It gives me great pleasure to welcome all of you to the Malaysian Diabetes Educators Society (MDES) Conference 2017 in Kuala Lumpur.

MDES brings together healthcare professionals caring for people with diabetes through an enriching conference held annually with the intention to improve the life of people affected by, and at risk of diabetes. The committee strongly believes that this conference will enable participants to translate science into practice, in order to deliver customized care in management and prevention of Diabetes.

There has been a global rise in the prevalence of diabetes and obesity- nowhere is this more alarmingly evident than in South-east Asia. This conference establishes and strengthens the collaboration between members of the diabetes care team in order to standardize information on diabetes provided to people living with the disease. Therefore, in order to achieve this common objective,this year, we have plenary sessions and symposia on the importance of ‘caring’ in diabetes education, adolescent counselling, exercise, sex and fertility in Diabetes, Bariatric surgery, new therapeutic agents, diet controversies, behavioural science, management of the elderly, complication management and other evidenced-based practices. This conference is a great avenue for healthcare professionals to share their experience with experts and have hands-on demonstrations as well as participate in interactive case-based discussions during the workshops.

We are pleased to have with us two renowned international speakers to enhance our scientific deliberations. Prof Dr. Tan Meng Hee from the United States of America is a past President and Vice-President of the Canadian Diabetes Association and International Diabetes Federation respectively, and Prof Dr. Bodil Rasmussen from Australia is the Director for the centre for Nursing and Midwifery Research at Western Health and an international leader in nursing research on diabetes. In addition, we are joined by many consultants who serve in Malaysia and have outstanding backgrounds in their field.

All the members of the Scientific and Organizing committee look forward to your participation in this intriguing and enlightening conference.We are sure that all of you, as vital members of the diabetes care team , will have a profound and exciting experience with the workshops and experience-sharing during this conference. Let our motto be: Together, we provide better diabetes care.

Who Should Attend

Healthcare professionals caring for people with Diabetes, including:

• Internal Medicine

• Family Medicine Specialists

• General Practitioners

• Medical and Public Health Officers

• Other Allied Healthcare Professionals

• Pharmacists

• Diabetes Educators

• Dietitians and Nutritionists

• Nurses

• Medical Assistants