The 2016 annual meeting of the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) kicked off today in San Diego, and we couldn’t be more excited! This year’s meeting will feature 190 exhibitors, three corporate symposia, and more than 140 sessions. We expect this gathering of educators to provide a valuable picture of how the latest research in diabetes and diabetes self-management education (DSME) is being translated into real world practice.

We’re so grateful to AADE leadership for making this year’s meeting extraordinarily patient-centered. It was FANTASTIC last night to have the #DSMA Twitter chat kick the weekend off with participation from so many, including Cherise Shockley, Scott Johnson, Hope Warsaw, Deb Greenwood, Rachel Head, and Jane Dickinson. Thank you for such a vibrant session! I learned so much about how educators feel about language and what we can do to help on this front.

On that note – check out what our brilliant high school summer associate Rachel Soong of Phillips Academy put together a couple of weeks ago on language, which I learned so much from (see image). We’ll be writing more about language in an upcoming issue of diaTribe.org, where we’ll also share so many learnings from Down Under – the great Renza Scibilia, one of the renowned voices from Diabetes Australia, and leader in thinking about language, was on the chat last night and we’ll learn more from here. Thank you to Rachel for her 15-year-old leadership in moving our views on language forward.

Back at AADE, I was thrilled to moderate a talk today called “Looking Beyond A1c as the Gold Standard in Diabetes,” where I joined the noted, longtime researcher Dr. Robert Vigersky to discuss the importance of considering measures beyond A1c to assess and measure glycemic control. It was a great primer for the upcoming August 29, 2016 meeting at the FDA focusing on "Outcomes Beyond A1c.” There will be plenty more on this in the coming weeks!

Dr. Virgersky brought decades of experience to today’s discussion. Following many years of independent research, much at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Dr. Vigersky is today Director of Clinical and Medical Affairs at Medtronic. He has spent years heading clinical trials on technology, serving on dozens of diabetes international committees and boards, and working with patients through his clinical practice. We’re so lucky to have his voice on this vital topic, particularly giving us the insider view on clinicians and how they approach technology and what needs to change in order to see more success.

It’s with great excitement that, for the first time ever, AADE will host a dedicated prediabetes day on Sunday, August 14. As we continuously work to improve overall focus on diabetes prevention, we're anxiously looking forward to the programming. As we noted at d16, although we have seen many gains in science, there is not nearly enough focus on prevention, behavior change, systems, and public attitudes. We’re so glad to see AADE making strides to improve these discussions.

We’re going to be working hard in San Diego this week, but we’ll also have a lot of fun – what a place to gather, learn, and exchange ideas! Don’t forget to register for our joint event with Diabetes Research Connection, “Brews & Blood Sugar” on Saturday, August 13, 2016 from 5 to 9 p.m. PT at the Stone Brewing Taproom in San Diego. We’re excited to sample some local beers and learn how different varieties of beer affect blood sugar. You can order your tickets here.

Our team is ready for a full and insightful weekend ahead. We’ll be back with a full recap at diaTribe.org.