There was a different feeling around the 2015 AADE Annual Meeting this year, and I noticed it almost immediately. As soon as I picked up my materials and glanced at the meeting guide, something special jumped out at me.

That’s a twitter hashtag, y’all!

That’s right! AADE was pushing social media big time, and I loved it. A twitter hashtag on the front cover of the meeting guide? It blew me away. But more than a token hashtag on the cover of the book, it was an active hashtag.

There were tweets flying around on the #AADE15 stream like crazy. An active twitter hashtag is like sampling highlights from a bunch of different conversations happening all over the conference, even though you’re not able to listen to each of them.

“I felt like I was there, even though I wasn’t!” — Cherise Shockley, founder & creator of #DSMA

I’d like to thank AADE leadership for working so hard to bring the benefits of social media to diabetes educators. This has been in the works for a long time. I remember workshop sessions years ago by Hope, Amy, David, and Manny, and there’s no doubt in my mind that those early efforts helped.

Deborah & Hope – thank you for being brave enough to jump in and see that it’s a (mostly) good space. I’m sure there are countless others who worked very hard to help make it happen, and I hope to have the pleasure of thanking you in person sometime soon.

Social Media: All “Hands-On” Deck

Saturday morning I (along with a bunch of other great people) volunteered to help Hope and Melissa with a session designed to cover some social media basics and then go hands-on.

Tweeted by Michelle Litchman

The room was packed, and I loved the buzz! I’m excited to see so many diabetes professionals experimenting with social media. Who knows where it will lead!

Researching the Diabetes Online Community

Michelle Litchman presented her dissertation research on the role of the diabetes online community among individuals with diabetes.

I couldn’t get enough.

Here's a great shot of @MichLitch presenting her dissertation work on the Diabetes Online Community at #AADE15 pic.twitter.com/KTERfud2m8

— Scott K. Johnson (@scottkjohnson) August 9, 2015

My take on her presentation?

D.O.C peeps feel better & do better. But which came first? Interesting question! Listening to @MichLitch's dissertation work. #AADE15

— Scott K. Johnson (@scottkjohnson) August 8, 2015

I think most of us know we benefit from being involved in the DOC, but Michelle’s work put some science behind it. We’ll be seeing more of this, and future research from it. I have no doubt.

TuDiabetes did a Live Interview with Michelle earlier this year that might be a good place to learn more about Michelle and her work. She’s also a co-founder of the Diabetes Mixer, an annual social networking event for adults with type 1 diabetes in the Salt Lake City, UT area.

Ready, Aim: Advocate for Diabetes!

Manny Hernandez and Chuck Macfarlane (CEO of AADE) closed the show with a great session on advocacy. There were many significant takeaways from their presentation, more than I can possibly capture, but here are a few.

“Every voice is powerful” — @askmanny #AADE15

A simple, affordable glucose test saves lives. Don’t miss a diagnosis.

A Child’s Cry for Change via @diabetesdad

CMS Competitive Bidding Flaws – Hurting the most vulnerable people living with diabetes in our country. More to come on this, soon.

CMS Competitive Bidding Flaws

And perhaps the most memorable quote for me?

“If you don’t talk, somebody else is talking for you…” — Kurt Anderson, AADE’s Director of Federal and State Advocacy

mySugr in the house

It was a thrill to host the first ever mySugr booth on U.S. soil! It was a wonderful success and we had so much fun talking with everyone who stopped by. We learned a lot about how we can help more and it generated some great ideas for HQ to work on.

Blurry camera phone shot of the mySugr booth (Scott, Fredrik, and Kyle)

AADE’s Annual Meeting on DSMA Live

Cherise and I spoke a lot about AADE15 on DSMA Live recently (the AADE15 talk starts about 15-minutes in (you can fast-forward through)). We’d love to have you listen and share your thoughts.

Thank you, AADE

Despite the heavy New Orleans heat and humidity, I had an amazing time at AADE ’15. I learned a lot from the many different sessions, the great exhibits, and the incredible push in the social media space. Thank you, AADE, for making it another great conference.

Ken Moritsugu, Karen Kemmis, and Hope Warshaw