Perspectives on Diabetes Care

Being The Best You Can Possibly Be: AADE Annual Meeting 2013

Jun 3, 2013, 01:00 AM

Special Guest Blog from Patti Geil, MS, RD, FADA, CDE
2013 AADE Annual Meeting Program Chair

I’ll never forget my first AADE Annual Meeting. It was held in the heat of August in Phoenix. I had airline connection problems, and my budget was extremely tight. I’d attended other professional diabetes conferences in the past, but it didn’t take me long to discover that the AADE Annual Meeting was different. The programs were totally focused on my specific needs as a diabetes educator such as tips for teaching, updates on the latest diabetes research and initial discussions on obtaining third party reimbursement for diabetes education. After a week of attending stimulating, continuing education sessions, touring the bustling exhibit hall floor and networking with other diabetes educators, I left Phoenix exhausted and my luggage crammed with stuffed animal giveaways from the vendors!  At the same time, I felt energized, renewed and ready to return to work, striving to put into practice what I’d just learned in order to become the best diabetes educator I could possibly be.

Fast forward to 2013, and I find myself serving as the Program Chair for this year’s Annual Meeting, built around the theme “The Point of Possible: Relationships Build Strength and Opportunity.” The concept of endless possibilities is especially relevant in our field. At the time of my first AADE Annual Meeting, when glucose meters were the size of bricks, who could imagine the possibility of continuous glucose monitoring? Who could imagine the possibility that our patient education philosophy would move from one of demanding compliance to welcoming patient empowerment?  And I certainly couldn’t imagine the possibility that I would one day be involved with planning the very Annual Meeting that left me with such a wonderful first impression!

Our goals for this year’s Annual Meeting are clear cut:

• To prepare diabetes educators to survive and thrive in today’s evolving healthcare environment
• To highlight the latest technology and innovations in the field of diabetes
• To encourage attendees to expand their relationships with those that provide and support diabetes education

With the help of outstanding AADE President Tami Ross and a stellar Annual Meeting Planning Committee, made up of your peers and the dedicated AADE staff, we’ve crafted a meeting designed to help you recognize the point of possible in your professional life. You’ll have the opportunity to earn 23 continuing education hours over four days, beginning with two special pre-conference events focusing on social media and media training, enabling you to walk away with concrete skills to immediately improve your practice in these challenging areas. Over 100 original education sessions based on the AADE Domains of Practice are available and tailored to all levels of proficiency from novice to expert, with more advanced practice topics offered than ever before.  Our General Session speakers are sure to touch your heart and stimulate your mind, as they discuss the endless possibilities in diabetes education. Finally, you’ll have countless opportunities to expand your relationships with those that provide and support diabetes education from evening networking events to fitness breaks to those “hallway chats” with colleagues that are often the best networking events of all!

Expand your point of possible and join us at this year’s Annual Meeting in August. Philadelphia, with its boundless opportunities and brotherly love, is awaiting us! While I can’t guarantee you’ll come home with your luggage loaded with stuffed animals, I can assure you that you’ll come home revitalized with the tools you’ll need to be the best diabetes educator you can possibly be!

For more information on the 2013 Annual Meeting, go to http://aade-365.ascendeventmedia.com/