Francesca Annan, RD, MSC

Francesca Annan qualified as a dietitian in Cardiff in 1990, and also has an MSc in Sport & Exercise Nutrition. She currently works as Clinical Specialist Paediatric/Adolescent Diabetes Dietitian at University College London Hospitals having previously been the lead Paediatric Diabetes Dietitian at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool. She runs a specialist exercise and diabetes management clinic for children and adolescents.

Alongside her clinical work she teaches on Masters programmes in diabetes management at York and Warwick Universities and is the current chair of the paediatric subgroup of the British Dietetic Association diabetes specialist group. She is a co-author of the 2014 ISPAD clinical consensus guidelines chapter on Nutritional Management of Diabetes and was a member of The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Guideline development group for the Diabetes in Children Guideline (NG18) published in 2015.

Outside of work she enjoys being active, especially sea kayaking and actively participates in the running of Liverpool Canoe Club.

Lori Laffel, MD, MPH

Chief of the Pediatric, Adolescent and Young Adult Section at the Joslin Clinic, Senior Investigator and Co-Head of the Section on Clinical, Behavioral and Outcomes Research at the Joslin Diabetes Center, and Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School

Dr. Laffel is Chief of the Pediatric, Adolescent and Young Adult Section at the Joslin Clinic, and a Senior Investigator and Co-Head of the Section on Clinical, Behavioral and Outcomes Research at the Joslin Diabetes Center, as well as a Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. Under Dr. Laffel’s leadership, the pediatric program at Joslin has quadrupled in size and is recognized worldwide as a major pediatric diabetes center for clinical care and research. She has been the Principal Investigator and Program Director of Joslin’s National Institutes of Health-funded postdoctoral fellowship and early career development training grants for pediatric endocrinologists entering the field of diabetes research. Dr. Laffel is actively involved with the American Diabetes Association (ADA), as a member of the Boston Leadership Board, a recent past member of the National Board of Directors of the American Diabetes Association, the National Committee for Professional Practice Guidelines, chair on the ADA’s Working Group on Transitions in Care for Young Adults with Diabetes, and past chair of ADA’s Youth Strategies Committee. She also has been a member of the Advisory Board of the International Society of Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes and a member on the Clinical Advisory Committee for JDRF. She was the co-editor on the recently released ADA-JDRF Sourcebook on Type 1 Diabetes through the Life Span. Dr. Laffel is also a member of JDRF’s Research Advisory Committee. Dr. Laffel is the recipient of the American Diabetes Association’s 2015 Outstanding Physician-Clinician Award, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce 2016 Pinnacle Award, and the 2016 University of Miami School of Medicine Hall of Fame Honoree.

Charlie O'Connell

Founder and CEO of GLUCOSEZONE, Living with T1D since 1996

Charlie O’Connell is the founder and CEO of GLUCOSEZONE: a Digital Health company providing online fitness and coaching to people living with diabetes and chronic conditions around the globe. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the fall of 1996, Charlie was a two sport Division I college athlete and is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (’02). Charlie is a father, husband, golfer, skier, hiker, CrossFitter, speaker, inventor and entrepreneur, and lives in New Haven, CT with his wife and three small children.

Becky Sulik, RD, LD, CDE

Becky Sulik is currently the Director of Education at Rocky Mountain Diabetes & Osteoporosis Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho. She has had type 1 diabetes for over 30 years.
As a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator, she works closely with physicians and patients of all ages to facilitate diabetes self-management education and empower those with diabetes.

She has over 18 years of experience working with insulin pump therapy and continuous glucose monitoring.

Becky also works as a research study coordinator, which has given her the opportunity to work with many new diabetes medications and devices, including insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors in the research setting.

She is active in several diabetes-related professional organizations and currently serves as a commissioner for the credentialing organization for registered dietitians.

When she is not working or volunteering, she and her husband Mark enjoy supporting their three children who do competitive ballroom dancing.

Eric Tozer

Eric Tozer is a diabetes athlete ambassador who inspires the community through sports and utilizes his athletic accomplishments, such as Running Across America and Ironman triathlons, as a platform to be a role model in the diabetes community.

Eric had always lived a very active and healthy lifestyle, and he wasn’t going to let his diabetes diagnosis control his life and he decided to take charge. Filled with desire to utilize his athletic talents to positively impact the sporting and diabetes community, in 2015 he co-founded Diabetes Sports Project; an organization built to inspire. Led by a group of world class athletes who thrive with diabetes, their stories, athletic accomplishments and community outreach empower others to live healthy, responsible and active lives. Collectively, they have run across America (10 man T1D relay in 15 days), qualified for the Ironman World Championship, the Boston Marathon and the USA Olympic Marathon Trials, summited Mt Everest, represented Team USA at the Triathlon World Championships, and much more! The DSP athlete ambassadors use their accomplishments as a platform to educate and inspire as they speak at diabetes camps, children's hospitals, support groups and industry events. Through sharing their personal stories and extensive knowledge-base of managing T1D and sports, they provide insight, guidance, education and inspiration to those affected by diabetes.

Growing up playing sports and being captain of his collegiate soccer team, Eric learned valuable lessons like commitment, discipline, determination and a positive attitude, which continue to help him with his daily diabetes management and pursue his dreams.

Dan West, PHD, BSC

Dan is a Senior Research Fellow, and certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist, within the Institute of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University, UK. Dan’s main area of research focuses on strategies to support exercise in people with type 1 diabetes.

Recent projects, funded by charity and industry, have examined insulin and dietary adjustments to avoid late-onset post-exercise hypoglycaemia. Dan has multiple publications in journals such as Diabetes Care and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Additionally, Dan also has a keen interest in nutritional support and performance development in athletes and has conducted multiple projects with professional athletes from sports such as swimming, international rugby union, rugby league and soccer.