M42’s Imperial College London Diabetes Centre debuts first Diabetes Education Conference to resounding success

Imperial College London Diabetes Centre, part of the M42 group, celebrated a highly successful launch of its first Diabetes Education Conference in Dubai on 14 September. Drawing nearly 180 delegates, as well as exhibitors and distinguished speakers, the event surpassed expectations and demonstrated the urgent need for enhanced diabetes education in the region.

The conference was themed ‘Precision Medicine and Machine Learning in Diabetes Education: Where Man Meets Machine.’ It aimed to equip diabetes educators and healthcare professionals with the latest knowledge and tools to improve patient care and education.

According to the International Diabetes Federation, over 73 million people in the MENA region currently live with diabetes — a figure projected to rise to 135.7 million by 2045, marking an 87 percent increase. To help tackle this rising condition — which inflicts significantly high human, social and economic costs in the region – participants gained valuable insights into diabetes education, focusing on topics such as patient-centered approaches and the latest updates and innovative strategies to improve patient outcomes, such as the integration of telehealth and digital health platforms.

The event brought together some of the most respected voices in diabetes management. Through a series of informative workshops and sessions, attendees had the chance to interact with leading experts, explore cutting-edge technologies and learn best practices in the field.

Highlights included sessions such as ‘Not All Algorithms Are The Same’ by Lou Lintereur, Chief Engineer, Automated Delivery Systems at Medtronic Diabetes, ‘Translational Medicine’ by Dr. Jackie Elliott, Clinical Lead for Diabetes and Senior Clinical Lecturer at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, University of Sheffield and ‘Advanced Hybrid Closed-loop Systems in Children & Adolescents’ by Dr. Goran Petrovski, Professor, Endocrinologist and Diabetologist at Medtronic.

These sessions highlighted the rapid advancements in automated insulin delivery systems, the transformative potential of translational medicine in diabetes care and the promise of hybrid closed-loop systems to improve outcomes for pediatric patients.

Dr. Tomader Ali, Manager of Diabetic Education at Imperial College London Diabetes Centre, said: “We were thrilled to welcome so many healthcare professionals to our inaugural event. The rising tide of diabetes in the MENA region and globally calls for urgent action. This conference served as a crucial platform to empower healthcare professionals with the latest in diabetes education and care. By coming together to explore precision medicine and the latest scientific and technological advances, we are directly addressing this growing challenge and striving for actionable insights that can lead to positive, lasting change.”

The success of this year’s conference has set the stage for an even more impactful event next year, which will be held in Abu Dhabi. Both exhibitors and delegates have expressed enthusiasm for the upcoming edition, eager to continue this important conversation and further advance diabetes education and care.