Anastasia Albanese-O'Neill, Ph.D., APRN, CDCES

Director of Community Screening & Clinical Trial Education, JDRF

Mother of a Child with T1D

Dr. Anastasia Albanese-O'Neill has been involved with diabetes care, education, advocacy, research, and as a JDRF volunteer since 2002, when her daughter was diagnosed with T1D and has dedicated her career to improving the lives of people with diabetes. At JDRF, she serves as the director of community screening and clinical trial education, with a focus on accelerating progress toward a cure for type 1 diabetes (T1D). Anastasia spent 14 years in academic medicine and directed the Pediatric Diabetes Clinic and Diabetes Education Program at the University of Florida. As a professor in medicine and nursing, she published research findings on diabetes education, diabetes technologies, and quality improvement in journals including The Lancet, Diabetes Care, and Pediatric Diabetes. She was recently chosen by ADCES as the 2023 Diabetes Care and Education Specialist of the Year. Anastasia plans to retire when a cure for T1D is discovered, but not a moment earlier.

April Blackwell

NASA ADCO Flight Controller, Aerospace Engineer, Writer, and Blogger

Living with T1D since age 11

April Blackwell is an Aerospace Engineer and lifelong astronaut hopeful who flies the International Space Station from NASA Mission Control. April has worked at NASA for nine years but has been passionate about space since kindergarten when she decided to become an astronaut. A diagnosis of type 1 diabetes (T1D) at age 11 seemed like an insurmountable roadblock as living with the disease is an automatic disqualification on the astronaut application. But instead of giving up she doubled down—learning Russian in high school, studying hard in math, and receiving a full scholarship to attain an Aerospace Engineering degree.

In her aerospace career, April has flown more than 250 hours in experimental Army aircraft and passed qualifications in the Army Special Operations helicopter dunker program, altitude chamber, and parachute course—all of which normally preclude T1D participants. Since she received her NASA flight controller certification, she has acquired more than 3,000 console hours in Mission Control, responsible for piloting the ISS. April hasn't given up on her ultimate dream of becoming an astronaut, but she has added an extra challenge—to be the first person living with T1D in space!

She is passionate about sharing her experiences to inspire fellow T1Ds to push boundaries in pursuit of their dreams.

Marie Botte, CDCES

Family Nurse Practitioner, Boston Children's Hospital

Marie Botte is a Family Nurse Practitioner and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist with over 20 years of experience caring for individuals with diabetes in a variety of primary care and specialty environments. She has been a part of the Boston Children’s Hospital diabetes program since 2016 where she sees individuals from infancy to young adulthood. For the past several years she has been developing and leading the New Onset Type 1 Diabetes Academy, an innovative interdisciplinary multi-visit group medical visit model that brings individuals newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and their families together for support and education as well as the successful utilization of evolving diabetes technologies. Marie is passionate about diabetes education and empowering families with technology to make living with diabetes as easy and painless as possible.

Nicole Patience, MS, RDN, LDN, CDCES, CEDRD

Nutrition Educator and Eating Disorder Specialist, Joslin Diabetes Center

Nicole Patience (she/her) is a licensed dietitian nutritionist. She supports individuals of all genders at both the Joslin Diabetes Center and the Counseling and Nutrition Center 360 in the Boston area. She is a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist and a Certified Eating Disorders Registered Dietitian Supervisor. For the past 18 years she has worked in the diabetes field to support individuals with diabetes (T1D, T2D, LADA). As part of Joslin Diabetes, she serves in the Young Adult Clinic, the Latino Diabetes Initiative, and the Hypoglycemia Clinic. Nicole aligns with individuals as they navigate the complexities of diabetes care and nutrition with a goal of both safety and the cultivation of a healthy relationship with food and body. Nicole has a host of experiences that have contributed to her professional development. In the decade she spent as a campus dietitian at Temple University, Bryn Mawr College, and Haverford College, she supported individuals as they navigated food with the independence of living away from home, athletic teams, promoted allergy-friendly dining halls, and spearheaded an eating disorder prevention initiative. Proficient in Spanish, she provides bilingual nutrition counseling and provides both individualized and collaborative care. In the last year she presented a host of topics at three national conferences: American Diabetes Association conference in New Orleans, the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists in Baltimore, and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo in Baltimore. While she holds a passion for supporting emerging adults with T1D, her presentation at the summit is focused on the caregiver who lays the foundation of balanced nutrition that young individuals with T1D will build upon for a lifetime.

Sarah Petti

Founder of Grace & Growth, Full-Spectrum Doula

Living with T1D since age 15

Sarah's diagnosis of T1D came at the age of 15 when she was a freshman in high school. It wasn’t until many years later that she discovered the diabetes community and the power of peer support.

For the last decade Sarah has been leading support groups for people with all types of diabetes in the Boston area as well as virtually. Her experiences with type 1, as well as diabetes complications such as gastroparesis and neuropathy, inspired her to study integrative nutrition, as well as yoga and meditation. Most recently Sarah trained to become a full-spectrum doula. To help herself, she has gained knowledge and developed practices that have allowed her to be an even better resource for others living with diabetes and chronic illness.

Sarah is the founder of Grace & Growth, a group that focuses on spiritual wellness for women with diabetes. She is also the host of The Diabetes Doula Podcast, a program that explores pregnancy, postpartum, and reproductive health through the lens of living with diabetes.

Anna Sabino, MSW, CDCES

Founder of Finding Smiles Coaching, LLC

Living with T1D since Kindergarten

Anna Sabino has been living with T1D for over 30 years and currently serves parents and families with T1D in her new virtual private coaching practice called Finding Smiles Coaching. She spent the majority of her childhood summers attending, volunteering, and working directly with diabetes summer camps and has over 15 years' experience creating and overseeing youth and family programs with several diabetes nonprofits such as the College Diabetes Network, ADA, and the T1D Exchange. As a MSW and CDCES she serves on the national planning committee for the ADCES Annual Meeting and looks forward to providing mental health support and education for people with diabetes across the globe.

Brianna (Bri) Schiavoni, LCSW, LISW

Coach, Counselor, Mindfulness and Movement Arts Instructor, Owner of Mindful Milestones

Living with T1D since age 14

Diagnosed with T1D at age 14, Bri wanted nothing more than to escape her mind and body as she transitioned from adolescence into adulthood. During the years of numbing, running and hiding that followed, she found that yoga and meditation would ultimately provide the sanctuary she so desperately needed; but she couldn’t sit still long enough to explore these practices until understanding the nuances of also having ADHD. Bri’s values, character strengths and skill sets led to the fields of psychology and medical social work, but despite a colorful resume with plenty of fancy titles, is (like each of you) perfectly imperfect.

As a guide, Bri delights in offering accessible forms of meditation for those that find it particularly difficult to settle; but as a fellow practitioner, admits to feeling resistance, discomfort and frustration in response to her body’s limitations. Fortunately, there are gifts in every practice opportunity and in imperfection itself.