After the amazing experience everyone heard about Children with Diabetes’ (CWD) events at the Advanced Technologies and Therapeutics in Diabetes (ATTD) conference in Barcelona, many people in the diabetes professional world were asking about what events CWD was hosting at the ADA’s 82nd Scientific Sessions in New Orleans, Louisiana. Most people think of Friends for Life (FFL) when they hear Children with Diabetes or CWD, but there are many other things that the organization does to help people and families affected by type 1 diabetes.
Collaborations
CWD collaborates with a number of health care professionals, diabetes advocates, diabetes industry groups, and other diabetes organizations. These relationships are strategic and help CWD achieve its mission of helping people with diabetes and their families focus on care today so they’re ready for a cure tomorrow. At other conferences ,such as ATTD and ADA (American Diabetes Association), it allows the CWD Team to meet with prospective new faculty, meet newer diabetes industry groups, and stay up-to-date on the latest breakthroughs related to diabetes. We use these experiences to bring new technology, opportunities, and faculty to our programs.
Educational Events
At this year’s ADA, CWD hosted two educational breakfasts in collaboration with some of our industry partners. Both breakfasts were well attended, despite the 6:30 a.m. start time! They also included an incredible spread of classic New Orleans’ breakfast foods such as some incredible grits, cream puff pastries, and of course, coffee.
One breakfast was with Provention Bio, who wanted to help ADA attendees understand the latest available diabetes screening options. Pediatric Endocrinologist Kimber Simmons from the Barbara Davis Center led an engaging discussion where attendees had an opportunity to see and touch all available screening materials. Many said that they learned an incredible amount about screening at the breakfast, including CWD founder Jeff Hitchcock.
The second breakfast event was in collaboration with Lifescan and was the second event in a four-part breakfast series that focuses on technology and diabetes. The first breakfast was at ATTD and focused on technology in a broad sense, while the ADA breakfast was focused on how patients use technology for better care. The breakfast moderator, endocrinologist Professor George Grunberger, CWD Board Member, and attendees shared their perspectives on integrating diabetes technologies to benefit their patients living with diabetes.
Professional Networking
One of CWD’s long-standing collaborations is with a worldwide organization focused on connecting healthcare professionals and improving outcomes called the International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD). CWD and ISPAD both focus on type 1 diabetes and have worked together for over ten years to help each other as two small but mighty non-profit organizations. On the Friday evening of ADA, ISPAD, and CWD hosted a dinner that brought together endocrinologists focused on type 1 diabetes and celebrated their accomplishments in improving care and outcomes for families. This event was supported by our friends at Dexcom and Insulet.
On Sunday, CWD held a reception for industry partners across many different organizations in collaboration with the Diabetes Leadership Council (DLC), and the Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition (DPAC). This was an opportunity for the key opinion leaders in diabetes to connect with various industry partners in a casual atmosphere and discuss everything from why people decided to devote their lives and careers to diabetes to the future of diabetes care.
All these events allowed CWD leadership to share our mission with others and demonstrate how important CWD and Friends for Life are to families living with diabetes. The events also allow our sponsors to continue to support CWD’s mission by enlisting our help to connect with those who share our passion for making a difference in diabetes care. They also provide an opportunity to meet new health care professionals and researchers who may join us at Friends for Life conferences, Screenside Chats, or other online educational content going forward.
There are so many people who are passionate about making diabetes care better and it’s really inspiring to connect with them and bring them into our CWD Circle of Friends.
Written and clinically reviewed by Marissa Town, RN, BSN, CDCES
