Two weeks ago, our team attended the American Association of Diabetes Educators conference in San Diego, CA and were amazed at the people we met. From passionate, mission-driven, patient foundations and nonprofits, to innovate research and medical device companies bringing patient care and symptom management into the age of mobile and IoT – each organization had a story to tell. And as the only patient engagement technology company in attendance, we listened to all of them.

So while our excitement is at an all-time high, we thought we’d share our favorite companies at the show as voted upon by our team here at Leapcure.

Diabetes Research Connection – [Most Innovative Research Organization]

Let’s start off strong with Diabetes Research Connection. If you haven’t heard of them, then start taking notes because their model is going to change how research is done. DRC seeks out prominent, early career scientists and invites them to apply for research grants. They then connect the recipients of these grants to donors as well as their crowdsourcing platform, enabling them to engage in research projects designed to prevent, treat, and cure type 1 diabetes. Not only does this give young, innovative researchers a much needed foot in the door, but it funds projects through donors and patients who are advocating for their own healthcare outcomes.

dLife – It’s Your Diabetes Life! – [Most Engaging Educational Content]

Full disclosure, we’ve had the opportunity to work with dLife on some educational campaigns for clinical research, but the more we get to know them the more impressed we are with how they operate their business. Not only is dLife a community that truly cares about the patients who come to them for educational content, but they are constantly looking for new ways to innovate how that information is delivered and how they can make it easy for their patients to interact with the site. “When dLife launched in 2004, most of the options for diabetes related content were not easy to find or motivating to drive change,” says Sue Ennis, Vice President of the Healthcare Solutions division at dLife, “we’ve made it our mission to make content that speaks to, educates, and inspires our community members.”

SirenCare – [Best New Diabetes Startup]

As the next generation of educators and innovators launch their ventures, it’s companies like SirenCare that are clearly leading the charge. After winning Venture Cup Denmark earlier this year and the Nordic Independent Living Challenge (student prize) they’ve left Europe to come take the US by storm and spread their life changing diabetic sock to patients everywhere. So what do they do? This group of young, visionary entrepreneurs have developed smart socks with sensors in the fabric that document inflammation through temperature. Information is fed into an iPhone app so patients can stay vigilant and informed in the fight against diabetic foot ulcers.

Diabetes Hands Foundation – [Best Neighbor We Never Knew We Had]

This Berkeley based nonprofit organization may be the best neighbor we never knew we had. Understanding that diabetes can be an often isolating disease, the Diabetes Hands Foundation provides a platform where anyone diagnosed with any type of diabetes can connect and have an open dialogue about their experiences with the chronic illness. Their mission is to understand, educate, and energize the millions of individuals affected by diabetes (patients and family members alike) and we’re excited to watch them grow.

DiabetesSisters – [Most Involved Volunteers]

As someone who likes to stay informed about all the different nonprofit and patient foundations we interact with, I’ve run across DiabetesSisters quite a few times. What I didn’t know, however, was that when I walked by their booth at AADE’16, I would be greeted by some of the most enthusiastic event volunteers I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. If you don’t know, or couldn’t tell by the name, DiabetesSisters is a nonprofit that provides a range of education and support services to help women of all ages with all types of diabetes live healthier, fuller lives. The founders of DiabetesSisters started the organization because there was a lack of information and resources for women diagnosed with diabetes and it speaks volumes to the efficacy of the organization that their booth was operated by volunteers who were passionate enough to be on their feet all day singing the praises of the organization.

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