Every year on 12 May, the world comes together to celebrate the nursing profession on International Nurses Day. It is a day to reflect and thank nurses for the care, compassion and commitment they share to us all, especially the diabetes community.

The theme for 2023 is ‘A Voice to Lead: Our Nurses. Our Future’. This is an international campaign which sets out what nurses all around the world want for nursing in the future in order to address the global health challenges and improve global health for all. 

Today we acknowledge the diverse skills and experiences nurses have and the variety of contexts in which they work. Nurses are critical to the wellbeing of people living with diabetes whether it be acute, preventative, primary or community care, yet they are often the unsung heroes.

At Diabetes Australia we are honoured to have many nurses among our staff who have completed post graduate qualifications to become credentialled diabetes educators and we take the opportunity to acknowledge their valuable contribution on International Nurses Day.

Helping people to understand their diabetes and live fulfilling lives

One such professional is registered nurse, credentialled diabetes educator and psychotherapist Carolien Koreneff.

Carolien, who was born and qualified in the Netherlands, has been working as a nurse for almost 30 years and a credentialled diabetes educator for just over 25 years. She emigrated to Australia 27 years ago.

“I am passionate about making a difference,” Carolien said. “Helping people to understand their diabetes, and what they can do to live more fulfilling lives while reducing the risk of developing, or the impact of, diabetes complications, is what inspires me.”

Complications from diabetes can include heart and kidney disease, stroke, blindness, amputations, depression and anxiety.

Carolien urges people with diabetes to “make it yours”.

“Get into the driver’s seat and take control,” she said. “There is a lot you can do to improve your situation, and you can take it one step at a time.

“You don’t have to do it alone. Ask for help along the way because that is what we’re here for.”

Carolien joined Diabetes Australia in 2018 after 18 years in the Diabetes Centre at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Camperdown, Sydney. She is one of a few ‘Fellows of the Australian Diabetes Educators Association’ in recognition of her expertise in diabetes leadership, education and management, and contribution to the Diabetes Educators’ profession.

Carolien has also trained as a somatic or body-oriented psychotherapist.

“The combination of nursing, diabetes education and psychotherapy helps me to understand at a deeper level the needs, wants and concerns of people with diabetes and their carers and families,” she said.

“Inspiring people, helping others find meaning and improve their self-worth, level of confidence and awareness, makes me want to jump out of bed in the morning.

“I love sharing knowledge and helping people.”

Making a difference locally

Diabetes Australia’s CEO in Queensland, Adjunct Professor Sue Hawes, has been a registered nurse for more than 30 years and has experience in emergency and disaster management, hospital, community, rural and remote, disability and aged care nursing.

“I love being a nurse and always appreciate the contribution the profession of nursing makes to enhance the health and wellbeing of the community,” Sue said. “I see first-hand every day the difference the nurses working at Diabetes Australia make. I thank them for their professionalism and incredible commitment and dedication to their work.

“We are so lucky to have such a highly educated, diverse and skilled team of nurses and other health professionals that genuinely care for each other and for people living with or at risk of diabetes. They want the absolute best outcome for every single person who seeks our support.”

Happy International Nurses Day and thank you for all that you do!

Healthy Living Toongabbie, is a group of health-conscious business owners, health professionals and community leaders, who have united with the common goal of improving the health of the Western Sydney community.

The impact of diabetes

Western Sydney is a hotspot for diabetes. More than 6% of the population in the area are currently living with the condition which is above the national average.

One in four Australians over the age of 25 is living with diabetes or pre-diabetes. This means the people you see every day could be living with diabetes. It could be the neighbour you say hello to on your daily walk, the local barista you buy your coffee from, or your friends or family members. When it comes to looking after our own health, the health of our family and community, it is something we can all do together.

About Health Living Toongabbie

Healthy Living Toongabbie meet regularly to plan tailored health awareness activities. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Healthy Living Toongabbie were at the local shopping centre each month handing out factsheets and other helpful information. They raised awareness of and started conversations about diabetes with local residents in this familiar and comfortable location. The pandemic didn’t slow the group’s motivation and they quickly moved to video meetings to replace face-to-face sessions. Healthy Living Toongabbie have since organised a number of online forums, covering topics such as diabetes and pregnancy, and how to manage diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic. These online events can be viewed via the Healthy Living Toongabbie Facebook Page.

How Diabetes NSW & ACT provides support

Diabetes NSW & ACT is an active member of Healthy Living Toongabbie, providing  support in the form of diabetes information and factsheets, attending community events and education sessions, supporting webinars and being available to answer questions over the phone.

Building programs for the diverse local community

Toongabbie is rich in diversity and culture, with more than 50% of the community speaking a language other than English. Members of Healthy Living Toongabbie identified the need for in-language information to support pregnant women. To help fill the gap a series of videos in Tamil were created to support soon-to-be mums, women thinking about having a baby and support networks. These videos can be found here. 

Supporting the health of the community

Healthy Living Toongabbie is a great example of communities supporting one another.  It only takes a few proactive community leaders to come together to start spreading messages about good health and wellbeing to get people started on the road to better health.

Where to find out more

For more information about the work Healthy Living Toongabbie have been doing watch this video:

Communities in the local Western Sydney region interested in forming a similar group are welcome to contact WSLHD-WSDiabetes@health.nsw.gov.au.

If you’re looking for more information or support for your diabetes management please call us on 1800 177 055. Diabetes NSW & ACT is here to help and support you.

In April 2021 members of Diabetes NSW & ACT voted yes to a merger with Diabetes Australia.

This was a really positive outcome as it paved the way for the creation of a strong national organisation working to shape the future of diabetes care in Australia, while continuing to deliver the local programs, services and news.

Other diabetes organisations who have also since voted to join with Diabetes Australia include Diabetes Queensland, Diabetes Tasmania, Australian Diabetes Society and Australian Diabetes Educators Association.

The first step in the creation of a unified Diabetes Australia was the appointment of a new Group CEO. This role was taken up by Justine Cain who joined the organisation in late 2021. With more than two decades leadership experience Justine is focused on ensuring Diabetes Australia has a positive and lasting impact on the lives of Australians living with diabetes.

Coming together as the new Diabetes Australia

While the transition is underway you may receive communications from both organisations.

Our teams are working through how we will merge systems, processes, programs and services to ensure that our community is not inconvenienced and continues to receive the service and support they need.

What this means for you

There are no changes to the services you receive from us as a result of this announcement. We look forward to sharing more information about the unification and its benefits with you over the coming year.

New and existing members will now join Diabetes Australia. As your local branch, Diabetes NSW & ACT will manage your membership on behalf of Diabetes Australia and will be here to help and support you when you need us. Diabetes Australia will work for all members by:

• advocating with all levels of government on issues important to the diabetes community,
• supporting diabetes research,
• providing a supportive community, that connects you to others living with diabetes, and
• delivering events and information to help you manage your diabetes and live well.

When you join the Diabetes Australia Member Community you have the best of both worlds. You have access to local events, services and information, while being part of a large and strong national organisation working for all people living with diabetes.

Last night Diabetes Australia and Diabetes NSW & ACT hosted the 2021 Diabetes Australia Research Trust (DART) Awards at NSW Parliament House.

The DART Awards recognise diabetes researchers making an outstanding contribution to the prevention, management and cure for all types of diabetes.

The awards given under the Diabetes Australia Research Program recognise outstanding research, and foster young and upcoming researchers in the field of diabetes.

Diabetes NSW & ACT would like to thank and acknowledge our corporate partner Abbott, whose support made the awards ceremony possible and for their commitment to research.

2021 Diabetes Australia Grant Award Recipients

Researcher	Institute	Project Title
Associate Professor Ross Laybutt	Garvan Institute of Medical Research	XBP1 maintains ß-cell identity by repressing an a-cell program
Dr Nicola Lee	Garvan Institute of Medical Research	Central leptin signalling through NPY neurons regulates glucose homeostasis
Associate Professor Carsten Schmitz-Peiffer	Garvan Institute of Medical Research	Proof-of-Principle: Inhibitors of Protein Kinase C Epsilon as Dual Action Agents for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes
Dr Lei Zhang	Garvan Institute of Medical Research	Brainstem circuitries as intervention points for type 2 diabetes treatment
Dr Chunling Huang	Kolling Institute of Medical Research	Targeting Kv1.3 as a novel therapeutic strategy for diabetic kidney disease
Dr Sue Mei Lau	Prince of Wales Hospital	Development of an evidence-based model of cost-effective diabetes inpatient care using a diabetes patient finding tool (the Diabetes Dashboard).
Professor Kim Donaghue	The Children’s Hospital at Westmead	The CANDID Study: Improving Outcomes of Childhood Type 1 Diabetes
Professor Nick Di Girolamo	University of New South Wales	A novel treatment for type I diabetes that regenerates sensory nerves: using the eye as a model
Associate Professor Isabelle Jalbert	University of New South Wales	IDEA: Co-designing and feasibility testing of an evidence-based and theory-informed intervention to Improve appropriateness of Diabetic Eyecare in Australia
Dr Ki Wook Kim	University of New South Wales	Characterising the population of respiratory viruses that promote the development of islet autoimmunity and type 1 diabetes using virome capture sequencing
Professor Nigel Turner	University of New South Wales	Pharmacological targeting of the sphingolipid metabolism to treat metabolic disease
Dr Kedar Ghimire	University of Sydney	A novel strategy to promote insulin secretion and improve treatment for diabetes mellitus
Professor David James	University of Sydney	Molecular Dissection of a Human Lipodystrophy Mutation
Dr Praveesuda Michael	University of Sydney	3D Perfusion Bioreactor: A novel approach to study synthetic vascular graft endothelialisation in diabetes
Dr Reena Singh	University of Sydney	To identify the effect of basement membrane proteins on the global gene expression pattern of human stem cell derived-beta (SC-ß) cells and dissect the underlying mechanism of enhanced function
Professor Wah Cheung	Westmead Hospital	The Role of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease in the Development of Hyperglycaemia in Pregnancy

Last night at an event at NSW Parliament House, Professor Maria Craig and Leo Tutt (AM) were honoured for their contribution to diabetes receiving the 2020 and 2021 Sir Kempson Maddox Awards, respectively.

Each year, Diabetes NSW & ACT recognises a person who has made a significant and lasting contribution to the field of diabetes through the Sir Kempson Maddox Award. As COVID-19 forced the cancellation of last year’s event the Awards for 2020 and 2021 were presented as part of a joint event.

Sir Kempson Maddox

The award honours the memory of Sir John Kempson Maddox, a leading cardiologist, with an interest in diabetes, who pioneered diabetes self-management. He was founder of the Diabetes Association of Australia, which went on to become Diabetes NSW & ACT.

Professor Maria Craig

The 2020 award winner Professor Maria Craig works at both the Children’s Hospital at Westmead and the Faculty of Medicine at the University of NSW. She has a long history and interest in childhood diabetes working in both a hands on and research capacity.

Over the last 15 years Professor Craig has made a difference to the lives of children living with type 1 diabetes as a voluntary camp doctor at DNSW & ACT DiaBuddies Camps. She also has an extensive portfolio of research into childhood diabetes, including studies focused on prediction and prevention of type 1 diabetes.

Professor Craig is the principal investigator for the CoRD trial – a world first phase 1 study using autologous cord blood for prevention of type 1 diabetes in children with islet autoimmunity. She is a principal investigator for the Australasian Diabetes Data Network (ADDN – addn.org.au) and her other research interests include the epidemiology of childhood diabetes (type 1, type 2, cystic fibrosis related diabetes and monogenic diabetes) and diabetes complications, in collaboration with Prof Kim Donaghue at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead.

Diabetes NSW & ACT is extremely grateful to Professor Craig for her support of the DiaBuddies Program and is proud to acknowledge her extensive research achievements with the 2020 Sir Kempson Maddox Award.

Leo Tutt AM

Leo Tutt has had a long connection to Diabetes NSW & ACT and his contribution to the diabetes community as a member and Chair of the Board reflects his passion for making a difference for people living with diabetes.

Mr Tutt’s contribution to diabetes has not been limited to his involvement with Diabetes NSW & ACT as he was also a past Director of Diabetes Australia, Diabetes Queensland and the GI Foundation.

Passionate about helping people, his drive has always been to create success, make a positive difference and improve the lives and opportunities available to all people living with diabetes.

During his time as Chair of the Board of Diabetes NSW & ACT, Leo developed a vision for Diabetes NSW & ACT which initially focused on merging with Diabetes ACT. He then considered the strategic opportunity to work more closely with Diabetes Queensland and finally, to foster support for bringing together the state diabetes organisations to form a strong and unified national organisation representing the interests of Australians living with diabetes.

Sturt Eastwood, CEO Diabetes NSW & ACT noted that throughout his career, Mr Tutt had shown an outstanding commitment to the diabetes the community.

“It has been a pleasure to work closely beside Leo on the Board of Diabetes NSW & ACT. His contribution has and will continue to make a difference to thousands of lives. He is definitely a worthy recipient of the 2021 Sir Kempson Maddox Award,” he said.

Diabetes NSW & ACT is proud to acknowledge Professor Maria Craig and Leo Tutt AM as the winners of the 2020 and 2021 Sir Kempson Maddox Awards.

Last night at an event at NSW Parliament House, John Bell AM was honoured with the 2019 Sir Kempson Maddox Award.

Every year, Diabetes NSW & ACT recognises a person who has made a significant and lasting contribution to the field of diabetes through the Sir Kempson Maddox Award.

The award honours Sir John Kempson Maddox, a leading cardiologist, with an interest in diabetes, who pioneered diabetes self-management and was founder of the Diabetes Association of Australia, which has gone on to become Diabetes NSW & ACT.

John Bell a leading pharmacist, broadcaster and advocate for prevention and treatment strategies for people living with diabetes received the award for his dedication and passion to his industry and the diabetes community.

John has had a distinguished career as a pharmacist, teacher and educational author.  He was National President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia for over 10 years and represented pharmacy on a number of Australian Government Committees.

John played an active role in international pharmacy for more than 30 years holding the roles of  Vice President and President of the Federation Internationale Pharmaceutique and Secretary of the Commonwealth Pharmacists Association at various times.

For over 30 years, John presented a weekly radio talk-back program the “Friendly Pharmacist and to this day is a regular contributor to radio, TV print and current affairs programs. He also served on the Board of Diabetes NSW & ACT from 2001 – 2018.

In presenting the award, Sturt Eastwood, CEO Diabetes NSW & ACT noted that throughout his career, Mr Bell had has shown an outstanding commitment to the pharmaceutical profession and to the health and wellbeing of the community.

“His work as an educator, advisor to local and international government and industry, and helping the man in the street better understand health issues through his radio program, have and will continue to make a significant difference to the lives of many thousands of people.”

“It has been a pleasure to work closely beside John on the Board of Diabetes NSW & ACT and he is definitely a worthy recipient of the 2019 Sir Kempson Maddox Award,” he said.

Diabetes NSW & ACT is proud to acknowledge John Bell AM as the winner of the 2019 Sir Kempson Maddox Award