Diabetes Australia today announced the appointment of Mr Barry O’Farrell, former Premier of New South Wales, as its new President and Board Chair.

Retiring President, Hon Judi Moylan AO, said Diabetes Australia was delighted to have attracted a very strong field of candidates and she welcomed Mr O’Farrell who took over the role from 1 January 2019.

Diabetes is a complex condition that can cause damage to a range of essential organs. That’s why Diabetes Australia is committed to funding important research projects examining every facet of the condition and its impact on people’s health.

For instance we’ve provided funding, through the Diabetes Australia Research Trust, to support Associate Professor Elif Ekinci from the University of Melbourne and her research into kidney disease which could lead to earlier detection.

Rod was a typical outdoorsy bloke who loved getting in the 4WD on the weekend and heading up the Western Australian coast to throw a line in at Wedge Island.

Unfortunately, a delayed diagnosis of type 2 diabetes which lead to several diabetes-related amputations has made it much harder for him to get around.

Diabetes Australia has welcomed the inclusion of $243.5 million over four years from 2018-19 (and $84.1 million per year ongoing) to support people with diabetes and the expansion of access to new glucose monitoring technologies.

Diabetes Australia CEO Professor Greg Johnson said it was very pleasing that the continuous glucose monitoring program, first announced in 2016 and extended recently by the Government, will form part of the National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS) from 1 January 2019.

Congratulations to South Australian pharmacist Kirrily Chambers who was named Innovative Pharmacist of the Year 2018.

Kirrily is a true pioneer among Australian pharmacists. In 2009 she qualified as a Credentialled Diabetes Educator and became the first Australian pharmacist to combine the two qualifications.

Professor Jerry Greenfield, from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, has been awarded the Diabetes Australia Research Trust 2019 Type 1 Diabetes Millennium Award to support research into insulin resistance in people with type 1 diabetes.