Leadership Skills, College and Diabetes Meet in Austin with the College Diabetes Network

Austin, TX, February 21, 2019 --(PR.com)-- The College Diabetes Network (CDN) is excited to announce that they held a regional leadership retreat on February 16 in Austin, Texas, in conjunction with students from local colleges. This retreat was a first of its kind in the region, bringing together almost 40 local college students living with type one diabetes for a day of learning, connecting, and leadership.

Type one diabetes is a chronic autoimmune disease with no cure, one that often presents itself in childhood or young adulthood. CDN is a national nonprofit organization providing support and resources to young people managing type one diabetes. 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.

This first ever regional retreat included students from Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Rice University, Stephen F Austin State University (SFASU), and University of Texas to Austin. These student leaders explored event planning, leadership transitions, and learning more about careers in the diabetes sector. Additionally, Dr. Stephen Ponder, 2018 Diabetes Educator of the Year, speaker, and author of Sugar Surfing, discussed ways to manage type 1 diabetes while living a busy college lifestyle. They also had the opportunity to learn from leaders in the diabetes tech and pharmaceutical space about their latest products and innovations, while networking for possible future internships and careers. CDN Corporate Members Tandem Diabetes Care, Dexcom, Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Senseonics, Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, and Insulet attended.

“Its great to be able to bring together student leaders in this way,” said Tiffany Armstrong, CDN’s Chief Development Officer. “The ability to learn skills and bond over shared experiences is life changing. Our model has shown that peer support makes an impact on students’ lives and this retreat is an extension of that.”

“This regional retreat is something I hope can connect all of the college students and young professionals with type one diabetes in Texas so they can have an amazing support system to help them get through all of the bad and good days of living with diabetes. With my own chapter at SFASU I have been able to witness students meeting other people with diabetes for the very first time. I think it is crucial in diabetes care to have a group of people you can lean on who have a very good idea on what you are going through.” Kacey Creel, CDN Chapter leader and student at SFASU.

If you would like to learn more about getting involved in 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.