Susie Jin
Community Pharmacist, Certified Diabetes Educator & Conference Co-Chair
As a leader in diabetes research globally, Canada is home to many of the latest resources, education, and services to help people better manage their diabetes. Every year, more than 1,800 diabetes health-care providers gather at the Diabetes Canada/Canadian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism (CSEM) Professional Conference to share their latest discoveries and collaborate on improving the quality of life for more than 11.7 million Canadians impacted by diabetes.
“We really aim to bring together as many health-care providers as possible from all aspects of diabetes care so they can then share this information with those affected by diabetes,” says Susie Jin, a community pharmacist, certified diabetes educator, and Conference co-chair. “This is one of those chronic conditions that all health-care providers should keep learning about to best support people living with diabetes.”
If we can collaborate better as health-care providers, people living with diabetes will have better outcomes too.
Jin says the reality of diabetes is that treatment protocols are ever-evolving, so it’s important for people to stay connected with their diabetes care team and assess and adjust their management accordingly. “What we learned and had available to us for the management of diabetes continues to advance,” she says. “But if we can collaborate better as health-care providers, people living with diabetes will have better outcomes too.”
This year’s Conference, which is taking place in Calgary in November, will explore cutting-edge topics such as type 2 diabetes remission. In fact, Diabetes Canada is releasing a brand-new chapter in its Clinical Practice Guidelines dedicated to this topic — the first of its kind among any evidence-based guidelines in the world. While diabetes remission may not be a reality for many people with the condition, Jin says its possibility introduces new complexity into the early management of type 2 diabetes. “With remission being a new concept, there are still many unknowns, such as its benefits compared to staying on pharmacologically managed treatments that can protect organs,” she says.
“Providers will need to have conversations about what we know and don’t know about remission while keeping people affected by diabetes safe.”
Conference attendees will also examine barriers to diabetes care for Indigenous communities and how health-care providers can better support Indigenous cultural safety.
