Diabetes Pro Quarterly - Fall 2021 - 2

A Word from ADA's Chief Scientific & Medical Officer
Greetings, friends.
Isn't it wonderful to have the crispness of fall in the air and to feel the winds of change? Fall always seems to
come and go in a hurry, but the beauty of the season makes a mark on our hearts. Here at the American Diabetes
Association (ADA), we are filled with gratitude and propelled forward with great momentum this fall. We are
thankful for our community and for the network of accomplished professionals who are a part of our organization.
You all play crucial roles in our success. We are also laser-focused on strategic planning for 2022 and beyond and
have identified several opportunities for growth and expansion that will allow us to better serve our members and all
people living with diabetes.
As one example, the ADA's 2022 Clinical Update Conference will be held February 4-6, 2022, in Tampa, FL.
Formerly called the Postgraduate Course, this annual event has been reimagined and rebranded to align with our
annually updated clinical practice guidelines. This meeting will feature content reflecting the most significant
changes in the soon-to-be-published Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes-2022. The meeting will incorporate
engaging, interactive, and effective adult learning methods that provide actionable, evidence-based, cutting-edge
content in a case-based approach. Our goal is to provide an interprofessional team-based learning environment
offering rich, meaningful, relevant information that supports clinical decision-making.
Speaking of engaging education, our Health Care Improvement team, under the direction of ADA Vice President,
Health Care Improvement Dr. Nuha El Sayed, has been going through a transformation of its own. Dr. El Sayed's
team is in the process of updating how we share educational content and how we help participating learners acquire
and use educational content in their everyday clinical practice for better patient outcomes. Instructional design
experts have been added to the team to achieve our goal of total content transformation in 2022.
Our Research & Science team has also been working hard to manage more than 200 active grants. Efforts are
underway to identify awardees for our 2021 Targeted Research Initiative on Health Disparities in Diabetes and to
recruit applications for the following 2022 Targeted Research Initiatives.
* Leveraging Nutrition and Lifestyle for Diabetes Prevention Across the Life Span. The ADA is soliciting research
to improve adoption of healthy diets and lifestyles at the individual and community level with interventions tailored
to different racial and socioeconomic groups across the life span. Importantly, applicants should indicate how the
proposed research will have a significant impact on outcomes in those individuals at risk of, or living with, diabetes.
* Leveraging Precision Medicine to Improve the Lives of People with Diabetes. The ADA is soliciting research
proposals that leverage precision medicine-based approaches at all stages in the course of type 1 diabetes and type
2 diabetes. While this call is broad in scope and encompasses basic through clinical research, emphasis will be
placed on clinical research and translation. Importantly, submissions should indicate how the proposed research
will have a significant impact on outcomes in those individuals living with diabetes.
I couldn't be prouder of the work being done at the ADA, and specifically in
our Science & Health Care division. As we race toward the new year, I am
filled with excitement about the many possibilities for what we can achieve.
The world has changed so much in the past year, and this change has revealed
new opportunities for us to improve our delivery of services and expand our
scientific investigation efforts. Reflecting on 2021, I am filled with gratitude
for the work we are doing and the discoveries we continue to make. Together,
we are improving outcomes and helping people with diabetes thrive.
Robert Gabbay, MD, PhD,
ADA Chief Scientific & Medical Officer
2 DiabetesPro Quarterly | FALL 2021

Diabetes Pro Quarterly - Fall 2021

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