UConn Pharmacy student, Andrew Vilcinskas, will attend The College Diabetes Network’s (CDN) first Leadership Summit in Boston on April 6. CDN has gathered young adult leaders in the Type 1 (T1D) diabetes community to share their experiences and prepare for a future in the diabetes sector. The group will discuss the unmet needs of the young adult population and provide feedback to CDN, and its partners, to better enhance the state of diabetes care for young adults.
T1D is an autoimmune disease that occurs when a person’s pancreas stops producing insulin, the hormone that controls blood-sugar levels. CDN is a national nonprofit organization providing support and resources to young people managing the disease. CDN has a presence on more than 300 college campuses, over 5,000 student members, and a wide array of resources for students, parents, clinicians, and campus professionals.
The Summit will feature educational sessions on leadership, opportunities to bring the voice of the young adult directly to CDN partners, discussions around upcoming technology, and discussion of career opportunities in the diabetes sector. Students will network and interact with CDN partners, including Dexcom, Insulet, Lexicon, Lilly, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, Senseonics, Tandem, the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE), the National Certification Board of Diabetes Educators (NCBDE), and Xeris Pharmaceuticals.
Andrew is a third year pharmacy student who hopes to pursue a practice based pharmacy residency working with people with diabetes and to become a Certified Diabetes Educator.
“I’m excited for the Summit because with its concentrated focus on the future of diabetes care, I’ll have a unique opportunity to learn about improving the diabetes community” said Vilcinskas. “With diabetes advocacy education, networking, and innovation as the highlights of the weekend, the chance to develop skills and knowledge both professionally and personally will help me and others to prepare for future roles as leaders in the diabetes community.”
“The 2019 NextGen Leadership Summit will be an amazing opportunity for CDN to gather our most dedicated young adult leaders and to connect them directly with the information they need and the people that can help them succeed. I am so excited to see these students grow and become the next generation of leaders for the diabetes community,” said Zach Hall, a CDN Program Assistant who planned and will largely run the event.
“We are dedicated to creating a pipeline of leaders in the diabetes sector and bringing the young adult voice to our partners, and the Leadership Summit is an excellent way to further these goals,” said Christina Roth, CEO and Founder of CDN.
If you would like to learn more about getting involved with CDN, please visit collegediabetesnetwork.org.
About CDN
The College Diabetes Network (CDN) is a 501c3 non-profit organization whose mission is singularly focused on providing young adults with T1D the peer connections they value, and expert resources they need, to successfully manage the challenging transition to independence at college and beyond.
CDN creates a community of young adults with diabetes; a community run by students for students. CDN supports them in creating peer networks on campus, facilitates connections between students and local resources, and provides tools to reduce the barriers of running these on-campus Chapters.
