Language is a powerful tool for shaping attitudes and behaviour. Today, scientists and health care professionals’ communication with and about people with diabetes often includes non-inclusive, stigmatising and disempowering language. Using inclusive and empowering language has a huge potential to improve the health outcomes of people with diabetes and to increase their engagement in research.

Listen as postdocs within the field of diabetes and an expert discuss the challenges and solutions.

Episode info

Postdocs

• Hannah Chatwin, PhD student, University of Southern Denmark

• Uffe Søholm, PhD student, University of Southern Denmark 

Expert

• Renza Scibilia, Manager at Diabetes Australia in Melbourne; health writer and diabetes advocate and activist, promoting a person-centred approach to healthcare & in the development of information and technologies

Host

• Gretchen Repasky, Communications Director, Nordic EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine and University of Helsinki

The postdocs represent the challenge group of

• Anna Thorsø Larsen, Postdoc, Nordic Bioscience, Denmark

• Ajeetha Josephrajan, Postdoc, University of Southern Denmark

• Lone Peijs, Postdoc, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

• Louise Lang Lehrskov, Postdoc, Rigshospitalet, Denmark

• Muhammad Saad Khilji, PhD Student, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Publisher

Danish Diabetes Academy

Producer

Kontekst & Lyd

Resource list

• Editorial: The language of diabetes: The good, the bad, and the ugly
  https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/dme.13520

• Our language matters: Improving communication with and about people with diabetes. A position statement by Diabetes Australia
  https://www.diabetesresearchclinicalpractice.com/article/S0168-8227(21)00008-5/fulltext

• Feature Article: The Experience of Diabetes-Related Language in Diabetes Care
  https://spectrum.diabetesjournals.org/content/31/1/58.full-text.pdf

• What’s your grade? diaTribe Dialogue blog post
  https://diatribe.org/whats-your-grade?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=lived-exp&utm_content=short

• Language matters: a UK perspective
  https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/dme.13801

• Diabetes Language Recommendations: How To Avoid Judgment and Stigma. diaTribe Learning Curve blog post
  https://diatribe.org/diabetes-language-recommendations-how-avoid-judgment-and-stigma

• National Academy of Medicine: Patients, Families, and Communities COVID-19 Impact Assessment: Lessons Learned and Compelling Needs
  https://nam.edu/patients-families-and-communities-covid-19-impact-assessment-lessons-learned-and-compelling-needs/

• Changing the way we talk about diabetes complications
  http://theplaidjournal.com/index.php/CoM/article/view/111/130