gwen's blog

WDF announces new Chairman of the Board

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK – The World Diabetes Foundation today announced that Dr. Anil Kapur has been elected as Chairman of the Board of Directors. He replaces Prof. Pierre Lefèbvre who retired from the Board in December, 2014.

The new Board, constituted on 3 March 2015, consists of Dr Anil Kapur (Chairman), Mr Leif Fenger Jensen (Vice Chairman), Ms Ida Nicolaisen, Dr Kaushik Ramaiya, Mr Lars Rebien Sørensen, and Prof. Abdallah Daar.

2015 fundraiser: diabetes care in Peru

Diabetes rates are now at 7,2% in Peru, and climbing fast. The country is also experiencing an increasing number of severe diabetes-related complications - in particular diabetic foot.

Yet only about 75% of Peruvians covered by health services, and fewer than 300 endocrinologists exist nationwide. While diabetes is addressed in the Peruvian Health Strategic Plan, the resources available to treat and combat the disease are very limited.

Welcome to WDF's updated website

Our website is our window to the world. And we want that window to reflect well on us – to be attractive, easy to navigate, and full of clear, useful information.

With this in mind, we today launch an updated worlddiabetesorganisation.org. Its new features include:

• Sections exploring Who we Are, What we Do, and How to Apply

Turning the diabetes tide in Fiji

Diabetes Fiji President Dr. Wahid Khan, WDF Board member Ida Nicolaisen and WDF Sr. Coordinator Bent Lautrup-Nielsen (back row, left to right), inaugurate a new foot care clinic in Fiji in 2013 together with local nurses and Ministry of Health officials.

In ‘Country in Focus: turning the tide of diabetes in Fiji’, journalist Jules Morgan reports on the problem of non-communicable diseases in Fiji, and how Diabetes Fiji and its new President, Dr Abdul Wahid Khan, are working to address it.

WDF supports 38 new projects in 2014

Patients lining up to visit a mobile diabetes clinic in Madagascar - one of the 38 new projects supported by the WDF in 2014.

Some of the new projects are in African, South American and Caribbean countries where the WDF has not previously worked. These new countries include: Angola, South Sudan, Zimbabwe, Argentina and Dominican Republic.

Lancet explores impact of Chinese gestational diabetes project

Women participating in a gestational diabetes clinic, one of several results of a WDF partnership with Peking University First Hospital.

In ‘Gestational diabetes in China: challenges and coping strategies’, Professors Jie Yan and Huixia Yang from Peking University First Hospital describe the impact of WDF10-517, a project dedicated to screening, identifying and providing care to women with gestational diabetes.

2014 Walk breaks records and sends a message

It’s a record! 145 organisations have registered 1,087 Global Diabetes Walks in 56 countries worldwide – with an amazing 302,367 participants. That’s more than a quarter million people putting their legs and voices behind one message: that individuals, governments and societies must take steps to prevent diabetes.

Report sounds alarm about TB-diabetes co-epidemic

Anil Kapur (right) and Anthony Harries at a press conference in Barcelona. Photo: The Union.

A report released this week by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) and the World Diabetes Foundation calls for international action to prevent a co-epidemic of diabetes and tuberculosis – and is receiving international notice.

WDF project wins ‘Oscar of Medicine’

The kNOw Diabetes project, which taught thousands of school children about diabetes symptoms and prevention, was recognised by the BMJ for excellence in preventive health.

On 20 September, at the GALA Awards presentation Ceremony in New Delhi, Dr G Vijayakumar received the BMJ Award for Excellence in Preventive Health for the kNOw Diabetes Project.

WDF in Palestine: a long-term commitment to better care

Palestinians receiving care at a UNRWA clinic in Jordan. Photo: UNRWA

The World Diabetes Foundation aims to alleviate suffering related to diabetes among those least able to withstand the burden of the disease. Not surprisingly, Palestine has been a focus area for the Foundation since its creation in 2002.