Health care professionals will gather to share ideas and research regarding one of the state’s most costly diseases, diabetes, during the annual West Virginia University Extension Service Diabetes Symposium and Workshop: Bridging the Gap with Education, Oct. 16-18 at the Waterfront Place Hotel in Morgantown.

The conference is sponsored by WVU Extension and the WVU Office of Continuing Education, Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center and WVU School of Pharmacy.

Pre-registration and a schedule of speakers are available at http://www.dsw.ext.wvu.edu, or by calling 304-293-2796. Participants can also register at the door on the day of the conference.

Costs vary for the conference. Each pre-conference workshop is $60. Rates for the symposium are $230 for physicians, $180 for other participants and $80 for students. Daily rates are available as well. Costs are $60 for Wednesday and Friday, and $120 for Thursday.

With nearly 12 percent of the state’s population having a diagnosis of diabetes, WVU Extension’s Diabetes Expert Cindy Fitch says the need for education and training in management is crucial.

“Statistics show that fighting diabetes is an uphill battle, but we’re a state with a healthcare community determined to be the exception to the rule,” Fitch said. “Through outreach and education we can beat those odds. Our healthcare professionals are making a difference every day in the communities where they serve.”

Now in its 13th year, the symposium offers a way for healthcare professionals to strategize and discuss effective means for preventing diabetes and related diseases in their communities.

The conference will offer sessions in everything from diabetes prevention to management techniques. The keynote address, “Developing Cultural Competence in Healthcare Providers,” is delivered by Pedro Greer, M.D., chair of the Department of Humanities, Health, and Society at Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.

“We live in a rural area where many of these healthcare professionals are on the front lines when it comes to combating this disease,” Fitch said. “The symposium helps to arm them with the latest research and information to better educate their patients.”

Pre-conference workshops will take place Wednesday, Oct. 16, from 8:30–11:45 a.m. Topics include coalition building, in-patient glycemic management and stress reduction.

Continuing education credits are available for some disciplines. For more information on this, topics, speakers and registration, visit the Diabetes Symposium website at http://www.dsw.ext.wvu.edu.

-WVU-

cw 9/11/13

CONTACT: Cassie Waugh, WVU Extension Service
Office: 304-293-8735, Cell: 304-376-1829, cassie.waugh@mail.wvu.edu

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