Diabetes Canada is proud to announce it has signed the International Pledge to End Diabetes Stigma, joining more than 3,300 individuals and 366 organizations worldwide in a united commitment to challenge and eliminate stigma and discrimination faced by people living with diabetes.
“I’m proud to be signing the International Pledge to End Diabetes Stigma both as the President and CEO of Diabetes Canada, and also as a person living with type 2 diabetes,” shares Laura Syron. “We know that diabetes stigma is a global issue, one that will take the collective efforts of us all to address.”
Developed by 51 global experts led by Dr. Jane Speight and launched on World Diabetes Day 2023, the pledge represents a consensus on evidence-based actions to eliminate diabetes stigma and discrimination worldwide.
Signing this pledge reinforces Diabetes Canada’s ongoing leadership in driving awareness and action through Change the Conversation, an initiative that is mobilizing research, lived experience, and public dialogue to shift attitudes and systems towards empathy, understanding, and inclusion for all people affected by diabetes.
Through efforts such as the Social Experiences of Living with Diabetes in Canada report and its support of the multi-country, multi-study report by Dr. Elizabeth Holmes-Truscott, Diabetes Canada has shared comprehensive insights into the lived realities of people with diabetes in Canada and advanced both national and international understanding of how stigma affects health, access to care, and overall well-being.
Diabetes Canada’s commitment is also shared by members of the Change the Conversation Partners Table, a coalition of leaders across sectors who are joining us in signing the international pledge as a demonstration of our collective resolve to end diabetes stigma and change how we communicate and advance programs and policies to ensure people living with diabetes feel seen, supported, and valued.
A special thank you to members Emma Nairn, National Stakeholder Relations Lead, Public Affairs Rare Diseases, Rare Blood Disorders, Neurology, Type 1 Diabetes at Sanofi; Dr. Lorraine Lipscombe, MDCM, MSc, FRCPC, Executive Director, Novo Nordisk Network for Healthy Populations at University of Toronto; Tracy McQuire, Executive Director, Diabetes Action Canada, CIHR SPOR Network; and Amir Naseri, Vice President, Healthcare Partnership Development & Growth; for their individual endorsements. We'd also like to thank Luz Herrera, General Manager, Abbott Diabetes Care — Canada, for their individual endorsement and organizational endorsement on behalf of Abbott Canada.
Looking ahead, Diabetes Canada, represented by Laura Syron, President & CEO, Shusmita Rashid, Executive Director of Change the Conversation, along with numerous other volunteers and members of partner organizations, will be sharing expertise at the Global Summit to End Diabetes Stigma in Jaipur, India, in March 2026.
By joining this global movement, Diabetes Canada is strengthening its leadership and helping to create a more compassionate and respectful world for everyone affected by diabetes.
Sign the pledge.
“I’m proud to be signing the International Pledge to End Diabetes Stigma both as the President and CEO of Diabetes Canada, and also as a person living with type 2 diabetes,” shares Laura Syron. “We know that diabetes stigma is a global issue, one that will take the collective efforts of us all to address.”
Developed by 51 global experts led by Dr. Jane Speight and launched on World Diabetes Day 2023, the pledge represents a consensus on evidence-based actions to eliminate diabetes stigma and discrimination worldwide.
Leading through Change the Conversation
Signing this pledge reinforces Diabetes Canada’s ongoing leadership in driving awareness and action through Change the Conversation, an initiative that is mobilizing research, lived experience, and public dialogue to shift attitudes and systems towards empathy, understanding, and inclusion for all people affected by diabetes.
Through efforts such as the Social Experiences of Living with Diabetes in Canada report and its support of the multi-country, multi-study report by Dr. Elizabeth Holmes-Truscott, Diabetes Canada has shared comprehensive insights into the lived realities of people with diabetes in Canada and advanced both national and international understanding of how stigma affects health, access to care, and overall well-being.
A collective commitment to end diabetes stigma
Diabetes Canada’s commitment is also shared by members of the Change the Conversation Partners Table, a coalition of leaders across sectors who are joining us in signing the international pledge as a demonstration of our collective resolve to end diabetes stigma and change how we communicate and advance programs and policies to ensure people living with diabetes feel seen, supported, and valued.
A special thank you to members Emma Nairn, National Stakeholder Relations Lead, Public Affairs Rare Diseases, Rare Blood Disorders, Neurology, Type 1 Diabetes at Sanofi; Dr. Lorraine Lipscombe, MDCM, MSc, FRCPC, Executive Director, Novo Nordisk Network for Healthy Populations at University of Toronto; Tracy McQuire, Executive Director, Diabetes Action Canada, CIHR SPOR Network; and Amir Naseri, Vice President, Healthcare Partnership Development & Growth; for their individual endorsements. We'd also like to thank Luz Herrera, General Manager, Abbott Diabetes Care — Canada, for their individual endorsement and organizational endorsement on behalf of Abbott Canada.
Looking ahead, Diabetes Canada, represented by Laura Syron, President & CEO, Shusmita Rashid, Executive Director of Change the Conversation, along with numerous other volunteers and members of partner organizations, will be sharing expertise at the Global Summit to End Diabetes Stigma in Jaipur, India, in March 2026.
By joining this global movement, Diabetes Canada is strengthening its leadership and helping to create a more compassionate and respectful world for everyone affected by diabetes.
Sign the pledge.