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How much do you follow along with research presented at diabetes conferences? Select all that are true for you!
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Don’t attend conferences. Conference sponsors are suspect, mostly shills for pharmaceuticals. I read research online from reliable sources.
The staff of Aesculapius strikes very unevenly. You need to go about with a lantern in broad daylight, Diogenes-style, to find the truth about medical wheat from pharmaceutical chaff often presented as TV advertising. I much appreciate reading the results that come out of good, solid research rather than television palaver. (ง︡’-‘︠)ง
When I was much younger I read research journals at nearby medical school libraries to stay abreast of the latest research. But I learned research is undermined by capitalism. The profit motive has undermined scientific research of all the sciences and even mathematics. Want to get funded? Promise that your research will develop a chemical, a bacteria, a virus, a device that will kill people and the pentagon will flood you with money. “Fund my research and my team will produce a chemical-laced dart that can reduce blood glucose levels of the enemy to the point of cognitive confusion, then unconsciousness, then death.” Go to DARPA with that proposal for billions in research for your university. Make sure your research team “includes” scientists from Japan, Korea, Germany, France, Israel, South Africa, an Arab nation. (Be prepared to return the favor by letting each of them use your name when they submit proposals or submit articles.)
I follow T1 YouTubers, like NerdDiabetic, who attend these conferences and share the info on their channel.
I figure when research finally becomes actually tangible products or medications etc then everyone will hear about it online and I can look into it with the help of my doctor. Otherwise it’s just research that may or may not come to fruition. No need to get my hopes up over “possibilities”. Just gotta live and let live the best with what we have current access too. Conferences have never interested me.
Over the years I have attended several AADE Annual Meetings, ADA Seminars, and TCOYD Conferences as a CDE and as an informed PWD. Generally I find the research presented to be timely, valid, and meaningful for my professional work as a diabetes care and education specialist nurse and personally as a PWD. Sometimes ADA and AADE research outcome reports are so data driven it can be overwhelming and boring.
Because of COVID last year and this year attendance has been online. The good thing is online attendance saves tons of $$$$ in travel and hotel expenses and I find I get just as much out of being there virtually as I do in person – except for the face to face meet & greets and hands on product demonstrations.
However, I really miss being able to attend TCOYD events in person for the past year and a half because the information they present is spot-on current snd relevant. Besides attending a TCOYD conference is such a joyful and so-o-o-o much fun experience!
I receive information from ADA and occasionally look up grand rounds to watch along with pubmed topics to read. I don’t read that much on immunology compared to neurology.
If I had more time in my day, I would actively follow and participate in research conferences. This was my goal when I retired 2 years ago. However, ill family members has consumed my time so I catch up on the news when I can.