Shows
DDEA Global Health PodcastEpisode 1: Realities of Type 1 Diabetes in Peru – A Story from the AmazonWhen a 12-year-old girl travels by boat across the Amazon to seek urgent care for her diabetes, it highlights the everyday struggles faced by thousands. In this opening episode, we hear from Micaela Villanueva, a medical student from Peru, who shares her experience witnessing the real-life consequences of limited access to self-monitoring and insulin in low and middle income countries (LMICs). Her story sets the tone for the podcast series, emphasising the importance of awareness, equity, and innovation in global diabetes care.Key Topics Discussed:✔ Barriers to type 1 diabetes care in Peru and ot...
2025-04-0312 minDDEA Global Health PodcastEpisode 2: Living with Type 1 Diabetes in KenyaIn this episode, we hear from Newton Ngugi, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a teenager in Kenya. He shares a personal story of struggle and resilience—from the shock of diagnosis and years of hiding his condition to the turning point that led him to embrace advocacy. Newton reflects on the limitations of healthcare systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the importance of peer support, and how community-driven solutions can drive global change.Key Topics Discussed:✔ The emotional and social impact of a late type 1 diabetes diagnosis in a low-resource sett...
2025-04-0346 minDDEA Global Health PodcastEpisode 3: WHO Global Diabetes CompactThe WHO Global Diabetes Compact represents a significant effort to improve diabetes care worldwide, but turning its bold commitments into tangible change remains a complex challenge. How can governments, NGOs, and private sector partners work together to make universal insulin access a reality? What are the barriers, and how can they be overcome?Key Topics Discussed:✔ The vision and goals of the WHO Global Diabetes Compact ✔ 100% insulin access by 2030 – a realistic goal or an overly ambitious target? ✔ The barriers to implementation in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) ✔ The role of governments...
2025-04-0324 minDDEA Global Health PodcastEpisode 4: Building Data Foundations for Better Type 1 Diabetes CareA lack of data means a lack of care. In this episode, Professor Sarah Wild explains why collecting, managing, and using high-quality health data is critical for improving type 1 diabetes outcomes—especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Together with our hosts, she reflects on best practices from high-income countries, ethical considerations, the role of digital tools, and how even small data initiatives can spark meaningful change.Key Topics Discussed:✔ Why health data are vital for patient care, health system planning, and research✔ The role of registries in improving diabetes management in countr...
2025-04-0324 minDDEA Global Health PodcastEpisode 5: Access to Insulin and Diabetes Supplies in Low- and Middle-Income CountriesAccess to insulin and diabetes supplies is still far from guaranteed in many parts of the world. In this episode, we speak with Molly Lepeska from Health Action International about the pricing, policies, and partnerships shaping access to care in low- and middle-income countries. We also examine why insulin alone is not enough—education, test strips, and glucose monitors are just as essential. Key Topics Discussed:✔ Why insulin is a non-negotiable necessity for people with type 1 diabetes✔ Systemic barriers: price, availability, and affordability ✔ The impact of donation programmes—and their limitations ✔ The c...
2025-04-0332 minDDEA Global Health PodcastEpisode 6: Building Sustainable Diabetes Care in LMICsWhat happens when a healthcare system is not equipped to support people with type 1 diabetes? In this episode, Peruvian epidemiologist María Lazo outlines the systemic gaps affecting diagnosis, treatment, and survival in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) — and offers a roadmap for sustainable change. With examples from Peru and beyond, we explore how to strengthen health systems through local leadership, data systems, and inclusive collaboration. Key Topics Discussed:✔ How health system structure impacts diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes✔ Barriers to insulin access and the importance of early diagnosis ✔ Why shifting from acute to chronic...
2025-04-0338 minDDEA Global Health PodcastEpisode 7: Life for a Child: Bridging Gaps in Type 1 Diabetes CareIn this episode, Emma Klatman from Life for a Child discusses how the programme supports young people with type 1 diabetes in low- and middle-income countries through access to insulin and supplies, education, and advocacy. She shares insights on balancing urgent healthcare needs with long-term sustainability, highlights the importance of local partnerships, and reflects on the role of research in driving systemic change.Key Topics Discussed:✔ The mission and model of Life for a Child✔ How to address both urgent needs and long-term sustainability✔ The critical role of local partnerships and he...
2025-04-0343 minDDEA Global Health PodcastEpisode 8: From Struggle to Advocacy: Living with Type 1 Diabetes in ZimbabweIn this moving episode, we speak with Tinotenda Dzikiti from the Zimbabwe Diabetes Association about growing up with type 1 diabetes in a low-resource setting. From missed insulin doses to waking up in a coma, Tinotenda shares the personal toll of navigating diabetes without adequate support — and how advocacy changed his life. He discusses stigma, socioeconomic barriers, and his vision for sustainable policy reform inspired by Zimbabwe’s successful HIV model.Key Topics Discussed:✔ Personal story of growing up with type 1 diabetes in Zimbabwe✔ Financial pressure and the burden on families in low-inco...
2025-04-0319 min
Postdocs TalkingChallenging the Scientific PublicationHow can we make sure the practices of disseminating research findings evolve with the times?The primary means of dissemination is publication. And while the contents of scientific publications have changed a lot over the last 100 years, the methods and structure of publication have seen relatively few changes, and most of them only in the last 10 years.Rethinking these methods was the theme of last year's DDEA Postdoc Summit Challenge.The pressure to publish is especially intense for early-career researchers, so they themselves were invited to rethink...
2024-01-2833 minPostdocs TalkingScience Stories from Folkemødet: Realities in Rural TanzaniaDid you know that half a million children die every year of a completely treatable disease? Can you imagine what it would be like to be pregnant or have children in a low-income country where this disease is prevalent?This is the reality for many people all over the world. And while it is indeed preventable, malaria kills millions each year because of sparse access to health care.Danish postdoc Line Hjort saw the extent of this when she went to a rural village in Tanzania. There, she joined a local research team studying the...
2023-11-2926 minPostdocs TalkingScience Stories from Folkemødet: “Missing Maria, Identifying Anna”How many child development issues go unnoticed in the flurry of short doctor's appointments and limited home visits? How do you properly detect and identify mental health issues in adolescents living with chronic disease?Maybe it’s time to prioritise and optimise a sometimes overlooked screening tool in clinical practice: Questionnaires.MD and PhD Kevin Mark’s talk “Missing Maria, Identifying Anna” revolves around implementing and improving identification systems for developmental and mental health in childhood and adolescence.In Kevin’s talk, we are first introduced to Maria – a child whose...
2023-10-2626 minPostdocs TalkingShould We Be Rethinking the Scientific Publication?Is the scientific publication, as we know it, dead?This was the central question behind the theme for this year’s DDEA Postdoc Summit Challenge.Researchers learn early on to think in terms of impact factors and citation metrics. In an overflowing ocean of scientific content, the pressure to make your publications matter seems higher than ever. Yet according to recent studies, the impact of Danish research has been on an overall steady decline, and papers are generally becoming less disruptive over time.But what is scientific impact and ho...
2023-09-2228 minPostdocs TalkingMore Talk, More Action: Causes and Treatment of Erectile DysfunctionDid you know that having diabetes can affect sexual function? It can even cause erectile dysfunction (ED). And, for a proportion of people living with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, drugs like Viagra have little to no effect.So how do we find new ways of treatment for a growing segment of the population that is missed by current treatment options?For most men, ED is caused by physical, rather than psychological, problems and is often seen as an early warning sign of cardiovascular diseases. ED is most commonly treated with drugs inhibiting an enzyme called...
2023-05-1147 minPostdocs TalkingAI is Not Sci-Fi: The Potential of Artificial Intelligence in Drug DiscoveryAI is dramatically changing the landscape of drug discovery in research today, but what is needed for the best outcomes? How do we overcome the challenges? Artificial intelligence is not the future anymore; it is happening now – and it is happening on a grand scale. Academic researchers and pharmaceutical companies have started utilising AI to aid in drug discovery. Drug discovery is a lengthy and costly process, with average research and development for new drugs taking 10-20 years and costing billions of dollars. New approaches are needed, and looking to AI might unlock potential that we...
2023-01-2650 minPostdocs TalkingDiabetes and Data: Discovering Drug Targets and BiomarkersNowadays science is often driven by patterns in big data. What can we learn from the data and how does finding patterns help us understand chronic diseases better? And, where do we start? Perhaps we start with human genetics research on a little island in the North Atlantic with about 350,000 inhabitants.Iceland is a small society with a healthcare system rooted in clinical and health registries. As a result, people have been contributing to biomedical research over the years by sharing their genetic and medical data with researchers around the world. Combining this wealth of d...
2022-12-2050 minPostdocs TalkingDiabetes Care in Remote Regions: The Greenlandic PerspectiveHow far do you live from a healthcare clinic? Around the corner or across the country?In the Western world we have come to expect easy access to healthcare facilities, but that's not always the case. And, access to health care is essential for people living with diabetes or other chronic diseases, because they need regular treatment and screenings for complications.For some very remote locations, as is the case some places in Greenland, accessing health care can take days. In addition, Western influence has caught up with Greenland and started what could be the...
2022-12-1650 minPostdocs TalkingThe Future is Transparent: Moving towards Open ScienceThe open science train has already left the station, but how do we get everyone on board?Perhaps the road to systemic change is paved with incremental change?Our society is driven by scientific advances. As such, studies ought to be highly transparent and easily verifiable, yet that is not always the case.Openness in science is the way forward for improving scientific application and increasing public trust. Pre-registering studies, sharing data and code, and making analyses publicly accessible are just a few of the ways to incorporate more openness in scientific work. In the...
2022-10-2746 minPostdocs TalkingNo ‘One Size Fits All’: The Issue with Fat TissueWhy does one person gain weight differently than another? What are the molecular events that dictate fat tissue function, and how can we use this information to narrow the gap between lab bench and disease prevention?Fat is an intelligent organ. Our fat tissue can be influenced by a myriad of different factors, and it can differ vastly from one person to the other, depending on things like genetics. One person with obesity might be predisposed to type 2 diabetes, but another might not.We need an understanding of how these processes are regulated at the...
2022-10-1342 minPostdocs TalkingGlucagon: The Overlooked HormoneMight glucagon help us understand diabetes better? And what are the challenges with studying this largely unexplored hormone?The year 2022 marks the 100th anniversary of the first evidence of glucagon-mediated metabolism. From a research perspective, glucagon has long stood in the shadow of insulin. Until now.We are on the edge of a paradigm shift towards understanding the biology of glucagon. Diabetes is a bi-hormonal disease affected by both insulin and glucagon. Research on the overlooked hormone is important, as it could hold the key to new treatments.Listen as an expert in the...
2022-10-0646 minPostdocs TalkingAgainst the Odds: Elite Athletes with Type 1 DiabetesCan people living with type 1 diabetes rise to elite levels in sports? And if so, what does it take to get there?The challenge of blood glucose management and the fear of hypoglycaemia keep many people with type 1 diabetes from exercising regularly. Training for a competitive sport as an elite level is a big task in and of itself. Adding diabetes to this means dealing with even more challenges. However, new research investigates novel approaches to improving exercise-associated glucose management.Listen as the Head of Research for Team Novo Nordisk’s Professional Cycling Team and Ch...
2022-09-2951 minPostdocs TalkingBroadening Our Perspective: Diabetes in Sub-Saharan AfricaWhat happens with a child during pregnancy when the mother has malaria? Could malaria during pregnancy even cause diabetes in the child later in life?With the majority of diabetes studies focusing on Western urbanity, we desperately need data on the challenges and changes happening in rural areas of developing countries. In countries like Tanzania, people live with double burdens, suffering from both communicable diseases like malaria and non-communicable diseases like diabetes. Furthermore, people struggle with both malnutrition and lack of medical resources. These challenges affect not just the current population, but also future generations....
2022-09-2253 minPostdocs TalkingMoney Makes the World Go ‘RoundBeing able to attract funding is a major factor in determining success in academia. While selection processes were introduced to help distribute money fairly, the current system is flawed: 1) applying for funding is time-consuming, 2) funding agencies prioritise research areas without involving early-career researchers, and 3) the selection process is unconsciously biased. Hence, there is a need to re-evaluate how funding is distributed. How could a Fair Funding Framework be structured? Listen as postdocs within the field of diabetes and an expert discuss the challenges and possible solutions. Postdoc representatives:Hermina Jakupovic, Ph...
2022-02-0135 minPostdocs TalkingInnovation - The Relationship between Academia and IndustrySocietal advancement is dependent on innovation. Novel ideas are often birthed in academia, while the tools for their development often lie within industry. Bridging the two can be difficult. Currently, tech transfer offices, innovation institutes and funding agencies aim to do so, but most support fails to capture early-stage ideas. A lack of knowledge and awareness compounds the problem: academics may miss the commercial potential of their ideas, and industry may not see academia as a place of business potential. Listen as postdocs within the field of diabetes and an expert discuss the challenges and po...
2022-02-0134 minPostdocs TalkingGoing to Parliament - Advising Policy MakersAs scientists, we want to make discoveries that benefit society and people. To make a societal difference, we need our research findings to become or influence governmental law and policy. Therefore, we need to reach policy makers. However, translating research findings into meaningful and understandable context for policymakers is challenging. Furthermore, the language they use and their motivations are vastly different from what we in science are used to. So how do scientists communicate scientific advice to politicians? And is influencing politics even on the scientific radar?Listen as postdocs within the field of diabetes a...
2022-02-0133 minPostdocs TalkingTake it to the Virtual Streets - Education and Public RelationsScientists have a professional responsibility to explain the benefits of their science to the public. Social media has changed the landscape of communication, making it both easier and harder for the scientific community to reach the wider society. The ease of distribution and availability of information is in many ways positive, but misinformation flourishes, too, as it is increasingly difficult to assess sources and incentives.How can the scientific community reach the public through social media platforms? Listen as postdocs within the field of diabetes and an expert discuss the challenges and solutions within social media.
2022-02-0133 minPostdocs TalkingUsing Art as a Science Communication Tool“The greatest scientists are artists as well,” Albert Einstein once said. But how can scientists communicate their results more effectively through art? One of the most common ways of communicating science today is through a one-dimensional focus on visuals such as graphs, illustrations and images. These often lack aesthetics and thereby fail to catch attention, crippling the intended message and impact.How do we enhance interest in our research by communicating through art, i.e. in an aesthetic fashion that draws not only on vision but on all five senses of human perception? Listen as junio...
2022-02-0133 minPostdocs TalkingEngaging People with Diabetes - Language MattersLanguage is a powerful tool for shaping attitudes and behaviour. Today, scientists and health care professionals’ communication with and about people with diabetes often includes non-inclusive, stigmatising and disempowering language. Using inclusive and empowering language has a huge potential to improve the health outcomes of people with diabetes and to increase their engagement in research. Listen as postdocs within the field of diabetes and an expert discuss the challenges and solutions. Postdoc representatives:Hannah Chatwin, PhD student, University of Southern DenmarkUffe Søholm, PhD student, University of Southern DenmarkExper...
2022-01-2642 min