In the U.S., November is designated as American Diabetes Month. The World Health Organization sets aside November 14th as Diabetes Day. And here in the U.K., we blocked out June 10 – 16, 2024, as Diabetes Week. Globally, many other countries have similar diabetes mellitus recognition events in their calendars.
Regardless of the dates on which these campaigns fall around the world, the aim is generally the same: to increase awareness of the impact that diabetes has on patients and their families, the complications caused by the disease, and healthcare policies and practices needed to improve care.
The Endocrine Society has a long history and deep commitment to tackling diabetes.
I’m always proud to let people know that scientists in our field were the ones who discovered and created diabetes treatments using insulin more than 100 years ago. And I’m equally proud to highlight our ongoing accomplishments in treating diabetes and its related causes, many of which you can read in this special diabetes-themed November issue of Endocrine News. Diabetes research also is the topic of our latest thematic issue from the Endocrine Society’s journals.
I’d like to underscore several recent milestones in our work in the area of diabetes.
On the U.S. advocacy front, the Society was invited to an August 13 event at The White House commemorating passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. That law included a landmark provision requiring all Medicare Part D plans to charge no more than $35 per month for all covered insulin products.
Regardless of the dates on which these campaigns fall around the world, the aim is generally the same: to increase awareness of the impact that diabetes has on patients and their families, the complications caused by the disease, and healthcare policies and practices needed to improve care.
The Society was the leading advocate for this remarkable legislation, which has saved countless U.S. citizens millions of dollars each year on their medication expenses. Undoubtedly, this law also has saved lives and reduced morbidity, as many people living with diabetes had previously forgone their insulin treatments due to costs.
The Endocrine Society was represented at the White House by member Joshua J. Joseph, MD, MPH, a professor at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and the former chair of the Society’s Clinical Affairs Core Committee. Dr. Joseph is a passionate advocate for ensuring all people living with diabetes receive affordable medicines needed for their diabetes care. Our work to lower insulin costs in the U.S. will continue for individuals who receive healthcare under private insurance companies and those who are uninsured.
Moving forward, our advocacy team has launched a campaign to encourage U.S. lawmakers to reauthorize the Special Diabetes Program (SDP), which is set to expire on December 31, 2024. SDP is a federal program comprised of two components to advance research for type 1 diabetes and provide treatment and education programs for type 2 diabetes among American Indians and Alaska Natives. I encourage you to join the Society in urging Congress to continue this program by passing legislation that would extend it for two years at $170 million per program per year.
Whether provided through government or private health programs, the Society wants to ensure all patients receive the best diabetes care possible. Our organization has partnered with the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians to develop a holistic certificate program covering many facets of diabetes care.
Society Also Leads on Obesity Care
On the diabetes-related topic of obesity, the Society also has been demonstrating its leadership in recent months.
One of the most prestigious awards in medical science is the Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award, which is often seen as a precursor to the Nobel prizes. Three Society members have taken home the 2024 award for their roles in the discovery and development of GLP-1 based obesity drugs, designed initially to treat diabetes. These members are:
- Joel F. Habener, MA, MD, chief of Laboratory of Molecular Endocrinology, Massachusetts General Hospital;
- Lotte Bjerre Knudsen, DMSc, chief scientific advisor and head of the GLP-1 Centre of Excellence at Novo Nordisk; and
- Svetlana Mojsov, PhD, research associate professor at Rockefeller University in New York.
Our fellow members are improving the health of millions of people through use of these remarkable drugs.
On a similar vein of recognition, long-time Society member Daniel Drucker, MD, is the recipient of the Society’s highest honor, the Fred Conrad Koch Lifetime Achievement Award, this year for his role as a pioneer in advancing next-generation treatments for diabetes and weight loss. Dr. Drucker was a postdoc in Joel Habener’s lab, where he made discoveries about glucagon-like peptides (GLP-1 and GLP-2) that contributed significantly to the development of new classes of drugs, including semiglutide.
As you can see, your Society is extremely active in these important areas that affect global public health. Wherever you reside, I wish you a successful diabetes recognition event!
I invite you to watch a series of fascinating video interviews with Dr. Drucker on the Society’s Focus on Obesity webpage.
The Society also is leading the medical field in training experts on obesity care. In late September, the Society held its second-annual Obesity Fellows Program, an in-person and online course on best practices in obesity care for endocrinology fellows. Roughly 50 fellows participated in the in-person program at the Society’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Finally, at ENDO 2025 in San Francisco, Calif., July 12-15, attendees will be treated to a master class in the field of obesity care at one of the three plenary sessions taking place from 8:00 to 9:15 AM WT on Monday, July 14, 2025. Entitled ‘Innovative Approaches in Obesity Care: From Molecules to Society’. Speakers are Jens Holst, MD, DMSc, who will discuss ‘Incretins: the silver bullet?’, and Fatima Stanford, MD, MPH, MPA, who will explore the changing game of obesity care across lifespans, including policies, diets, and drug innovation.
As you can see, your Society is extremely active in these important areas that affect global public health. Wherever you reside, I wish you a successful diabetes recognition event!
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