I’m Perth-bound for the 2017 Australia Diabetes Society and Australian Diabetes Educators Association Annual Scientific Meeting – or, ADS ADEA ASM, or #ADSADEA2017.

For a week, diabetes health professional experts come together to share the latest and greatest of diabetes in Australia. And this year, I’m so excited that there will be a contingent of diabetes advocates on the ground, tweeting and blogging from sessions.

This is a Diabetes Australia initiative and the idea is to provide as much insight and coverage of the goings on at the meeting from the perspective of people with diabetes for people with diabetes. I’m in great company and the three other bloggers will provide their own unique viewpoint and reports of the meeting. The program is diverse, busy and interesting and it will be great to have a number of people with diabetes at the meeting sharing their thoughts of what’s being presented.

So, who’s on the ground? Melinda Seed from Twice Diabetes, Ashley Ng from Bittersweet Diagnosis and Frank Sita from Type 1 Writes. You can find us at our usual haunts (i.e. our respective blogs) as well as on Facebook and Twitter.

I’ll also be at the Roche Educators Day tomorrow, where I have been invited to facilitate a session made up of people with diabetes (Ash and Frank will be there), sit on a panel as the ‘here’s one we prepared earlier’ alongside diabetes healthcare professionals, and wave my hands around while talking diabetes and language in a session with Professor Jane Speight.

Later in the week, I’m talking about how peer support is a critical component in my diabetes managed in a Peer Support Symposium coordinated by the ACBRD.

Other things I’m excited to see:

  • Ann Morris, ADEA Diabetes Educator of the Year, will be giving her award lecture on Friday which is one of my conference ‘must-sees’. Ann is a dear friend and true champion of people with diabetes. I’ve been honoured and privileged to work with her over many years and I can’t wait to hear what she has to say.
  • The launch of the new Diabetes Australia Self-Monitoring of Glucose Monitoring Position Statement.
  • New tech in the expo hall… (hello Cellnovo!)

And possibly the thing I am most interested to see is if Loop will be able to combat and overcome Conference Hypo Syndrome.

It’s going to be a busy week! Follow along at #ADSADEA2017 and for comments from the ‘consumer reporters’ follow #DApeoplesvoice. You can follow the Roche Educators Day happenings at #RED2017.

Disclosures

Roche Diabetes Australia has covered my travel and two night’s accommodation for my stay in Perth as I am a presenter at the Roche Educators Day (RED). There is no expectation from Roche that I will write anything about the RED, but I expect I will because it’s always such an interesting and enjoyable day!

The remainder of my time in Perth is part of my role at Diabetes Australia.