Vivien is a physician and doctoral candidate active in pediatric type 1 diabetes research and clinical care. She has international experience in type 1 diabetes research (U.S.A., Germany, Switzerland) and has volunteered in diabetes kids camps and events. Her master thesis about the subject “fear of hypoglycemia and quality of life in young people with type 1 diabetes and their parents in the era of sensor glucose monitoring”was published as a first author in the scientific journal Frontiers in 2022.

She is passionate to contribute to the diabetes community, clinical and research field of type 1 diabetes.

After an initial misdiagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes, Niki has lived with T1D for 23 years. A mother to 3 under the age of 6, Niki is involved in a variety or peer support groups, research advisories and projects aimed specifically at the preconception, pregnancy, postpartum and parenting stages of life with T1D, as well as a general focus on women’s health. Within her advocacy journey Niki is always keen to ensure balanced conversations free of stigma and misconceptions around living with any type of diabetes, believing this has the ability to empower and embolden other people living with Diabetes to make informed choices about their lives. Niki is currently developing a Language Matters Pregnancy and Diabetes document with support from a team of healthcare professionals and others with lived experience, this is a great opportunity to involve specialties within the healthcare system that don’t have explicit understanding of diabetes. 

Isabelle has been living with type 1 diabetes since the age of 9. She is currently studying Medicine at the University of Manchester and is passionate about making technology available to all people living with diabetes. She has walked the 12 Bridges Challenge for Diabetes UK and cycled as many kilometres as she had been weeks diagnosed, raising almost £4000 in the process. She wants to empower people living with diabetes at all stages and has currently worked closely with children who have just been diagnosed and their families, answering questions and providing a friendly, knowledgeable face, as a healthcare assistant in hospitals.

Emma was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 4 and struggled to manage it growing up. She set up and developed a number of projects to initiate peer support for young people with type 1 including a project using drama to help young people talk about their experience with diabetes.  Emma works at the BMJ leading on their patient and public partnership strategy. Her interest in patient partnership began when she began working with her local diabetes team to review, and redesign, the diabetes service whilst completing her MSc in Health Psychology. She also works with Cochrane UK, JDRF UK, Diabetes Scotland and the Scottish Government guiding them on patient partnership.

Mridula has been living with type 1 diabetes for over 30 years and is the founder of Diabetes Fighters’ Trust, a not-for-profit focused upon prevention as well as better management of Diabetes in urban and rural India using the concept of community ownership. In 2021, she won the “Diabetes Storytelling Lab in India 2021”, has been selected as a #dedoc° voice 2023 and sits at several National and International Advisory panels including CAP-Medicines Patent Pool, NCD Advisory Board- FINDdx, Member-WHO Global Diabetes Compact, Associate Member-Healthy India Alliance.

Crystal has been living with type 1 diabetes since 2019 and is passionate about uplifting patients’ lived experiences, especially those of people of color. She recently graduated from the University of California, Davis with her Bachelor of Science in Global Disease Biology with plans to become a physician assistant. Her diabetes advocacy started in 2021 with the Diabetes Link NextGen Fellowship program where she found inspiration and confidence in living with diabetes. Since then, she has volunteered with Children with Diabetes at their Friends for Life Orlando conference, spoke about mental health and stigma in diabetes for Diversity in Diabetes, and represented patient voices for the DiabetesMine Innovation Days. Crystal hopes her advocacy will encourage others to feel understood and empowered, creating a safe space for them to share their lived experiences.

Claudia is an endocrinology physician assistant (PA) who has had type 1 diabetes since the age of 12. She works both in the hospital and clinic taking care of patients with diabetes. Her research experience includes serving as a co-investigator for the development of a simulation platform for diabetes self-management and technology education. She has spoken at the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists conference on empowering young adults with diabetes. She was also identified as a Diabetes Link NextGen Leader and was awarded the 2022 DiabetesMine Patient Voices scholarship. Her passion is connecting with people with diabetes and providing them with education and support to help them live their highest quality life.

Candy has been living with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) since the age of two, but dived into advocacy work during university. In 2017, she delivered two TEDx talks about her T1D experiences (Accountability is not Responsibility; Towards a Patient-Centered Care System: A View From Chronic Illness) and worked with JDRF UK and Diabetes UK to raise awareness of the importance of patient voice. In 2022, she co-authored Singapore’s first bilingual children’s picture book based on real-life patients’ stories of their diagnoses and learnings. The book, “My Name is Adam. I have Type 1 Diabetes” is available in English and Mandarin, and has been distributed nation-wide to primary schools, kindergartens, child care centres, and public libraries. This book is her endeavour to give those with T1D a resource she wished she had as a child. She volunteers for the local T1D community typeOne.sg – a community of T1D families in Singapore.

Lea is an activist and patient expert for chronic diseases and disabilities. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes herself since 2011, she has been involved in a variety of international projects on the topic of type 1 diabetes for many years, focusing on the psychological component of the disease and combating social prejudice. As a speaker, she regularly does educational work, especially in the field of digital health. Her professional background is in international cooperation with a focus on gender and disability studies.

Thapi is passionate about advocacy and has been living with diabetes for 16 years. She uses her social media accounts to educate about her multiple chronic conditions namely diabetes, vitiligo and bipolar disorder. Passionate about advocating for access to basic diabetes management needs and affordability to diabetes technologies, Thapi is currently studying Law and is planning to specialise in health law. Thapi started advocating in 2018 when she realised that she wanted to form a community and allow for a space where people living with diabetes can come together and share their hopes and struggles. Her volunteer work includes working with a Glasgow based charity committed to raising awareness of and supporting disabled young people called The Luna Project UK as a Professional Advisor. Thapi is moreover a #dedoc° voice, a trainee in the IDF Young Leaders in Diabetes programme for 2022-2024. and volunteers as part of Media & Communications for Mutual Aid Diabetes

Leon is a person with Type 1 Diabetes (LADA) living in Sydney, Australia. As well as a first class honours degree in physics, Leon has an MBA in strategy and leadership. For his day job, Leon works as a presales Solution Advisor for a large software implementation company, frequently presenting technical solutions to non-technical audiences. Leon was a top 20 finalist in the DCB Innovation Challenge 2022 and is an active member of the #dedoc° Voices programme. Having attended conferences such as ATTD and EASD on multiple occasions, Leon communicates the latest research to the wider diabetes community through social media, providing the patient’s perspective and translating complex medical research into accessible information.

Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes more than three decades ago in 1992, Lucía stands as a dynamic force dedicated to catalyzing positive change in the global diabetes landscape.