical setting? Have you met your team at student disability services? What about your prescriptions? Who will help with sick day management? What about your service animal? Do you need dining modifications? Join in for this discussion about college accommodations for people with diabetes and other health conditions.
1:30 - 2:15 in Webinar 4
Safe Zone for Significant Others
Tamara Oser, MD, Grace Grande-Cassell, and Khary Septh
This session is for significant others WITHOUT diabetes who are in a long-term relationship that involves diabetes. Share your concerns, fears, and questions about relationships with your PWD and how diabetes impacts you both in this safe, closed setting. This group will address challenging situations in a way that fosters healthy discussions and positive actions at home.
This session is for significant others of adults with type 1 diabetes only. No parents or teens are permitted. Due to the personal nature of this session, attendees must have their camera and audio on to participate. This session will not be recorded or shared. Attendance is limited to the first 25 people who join.
1:30 - 2:15 in Meeting 5
Youth Sessions from 2:30 - 3:00 pm Eastern US
Kiddie Kove (age 0-5)
A Wave of Fun: Virtual Beach Field Trip
Our smallest friends for life will visit with Parker Grand, a California State Park Educator, for a virtual adventure along the California Coast. Parker will share a look at the vast marine life, and also will share how he manages his type 1 diabetes while working and playing at the beach.
2:30 - 3:00 in the Kiddie Kove Webinar Room
Elementary (Age 6-8)
Special Guests
Several special guests will be visiting this session to talk about what it’s like to live and thrive with type 1 diabetes. Please watch the videos that were sent out in your introduction email before the session begins. Kids can submit their questions in our Google Form to be asked live during the session! If their question is chosen to be asked during the live Q & A session, they will get a special shout-out!
2:30 - 3:00 in the Elementary Webinar Room
Tween (Age 9-12)
Green Team & Orange Team
It’s time for some games for the Green Teams and the Orange Teams. Tweens living with type 1 diabetes will participate in our Green Team session, and our Tweens who support someone living with type 1 diabetes will join the Orange Team. Click to join your room.
2:30 - 3:00 in the Tween Meeting Room
Teen (Age 13-17)
Snakes and Ladders with Jess Forster
Social worker Jess Forster, MSW, RSW will help teens explore and identify common “thinking traps” in this live session, complete with interactive polling.
2:30 - 3:00 in the Teen Meeting Room
Sessions from 3:15 - 4:00 pm Eastern US
DRI Research Update
Norma Sue Kenyon, PhD
Dr. Norma Sue Kenyon provides an overview and updates on the innovative, cure-focused research and clinical trials at the Diabetes Research Institute. The field is clearly moving toward the use of stem cell derived insulin producing cells for transplantation into patients with long-term T1D. Novel immune intervention approaches are being incorporated into transplant protocols and into clinical trials aimed at patients at risk or recently diagnosed with T1D. Hear what’s new.
3:15 - 4:00 in Webinar 1
Finding Your Community: Support and Knowledge in Social Media
Kerri Sparling, Cherise Shockley, Scott Johnson, Renza Scibilia, Chris Aldred, Danica, and Michelle Auerbach
The Internet is filled with opportunities to connect with PWD peers and share stories, challenges, and triumphs unique to life with type 1 diabetes. Join us for a live panel discussion featuring voices from the diabetes online community talking about places to connect online and how to get the most out of your online interactions.
3:15 - 4:00 in Webinar 2
Grandparent Common Fears Discussion
Henry Rodriguez, MD, Janet Rodriguez, BSN, RN, CDE, and Jessica Pierce, PhD
Join Friends for Life grandparent leaders Henry Rodriguez, MD, Janet Rodriguez, BSN, RN, CDE, and Jessica Pierce, PhD, for a frank discussion about the challenges and fears that grandparents encounter when caring for their grandchildren with type 1 diabetes.
3:15 - 4:00 in Meeting 3
The Emotional Burden of Diabetes
Tamera Oser, MD, and Sean Oser, MD, MPH
Living with diabetes requires intense self-management; it is no wonder that people with diabetes report burnout, anxiety, and depression. This live session will provide a safe outlet for discussion, support, and shared resources for dealing with the emotional and mental aspects of diabetes.
This session is for adults with type 1 diabetes and their significant others, only. No parents or teens are permitted. Due to the personal nature of this session, attendees must have their camera and audio on to participate. This session will not be recorded or shared. Attendance is limited to the first 25 people who join.
3:15 - 4:00 in Meeting 4
Mental Health for Young Adults
Laura Smith, PhD, CDE
Managing type 1 diabetes as a young adult includes managing mental health, too. Join Dr. Laura Smith, PhD, CDE, in a discussion about the unique mental health challenges faced by young adults. You’ll have the chance to share your own personal experiences and learn strategies for tackling various issues related to diabetes distress, burnout, and relationships.
Only young adults with type 1 diabetes are allowed to join the conversation. Due to the personal nature of this session, attendees must have their camera and audio on to participate. This session will not be recorded.
3:15 - 4:00 in Meeting 5
Dedicated Virtual Exhibit Hall Hours 4:00 - 5:00 pm Eastern US
Virtual Friends for Life Orlando Exhibit Hall
We’re proud to be bringing our Exhibit Hall to VFFLO, 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.
Exercise Break from 5:15 - 5:45 pm Eastern US
Workout With the Pros
Sponsored by Tandem
Join Professional Freestyle Skier Lauren Salko and Diabetic Health and Fitness Coach Matt Vande Vegte for a 30-minute family workout session to help you get moving between sessions! All fitness levels are welcome. If you received a fitness band in your Box of FFL, bring it along.
Note: The t:slim X2 insulin pump is approved for individuals 6 years of age and greater.
5:15 - 5:45 in the Tandem Room
Evening Program - All Times Eastern US
Family and Friends Virtual Banquet with Music and Dancing
Sponsored by Novo Nordisk
We may be separated by many miles, but on Thursday evening, we’re having dinner together! (Click here for menu!) Spread out a checkered tablecloth and turn on some fairy lights, fire up the BBQ, and let’s make the most of this chance to virtually dine together. It’s a backyard party, so dress appropriately – and get ready to have a great meal and dance the evening away with your Friends for Life! Take some photos and upload them – tag us in your social media using #FFLOrlando20.
6:00 - 8:00 in Webinar 1
Virtual FFL Orlando Daily Conference Schedule for Thursday, July 16
Click on individual session boxes above to join in.
Sessions will start at their indicated times (Eastern US).
Use password provided in email.
