The Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center set the stage for a rigorous scientific program attended by a total of 7534 participants from 182 countries. The scientific program, with 330 top-level speakers that shared their knowledge in more than 160 hours of sessions, covered the latest advances in diabetes, from clinical practice, education, prevalence and public health. Accredited with 25 CME credits, the IDF 2017 scientific program was an invaluable live learning experience.
With diabetes on the rise worldwide, many patients in developing countries struggle with limited access to proper healthcare, in addition to delays in diagnoses, medications are often unavailable or too expensive. With a passion for change, presenters at IDF 2017 spent considerable time discussing new efforts to promote healthy lifestyles and improve access to care.
A wide range of topics covering basic and clinical science, epidemiology and public health, education, child and maternal health and a “Living with diabetes” stream generated great interest and brought together professionals from all fields—clinicians and scientists, educators, public health specialists, epidemiologists, politicians and lawyers, among others. There were 1850 abstracts, 9731 posters and 252 e-posters displayed and discussed in lively e-poster sessions. Invariably attractive sessions ran simultaneously.
The IDF 2017 exhibition welcomed 50 national, regional and global exhibitors. This wonderful physical space also featured over 100 IDF member associations from all regions, showcasing their activities. In support of raising awareness about healthy lifestyles, 600 people from 107 countries ran in the 5K@IDF which has become a signature event of the IDF Congress.
The general consensus as the meeting came to a close is rallying around and emphasizing the importance of enacting strong measures and policies aimed at preventing diabetes at primordial, primary and secondary levels to stop the astronomic rise of diabetes worldwide.
