Abbott, a global player in diabetes care, is celebrating the opening of the region’s first dedicated training academy for healthcare professionals working with diabetes patients. The Abbott Diabetes Academy, which opened in Dubai Healthcare City, will offer theoretical and practical training on new diabetes technologies to help support health care providers improve diabetes management.

The Abbott Diabetes Academy opening comes at a time when diabetes levels are high, with 415 million people currently live with diabetes across the globe, according to the IDF Diabetes Atlas.  In the UAE, there are approximately one million people with type one and type two diabetes, with approximately 450,000 of those cases being undiagnosed, making it more of an issue now than ever before.

With its mission to act as a center of excellence and education and training partner for the regional public and private healthcare and diabetes community, the Abbott Diabetes Academy will provide practical tools which can be applied by endocrinologists, diabetologists and educators to improve the region’s management of diabetes.

Amer Haddadin, Regional Director – Greece, Middle East, Africa, Turkey and Pakistan Region at Diabetes Care, Abbott comments “The mission of the Abbott Diabetes Academy is to lead the paradigm shift in diabetes management. The opening of this academy represents our commitment towards supporting healthcare professionals specializing in diabetes. We are proud to further help these professionals in addressing the challenges in diabetes management as a result of the revolutionary advancements in the way we are viewing information”.

Dr. Abdulrazzaq Al Madani, President of the Emirates Diabetes Society comments “The number of cases of diabetes in the nation is on the rise, and it is crucial to support and provide healthcare professionals with the tools required to ensure patients are living their lives to the fullest potential. The Abbott Diabetes Academy will equip physicians and diabetes experts to use advanced technologies to develop new and improved medical care for diabetics. Abbott’s effort in this space, specifically through the introduction of the Academy, will help both improve and save the lives of people affected with diabetes, filling an important gap in the region”.

Opening in association with the Emirates Diabetes Society and in collaboration with Dubai Healthcare City, the Abbott Diabetes Academy is in the heart of the medical community, with a presence in Dubai Healthcare City amongst some of the known healthcare institutions in the Middle East.  Also inaugurating the opening was Her Excellency Barbara A. Leaf, U.S. Ambassador to the UAE.

Added Dr. Amer Ahmad Sharif, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Healthcare City Authority – Education Sector and Vice Chancellor of the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) “Given the ever growing burden of diabetes within the region, we commend Abbott for its efforts in addressing this challenge, and we are proud that Dubai Healthcare City has been chosen as the location for the Abbott Diabetes Academy.  Our association with Abbot embodies our vision to provide high quality healthcare solutions that positively impact society, and the academy will play an important role in advancing the educational resources and training available to healthcare professionals in the region”.

The Abbott Diabetes Academy program is built based on the need to challenge the status-quo in the current approach to diabetes monitoring, introducing the latest practical methods and innovative tools for effective management of diabetes. The program will be made up of learning modules which will include workshop sessions, practice sessions with new technologies and tools, and hands-on experience, all of which will be delivered by a faculty with expertise in the current challenges and solutions in providing diabetes care.

Whilst the main focus of the academy will be on training around new innovative technologies such as flash glucose monitoring and ambulatory glucose profile reporting systems, it will also open the floor to an exchange of experience and clinical perspectives amongst regional experts and health care professionals.  With so many new innovations and technologies in the diabetes monitoring and management space, this type of dialogue is a crucial part of the path to a better lifestyle for the patients of health care providers.

The Abbott Diabetes Academy will be open to eight trainees per course, ensuring the focus and attention in addressing participants’ needs. Attendees can register at abbottdiabetesacademy-me.com