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Testimonials

Australia wins international Diabetes Innovation Award

11 November 2019

Dear Minister Hunt,

Re Australia wins international Diabetes Innovation Award

I was extremely proud and honoured to represent Australia at the annual meeting of the International Society for Paediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD) to collect the award as judged by international peers as being the most significant paediatric diabetes innovation in the past year. I am particularly proud that the award-winning innovation was conceived and created in regional Australia.

That innovation is the T1D e-learning courses for children with diabetes at school.

My idea of applying a proven learning platform to create diabetes courses for school personnel arose because my general paediatrician work has evolved in later years to specialise in both allergy (I have been a strong collaborator and contributor to the National Allergy Strategy representing regional Australia) and diabetes. General paediatricians (compared with other subspecialists) have frequent contact and develop close relationships with school personnel though case meetings and school visits for children with learning, behaviour and medical problems. I noted the success, acceptance and familiarity of the ASCIA anaphylaxis training modules for school personnel. However, anaphylaxis management is simple compared to managing the complex needs of children with Type 1 Diabetes at school, so the challenge was significant...

See full letter pdfLetter to Minister Hunt 11-11-2019188.81 KB

Teacher - Head of Year 7, secondary school

I completed the diabetic online modules last week and found them to be very helpful. I learnt a lot and realised that I did in fact have gaps in my knowledge.

The modules were very clear and informative. I found each of the slides easy to follow which was assisted by excellent graphics.

I really liked the tests at the end of each module.

A number of teachers who completed the module said that it would be a good resource for  Year 11 HHD and Year 10 Health and Human Development courses.

Parent Child age 8

Thank you for all the resources that have made going back to school a breeze ?

Principal, Melbourne independent secondary school

I am absolutely a big fan of this concept. It is nothing like I have seen before and a great way to learn for our teachers. It is user friendly, comprehensive and very clear. I have forwarded to all teachers, in both senior and junior school as well as our school nurse. 

Campus Sport Manager, independent school, Victorian regional centre

I have completed all of the modules.  They are easy to access, very user friendly.  They are concise yet very informative and would be a great resource for staff with Type1 students in their care.  They would have been useful for me last year when I had a year 12 type1 in my maths class.  Much better to understand what he is going through. I have CC’d our Senior Nurse into this email as she may find them useful to distribute to relevant staff in the future.

Senior Paediatrician

"Just brilliant!"

Teacher

As a teacher and also being a type 1 diabetic, I know the struggles of dealing with the highs and the lows of blood sugars. It’s not a easy game to play let alone also being front and centre of 24+ kids a day. However what baffles me the most is as a teacher when we get so much professional development to ensure the welfare of our students including but not limited to first aid, mandatory reporting and anaphylaxis training. Why don’t we have training to cater for our type 1 students? There are so many misconceptions out there about how to deal with hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia, (if you ask some teachers they wouldn’t know the difference!) Well now they have the opportunity to learn, teachers have a thirst for knowledge and especially learning about catering to the health needs of their students. Thanks to the type one foundation for providing this source of critical information!! 

Content updated December 2023