The Corner Booth

"As one chapter closes..." A decade ago in 2012, I had the privilege of joining with my friend and fellow diabetes advocate Amy Tenderich at DiabetesMine. At that time, my journalism career evolved into one that could be combined with my passion for diabetes and my own life with type 1 diabetes. I'd been personally blogging since 2007 and had been actively involved in the DOC (Diabetes Online Community) for a handful of years at that time, attending various conferences and forums with fellow advocates looking to "do good" in the world. I've been proud to be managing editor for so many years, covering this community and doing advocacy journalism there - before and after we became part of Healthline in 2015.The time has come, though, for my career page to turn to the next chapter. Healthline made a decision that it's time to close down DiabetesMine. We first heard about this decision-making in early 2022, and by mid-March the final decision had been made...

In the coming years, Tandem Diabetes Care has ambitious plans to introduce the next version of its tubed t:slim insulin pump, a series of three smaller devices to reduce and eventually eliminate tubes completely, and features allowing users to fully control their insulin pump and even deliver bolus insulin with their smartphones. The San Diego, California-based company revealed all of this at its first-ever R&D Day on Dec. 6, 2021, mapping out its 5-year pipeline plan for new technology. While medtech timelines often slip, given corporate priorities and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review process, Tandem expects that it will be able to develop and launch most — if not all — of these new products on a rolling scale between 2022 and 2027. "As a diabetes care company, we realize there is not a one-size-fits-all solution to managing this complex condition," Tandem CEO John Sheridan said. "'Positively different' is a sum total of our brand.....

Like everything else in 2020, the biggest diabetes conference of the year was anything but normal. The American Diabetes Association's 80th annual Scientific Sessions were, for the first time ever, held completely online as a sprawling, fast-paced, virtual streaming experience. Thousands of medical professionals from across the globe tuned in for the five-day event, June 12 through 16, many in casual clothes rather than professional conference attire — from their kitchens, living rooms, and home offices with curious kids, home decor, and pets popping in occasionally. So it goes in 2020, as the world navigates the ripple effects of a global pandemic that's catapulted us into virtual business and telehealth mode. The SciSessions have been held as a huge in-person gathering consecutively since the org's founding in June 1940, with the single exception during World War II when the conference was not held. "There was a lot of trepidation about what this yea...

Wow, what a decade the 2010s have been in the world of diabetes! Social media exploded to new levels and our Diabetes Online Community evolved along with it, as did the data-sharing from mobile devices and the throngs of Do-It-Yourself techies embracing a #WeAreNotWaiting mantra. Fueled by these patient voices, regulators opened up pathways to the first-ever commercial closed loop "Artificial Pancreas" systems. We saw the emergence of new forms of glucagon and insulin that have been years in the making. Our choice of diabetes gadgets changed dramatically, yet we saw scientific evidence that across the board, health outcomes are not improving as hoped. Meanwhile, a controversial healthcare law that was supposed to be a boon for people with chronic conditions ended up deepening the divide between the 'Haves and Have-Nots'. Politics, rising costs, and a culmination of unchecked corporate policies boiled over into an Insulin Affordability Crisis unlike anythi...

For the first time ever, the JDRF has a new Chief Executive Officer who lives with type 1 diabetes himself and has been an instrumental leader within the organization for more than a decade. Dr. Aaron Kowalski becomes the new CEO,  taking over for D-Dad Derek Rapp, who announced in October that he would be stepping down. This is big news and a huge win for all of us in the D-Community, Folks! Not only because Aaron is “one of us” in the pancreatically-challenged tribe, but also because he’s highly respected among the patient and healthcare communities, med-tech industry, and regulatory and policy spaces. He’s seen as a powerful advocate and “game-changer” who brings a personal D-connection and passion to everything he does. Diagnosed at age 13 in 1984, Aaron was the second in his family to be diagnosed, after his younger brother Steve had been diagnosed several years earlier at age 3. Notably, this means that the country’s two biggest diabetes orgs — the JDRF and the Amer...

Goodbye, Mary Tyler Moore. Our Diabetes Community is mourning the loss of a legendary type 1 champion who changed the world of advocacy, awareness, and research-funding for T1D. Mary Tyler Moore died on Wednesday, Jan. 25, at age 80 of pneumonia, with her family by her side, according to media reports . She made an impact worldwide through her TV acting career, most famously on the Dick Van Dyke Show and then her namesake Mary Tyler Moore in the 1970s. For those of us in the D-Community, her tireless advocacy work changed the landscape on what the public knew about diabetes, and the money raised for research for better treatments and a cure. Diagnosed at age 33 back in 1970, Mary entered the D-Community the same year her namesake show was launched, as well as the same year the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation (JDF) was founded. Aside from the glass ceilings she shattered for women in those days, she broke through many diabetes stereotypes -- from being diagnosed as an adult with w...

Written by Mike Hoskins and originally published at DiabetesMine on July 24, 2014 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The tides are a changin' at two of the top diabetes orgs, with both the JDRF and the American Diabetes Association getting new leaders this month for the first time in years. Whoa, both at the same time... is there something in the water?! And should we be concerned about what this means for the diabetes community in terms of how these key organizations will move forward on important issues like research, technology, patient access, legislation and other advocacy? Short answer: We can assume the two departures are just coincidental timing, but where exactly Big Red and Big Blue are headed from this point remains To Be Determined. We're expecting to publish an an exclusive Q&A with the new CEO of JDRF very soon, along with learning the identity of the interim ADA leader, so stay tuned! For now, we're reporting what we know from the outgoing guard. ...