The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) is a scientific association founded in

Montecatini Terme Montecatini Terme (Montecatini-Terme, according to Italian National Institute of Statistics, ISTAT documentation) is an Italian ''comune'' (municipality) of inhabitants in the province of Pistoia, in the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It ...

, Italy in 1965 with Joseph Hoet as Founding President. The aims of the association are to encourage and support research in the field of

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

, the rapid diffusion of acquired knowledge in that field, and to facilitate its application.

Membership

The association is based on individual membership and embraces

scientist A scientist is a person who Scientific method, researches to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engag ...

physicians A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the study, diagnosis, prognosis ...

, laboratory workers,

nurses Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...

and students internationally who are interested in diabetes and related subjects. An Active Member is an individual holding a

medical degree A medical degree is a professional degree admitted to those who have passed coursework in the fields of medicine and/or surgery from an accredited medical school. Obtaining a degree in medicine allows for the recipient to continue on into special ...

or a scientific worker with an academic degree who has paid the current annual membership fee. Members are entitled to vote at the general assembly, which is held during the annual meeting, and are eligible for election to the council and to the executive committee. Membership also provides the possibility of attending the annual meetings of the association at a considerably reduced registration fee. Active members receive monthly the official journal of the association, Diabetologia, which publishes articles on clinical and experimental diabetes and

metabolism Metabolism (, from ''metabolē'', "change") is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms. The three main functions of metabolism are: the conversion of the energy in food to energy available to run cellular processes; the co ...

. In addition there are rapid communications and review articles on selected topics of current interest by leading experts in the field. The active membership of the association currently numbers more than 3000 individuals from over 100 countries. The association also bestows honorary membership on any individual whose medical or scientific contribution to diabetes research has been outstanding; the first honorary member of the association was Charles Best.

Structure

The association is governed by a General Assembly (members) and a
Executive Committee of 5-9 members
which is elected by the General Assembly.

Annual meeting

Th
annual meeting
of the association is held in a different European city each year. It attracts 17,000–18,000 participants from over 100 countries worldwide. Abstracts are invited from members and non-members. All abstracts are anonymously reviewed by a programme committee, chaired by the honorary secretary. The EASD was one of the first international associations to introduce the anonymous review of abstracts. The scientific programme of the meeting, providing titles of the lectures and symposia, is made available online at an early stage, and, once confirmed, the speakers' names are made available about 6–8 weeks before the start of the meeting. All abstracts accepted for presentation can be accessed online via the online programme. A search function assists the visitor in finding abstracts in their field of interest. Since 2012 the EASD Virtual Meeting presents posters and talks from the conference online free of charge. To assist the participation of young presenting authors, the association has established a travel fund from which over 100 awards are made available for each annual meeting. The association awards four major prizes annually: the

Camillo Golgi Camillo Golgi (; 7 July 184321 January 1926) was an Italian biologist and pathologist known for his works on the central nervous system. He studied medicine at the University of Pavia (where he later spent most of his professional career) bet ...

Prize, the

Claude Bernard Claude Bernard (; 12 July 1813 – 10 February 1878) was a French physiologist. I. Bernard Cohen of Harvard University called Bernard "one of the greatest of all men of science". He originated the term ''milieu intérieur'' and the associated c ...

Medal, the Minkowski Prize, the Albert Renold Prize Lecture and the EASD-

Novo Nordisk Foundation The Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF) is an international enterprise foundation focusing on medical treatment and research. In 2023, the foundation had a net worth of DKK 1,114 billion (167 billion), making it the wealthiest charitable foundation ...

Diabetes Prize for Excellence. The recipients of these prizes deliver a lecture at the Annual Meeting.

Postgraduate education

The association holds annually an EASD Scientists Training Course and a Robert Turner Clinical Research Course to attract new talent to diabetes research in different centres throughout the world. Nominations are invited from EASD members. Together with the

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF) is a type 1 diabetes (T1D) research and advocacy organization. Breakthrough T1D funds research for the development of new therapies and treatments for type 1 diabetes. The organization advocates for federal resear ...

(JDRF), EASD organises a yearly workshop in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, United Kingdom, where 20 seniors and fellows come together. The association organises both European and Extra-European postgraduate courses. To date EASD has held

postgraduate education Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of Academic degree, academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by higher education, post-secondary students who have ...

courses in Albania Austria Azerbaijan Brazil Bulgaria Cameroon China Croatia Czech Republic Denmark Ethiopia France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary India Iran Ireland Israel Italy Kazakhstan Kenya Lithuania Macedonia Malta Nepal Oman Palestine Panama Poland Portugal Romania Russia Serbia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Tanzania Turkey UAE UK Ukraine Uzbekistan Vietnam The EASD Post Graduate Education Committee (PGEC) is active in organising workshops and courses for clinicians and educators.

Study groups

The association has the followin
Study Groups
Artificial

Insulin Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the insulin (''INS)'' gene. It is the main Anabolism, anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabol ...

Delivery System (AIDPIT); Diabetes and Cancer Study Group; Diabetes Education Study Group (DESG); Diabetic Pregnancy Study Group (DPSG); Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); Diabetes

Neuropathy Peripheral neuropathy, often shortened to neuropathy, refers to damage or disease affecting the nerves. Damage to nerves may impair sensation, movement, gland function, and/or organ function depending on which nerve fibers are affected. Neuropa ...

Study Group (NEURODIAB); EASD Eye Complication Study Group (EASDEC); European Diabetic

Nephropathy Kidney disease, or renal disease, technically referred to as nephropathy, is damage to or disease of a kidney In humans, the kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped blood-filtering organ (anatomy), organs that are a multilobar, multipap ...

Study Group (EDNSG); Incretin Study Group; EASD Islet Study Group; European Diabetes

Epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and Risk factor (epidemiology), determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population, and application of this knowledge to prevent dise ...

Group (EDEG); Diabetes and Nutrition Study Group (DNSG); Psychosocial Aspects of Diabetes (PSAD); Diabetic Foot Study Group (DFSG); EASD Study Group on Primary Care Research in Diabetology (PCCD); Genetics of Diabetes Study Group; Diabetes and

Cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is any disease involving the heart or blood vessels. CVDs constitute a class of diseases that includes: coronary artery diseases (e.g. angina, heart attack), heart failure, hypertensive heart disease, rheumati ...

Study Group (D&CVD).

Dietary recommendations

The European Association for the Study of Diabetes recommends people with diabetes to consume a healthy diet with

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

, nuts, seeds,

vegetable Vegetables are edible parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. This original meaning is still commonly used, and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including edible flower, flo ...

s and

whole grain A whole grain is a grain of any cereal and pseudocereal that contains the endosperm, germ, and bran, in contrast to refined grains, which retain only the endosperm. As part of a general healthy diet, consumption of whole grains is associated ...

s while minimising the consumption of

red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...

and

processed meat Processed meat is considered to be any meat that has been modified in order to either improve its taste or to extend its shelf life. Methods of meat processing include salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, and the addition of chemical prese ...

, refined grains, sodium and sugar-sweetened beverages.

European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes

In 1999, the EASD increased its commitment to stimulate diabetes research in Europe by creating the European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes (EFSD). The foundation is closely related to the EASD; it is governed exclusively by the executive committee of the EASD, which itself is under the close supervision of the EASD General Assembly. EFSD operates on a strictly non-profit basis under the control of the relevant authorities for charity and taxation. The EASD, as an academic non-profit association, benefits from the possibilities offered by the legal status of its Foundation to advance diabetes research by various methods. Since its inception, EFSD has committed an amount approaching Euro 100 million to diabetes research in Europe by various funding means. In the last five years, the foundation has become a significant European funding agency for diabetes research, and is continually striving to enhance awareness in Europe of the severity and magnitude of this devastating disease. Most programmes offer funding for researchers working in Europe and associated countries, but some are open to scientists from all over the world. All applications are subject to peer review by a panel of leading experts in the field.

References

External links

European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD)

European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes (EFSD)
{{Authority control Diabetes organizations Medical and health organisations based in Italy European medical and health organizations 1965 establishments in Italy Organizations established in 1965