Thriveabetes 2023 Speakers and Facilitators

The Thriveabetes Team is thrilled to announce more speakers for our 2023 event programme:

Keynote Speakers

Creator of Diabetes Connections Podcast, Author and Parent of a child, now a young adult with type 1 diabetes

Stacey Simms is the host of the long-running podcast Diabetes Connections and the author of the award-winning “The World's Worst Diabetes Mom” book series. Stacey's son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a toddler in 2006, and she started blogging about her family's experience with T1D a few weeks later. Stacey started her podcast in July of 2015 to educate and inspire people with diabetes, and it will cross more than two million downloads this year. Stacey lives in North Carolina, USA.

Connect with Stacey: Website diabetes-connections.com, Facebook @DiabetesConnections, Instagram @StaceySimms, Twitter @DiabetesCxns and YouTube @DiabetesConnections

Creator of the Nerdabetic YouTube Channel and a Person with type 1 diabetes

Kamil is a globally recognised diabetes technology reporter covering all aspects of MedTech, from glucose monitoring to AI. Since 2017, Kamil has been running a YouTube channel Nerdabetic where he interviews CEOs and executives of organisations changing the landscape of diabetes tech from Dexcom to Medtronic. He has been personally living with type 1 diabetes for nearly 11 years and does not work in diabetes.

Connect with Kamil: Instagram, Twitter or YouTube @Nerdabetic

Breakout Session Speakers

Diabetes Health Coach and Person with Type 1 Diabetes

Originally from Florida, USA, Erin has been living with type 1 diabetes for over 31 years. She is a world traveller, from living in Australia to cycling across Central America and backpacking through Europe and Asia. Erin is a FreeStyle Libre Ambassador, Diabetes Health Coach, and creator of Crazy About Diabetes, where she empowers other people with diabetes to live happier, healthier, and more fulfilling lives. Her workshops and programmes offer support to people with diabetes on mental health, nutrition, and lifestyle. She now resides in Lahinch, Clare, with her husband and two children, where she embraces sea swimming and surfing.

Connect with Erin: Website: Crazyaboutdiabetes.com, @crazyaboutdiabetes on Facebook and Instagram.

Gavin Griffiths

Founder of League of Diabetes Charity, Ultraathlete and Person with Type 1 Diabetes

Gavin was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a child, and in his school years, he felt shy, frustrated and unaccepting of the whole 'diabetes concept.' In his teen years, he started to adjust and face the hurdles - while learning along the way - playing semi-pro football, starting up a local support group and running his first marathon as a fundraiser. He has since endured over 100 challenges, including 30 marathons in 30 days across the length of Britain, turned an old personal blog called 'Diathlete' into a charity (Diathlete | League of Diabetes) and created practical and sociable approaches to support diabetes education.

Connect with Gavin: Website, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter as @Diathlete.

Cameron Keighron

PhD student in the University of Galway and a Person with Diabetes

Cameron was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 16. Moving away from home for college presented a number of challenges with managing their diabetes care. They got involved with a programme called D1 Now in 2014 because they wanted to help improve the care and support young adults with diabetes received, recognising that managing diabetes care is tough and sometimes overwhelming. They are passionate about including the voices of young adults in diabetes research, understanding that in order to instil change, those with real lived experience but be at the forefront of the conversation.

Connect with Cameron: on Twitter @CameronKeighron

Jean Langford

Masters Student in Dietitics and Person with Type 1 Diabetes

She is an International Business Studies Graduate, a diabetes advocate and a volunteer with Midwest Diabetes Advocacy Group, IDF Europe, DeDoc Voices, Diabetes Scotland, and Diabetes UK. She is currently undertaking a master's in dietetics to be able to support people living with diabetes in the future!

Jean is a former employee of the International Diabetes Federation European region, where she coordinated their Youth Leadership Programme and regularly participates in the deDOC voices programme travelling to diabetes medical conferences and sharing information with the community. She began sharing her diabetes journey on Instagram and Facebook as the the_dia_being_mindset just a few years ago.

Connect with Jean: Instagram: the_dia_being_mindset, Twitter: @DiaBeingMindset  and on Facebook: the_dia_being_mindset  

Sara Lasker

Diabetes Health Coach and Person with Type 1 Diabetes

Sara has lived with type 1 diabetes for 40 years. She is a Teacher, Master Certified Health Education Specialist, Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist and children's book author. She has utilised her education and experiences to write a children's book related to diabetes and has a YouTube channel dedicated to finding the best way to keep your sensor on. After years of zigzagging across the USA, she has brought her diabetes passion to Ireland; she now lives in Limerick with her husband and two goofy cats.

Connect with Sara: Website: healthyandhygge.com, Instagram: @healthy_and_hygge, Facebook: @healthyandHygge, LinkedIn, and YouTube

Kevin Moore

Consultant endocrinologist in Tallaght, Naas General and the Beacon Hospitals

Dr Kevin Moore is a graduate of RCSI. After completing the SPR training programme in Diabetes and Endocrinology, Dr Moore undertook a fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he studied insulin pump therapy and continuous glucose monitoring. In 2007 Dr Moore was appointed as a Consultant Endocrinologist at Naas General Hospital and Tallaght University Hospital.

His special areas of interest include Type 1 diabetes, Young adult diabetes, insulin pump therapy, glucose monitoring and exercise. Dr Moore is a previous chairman of the Diabetes Section of the Irish Endocrine Society, and he was chairman of the writing committee for the 2018 national guidelines for adults with Type 1 Diabetes.

Connect with Kevin on Twitter @DrKevinMoore  

Aisling White

Aisling has been living with type 1 diabetes for the past 27 years. She currently works as a primary school teacher. She also promotes peer support and advocacy for those living with diabetes and is involved in many groups, including the Limerick Adults with Type 1 Diabetes Support Group and the Diabetes Ireland Advocacy Group. She participated in the International Diabetes Federation Europe's Youth Leadership Programme and the One Young World Leadership Platform. Aisling also provides continuing professional development courses for school staff entitled ‘Diabetes in Schools’ run by local education centres that provide the course to school staff for free or a nominal fee (depending on the centre).

Connect with Aisling as @type1_on_the_run on Facebook, Instagram and on Linkedin.