LIVE WEBINAR

Amplifying the Voices of People Living with T1D: The Role of Lived Experience in Advocacy

OVERVIEW

ADA Member Exclusive Webinar—Join American Diabetes Association® (ADA) professional members for a live, one-hour panel discussion focused on elevating the voices of people living with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Our panelists will explore how lived experience drives meaningful advocacy, highlight efforts to empower and support youth with diabetes, and share examples of impactful work happening across the community.

The session will conclude with practical takeaways you can apply in your own professional or advocacy efforts, followed by an interactive live Q&A.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Describe how lived experience with type 1 diabetes (T1D) shapes effective advocacy strategies and identify the unique perspectives people with T1D bring to youth-focused diabetes advocacy.

Recognize practical ways to integrate the voices of individuals and families living with T1D into professional, clinical, or community-based programs to improve relevance and impact.

Apply actionable advocacy approaches shared by panelists to strengthen support for youth living with diabetes and enhance patient-centered engagement within your own work.

DATE & TIME

Apr 28, 2026 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM ET

MODERATORS

Dr. Mary Pat Gallagher

Associate Professor and Director of the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes at NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Dr. Mary Pat Gallagher is an Associate Professor and Director of the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She completed her residency training in Pediatrics and her fellowship training in Pediatric Endocrinology at Babies and Children’s Hospital at Columbia University. Dr. Gallagher’s research has focused on studies in youth with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, including multicenter clinical trials focused on preservation of beta cell function. She is currently the Director of the Pediatric Diabetes Center at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone.

Dr. Gallagher is the Chair Elect of the ADA Diabetes in Youth Special Interest Group.

Dr. Jenise Wong

Professor of Pediatrics - Division of Endocrinology, University of California San Francisco

Dr. Jenise Wong is a Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology at the University of California San Francisco. She received her PhD from Harvard University and MD from Stanford, completed residency training in Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Boston and Boston Medical Center, and fellowship in Pediatric Endocrinology at UCSF. Her research has focused on the challenges that children and adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes face when using diabetes technology. Dr. Wong is also the Director of Quality and Safety for the Division of Endocrinology at Benioff Children’s Hospital in San Francisco. Her work in quality improvement has led to research and initiatives addressing disparities in care and in promoting health equity in diabetes management, technology utilization, and clinical outcomes. Her current research, with collaborators throughout California, uses peer support to enhance use of diabetes devices and improve diabetes management in historically marginalized and underserved youth with diabetes.

Dr. Wong is the Chair of the ADA Membership Advisory Group.

SPEAKERS

Kyle Banks
Founder, Kyler Cares Foundation
Brooklyn, NY

Kyle Banks was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes on November 1, 2015, while performing in the Broadway musical Disney’s The Lion King. Taking the stage nightly before sold‑out audiences in New York City and on national tours had been a lifelong dream, but the sudden onset of diabetes symptoms transformed that dream into a daunting challenge. Although the symptoms he experienced were typical of the chronic illness, his limited knowledge at the time left him unaware of what was unfolding and the profound lifestyle changes ahead.

Motivated by the lack of accessible information about Type 1 Diabetes within communities of color, Kyle founded Kyler Cares in 2020 in partnership with Children’s Hospital New Orleans. He takes great pride in the organization’s growing relationships with families and leaders in diabetes management, and in its commitment to bridging gaps in care by creating more efficient pathways for underserved communities to access essential resources.

Kristen Whitney Daniels
Associate Director for the U.S. Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph
New York, NY

Kristen Whitney Daniels is a diabetes and disability justice advocate. She was diagnosed with type one diabetes 20 years ago. She started the Connecticut #insulin4all chapter in 2019 and is currently the co-lead of T1International's Federal Working Group. As part of her advocacy, she's spoken at the U.S. Senate, attended the Presidential State of the Union as a guest of Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, and been featured in publications like NPR’s “All Things Considered,” SELF Magazine, and Teen Vogue. With an ethos of viewing "lived experience as expertise," she serves as a consultant for diabetes research. She is currently working on a NIH grant with Yale University on the social determinants of health in type one diabetics and is an author on a World Health Organization report on the stigmatization of people with diabetes.