Conference Summary
American Diabetes Association 67th Scientific Sessions
June 22-26, 2007, Chicago, Ill

Laura La Bonte
PhD Candidate
Physiological Sciences GIDP

First and foremost, I could not have attended the American Diabetes Association (ADA) conference this year without the generous support of the Herbert E. Carter Travel Award.  Attendees of this conference typically consist of clinicians, educators and scientists from around the world, covering topics ranging from integrated physiology to behavioral medicine to epidemiology/genetics.  Just less than 2000 people, including myself, were selected to present posters at the meeting, making the opportunity to attend even more significant.

The ADA is the nation's leading nonprofit health organization providing diabetes research, information and advocacy. The mission of the Association is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. To fulfill this mission, the ADA funds research, publishes scientific findings, provides information and other services to people with diabetes, their families, health professionals and the public. The ADA is also actively involved in advocating for scientific research and for the rights of people with diabetes.  Attending the 67th Scientific Sessions allowed me to take part in the ADA’s mission.

A meaningful benefit gained by attending this meeting was pure academic advancement. The ADA meeting offered various educational sessions that complimented my current and future research goals. For example, Dr. Gokhan S. Hotamisligil MD, PhD, who received the Association’s Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement, spoke on The Inflammatory Basis of Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes.  This  lecture filled vacancies in my knowledge of the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes, as well as current scientific advances regarding the discovery of signaling pathways involved in obesity-mediated cellular stress, a topic that will be critical to the development of future therapeutics.

In summary, attending this meeting was tremendously useful, both toward my academic and professional goals. Again, I couldn’t have attending this meeting and gained the knowledge and experience that I received without the support of the Graduate Interdisciplinary Program and the Herbert E. Carter Travel Award.  I am forever grateful for being granted this opportunity.