About YDEF

Young Diabetologists & Endocrinologists’ Forum is the trainee and young consultants’ wing of Diabetes UK and is supported by the Association of British Clinical Diabetologists and Society for Endocrinology

About YDEF

Young Diabetologists & Endocrinologists’ Forum is the trainee & young consultants’ wing of Diabetes UK and is supported by the Association of British Clinical Diabetologists & Society for Endocrinology.

Ready to Help Change the Way you Learn.

We organise a wide variety of national training events each year, details of which are available on the ‘Courses’ page of this website. These courses are unique and held in high regard; they continue to attract some of the most influential figures in UK Diabetes. 

Link to Section

Ready to Help Change the Way you Learn.

We organise a wide variety of national training events each year, details of which are available on the ‘Courses’ page of this website. These courses are unique and held in high regard; they continue to attract some of the most influential figures in UK Diabetes. 

Link to Section

Who we are…

Young Diabetologists & Endocrinologists’ Forum is the trainee and young consultants’ wing of Diabetes UK and is supported by the Association of British Clinical Diabetologists and the Society for Endocrinology. We serve three core functions for our members – Education, Advocacy, and Support.

Our mission is to enable high-quality care for people with diabetes and endocrine conditions by delivering excellence in specialist education and providing an effective voice for our members. We organise a wide variety of national training events each year, the details of which are enclosed in this brochure. These courses are unique and held in high regard; they continue to attract some of the most influential figures in UK Diabetes. 

The YDEF also represents the interests of specialist trainees at a number of national organisations including the Specialty Advisory Committee (SAC) of the Royal Colleges.

Our key link to our members is through our website calendar www.youngdiabetologists.org (this site) which highlights all of our events along with, information and useful links and is currently generating over 1.5 million hits per year.

We are very happy to share information that is relevant to a country-wide trainee audience. We can advertise locum and substantive consultant jobs as well as research or teaching fellowships. We aim to keep trainees updated with a newsletter sent in alternate months.  Reasonable requests for inclusion in the newsletter must be emailed to us (info@youngdiabetologists.org.uk) before the 1st of the month to be guaranteed inclusion.

Current Committee Members:

  • Current chair – Becky Sagar
  • Deputy chair – Alex Liarakos
  • Current treasurer – Gordon Sloan
  • Current secretary – Anna Thomsen/ Kate Lazarus
  • Web and Communication team – Angelica Sharma, Anna Thomsen, Kate Lazarus, Rama Lakshman 
  • YDEF Wales representative: David Williams
  • YDEF Northern Ireland representative: Rama Lakshman
  • IMG representative: Tahir Chohan
  • Other Committee Members: Anne DeBray, Layla Thurston, Alice Hughes, Amy Coulden, Matt North, Medha Agrawal, Simon Berry, Florence Lee, Aaran Patel

Past Committee Members:

  • Previous chairs – Anne DeBray, Tom Crabtree, Giulia Argentesi, Najaf Haider, Clare Whicher, Myuri, Moorthy, Amar Puttanna, Muna Nwokolo, Ali Chakera, Hermione Price, Emma Wilmot, Partha Kar, Milan Piya, Stuart Little, Pratik Choudhary, Jyothis George, Marc Atkin, Dipesh Patel, Peter Senior and Liz McIntyre

 

  • Previous Committee Members – Harriet Esdaile, Abid Khan, Fahad Arshad, Aaisha Saqib, Peter Jacob, Tim Ribbon, Meera Ladwa

Anne DeBray

ST7 Trainee - West Midlands

anne.debray @ nhs.net

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Annie graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2012 and is currently a Diabetes and Endocrine SpR in the West Midlands and DPhil candidate at the University of Oxford.  Her first 3 years of specialty training involved research as part of an Academic Clinical Fellowship where she has explored beta cell function and maturity and her DPhil project centres around GIP and GLP1 activity in islets.  She is passionate about teaching, regularly teaching undergraduates and postgraduates (whilst trying to persuade them to choose Diabetes and Endocrinology as their specialty!).  She is currently YDEF Chair.

Becky Sagar

Clinical Research Fellow - West Yorkshire

rebeccaclaire.sagar @ nhs.net

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Becky graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2015 and came to Leeds for an academic foundation programme job. She then completed core medical training in Leeds and further developed her interest in Diabetes & Endocrinology. She is currently Out of Programme to complete a Ph.D and also enjoys teaching undergraduate medical students, particularly on their final year D&E rotation.

Gordon Sloan

NIHR Clinical Lecturer at the University of Sheffield

gordon.sloan@nhs.net

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Gordon is an NIHR Clinical Lecturer at the University of Sheffield. His specialist interest is in Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy, particularly when associated with neuropathic pain, and also the Diabetic Foot.
Within the YDEF his roles include being the YDEF treasurer, leading organisation of the Diabetic Foot Course, and the Diabetes Masterclass series in concert with the ABCD and Lilly.

Anna Thomsen

Specialty Trainee- South London

anna.thomsen1@nhs.net

 

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Anna graduated from Newcastle University in 2015. She is a specialist registrar in diabetes and endocrinology at the South London Deanery. She has a keen interest in medical education, having completed a year as a teaching fellow before core training, an avenue in her career she wishes to pursue further. She is also passionate about advocating for speciality registrar training needs and well-being. She is the current society secretary within YDEF.

Angelica Sharma

Academic Clinical Fellow in Endocrinology (East of England)

angelica.sharma@nhs.net

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Angelica graduated from Cardiff University in 2020. She developed an interest in Diabetes & Endocrinology during medical school and was awarded a Welcome Trust INSPIRE scholarship to undertake research on care provision for individuals with type 1 diabetes. She completed an intercalated BSc in Endocrinology at King’s College London with research focusing on diabetes related foot disease for which she was awarded first class honours. As an academic foundation doctor at Imperial College London, she produced work on using cardio-metabolic risk factors to predict dementia diagnosis in individuals with type 2 diabetes and prednisolone replacement in adrenal insufficiency. Currently, she is an Academic Clinical Fellow in Endocrinology in East of England and is continuing work on diabetes related foot disease and diabetic ketoacidosis. She is keen on teaching, organising academic events, widening access to research opportunities, and promoting collaboration in academia amongst junior doctors.

Layla Thurston

Clinical Research Fellow- North West London

layla.thurston @ nhs.net 

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Layla graduated from the University of Manchester in 2013 in Medicine with European Studies. She commenced her specialist training in Diabetes and Endocrinology in the North West Thames deanery in 2017. Layla is currently out of programme, researching the melanocortin-4 receptor, as part of her PhD in neuroendocrinology at Imperial College London. She is passionate about teaching and is a PACES tutor. Within the committee, she organises the YDEF Day

Lauren M Quinn

Clinical Research Fellow, ELSA study University of Birmingham

lauren.quinn6@nhs.net

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Lauren is currently undertaking a clinical research fellowship to explore paediatric type 1 diabetes screening for DKA prevention and to facilitate access to immunoprevention trials. She was formerly an Academic Clinical Fellow in D&E in the West midlands and currently IMT stage 2 trainee. In YDEF committee, her roles include contributing to DUK’s Update magazine for health care professionals and as a pre-specialty trainee liaison and representative to support trainees to explore a career in endocrinology and diabetes. 

Amy Coulden

Clinical research fellow, West Midlands

amy.coulden@nhs.net

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Amy graduated from Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry in 2015. She is a Diabetes and Endocrinology registrar in the West Midlands. She is currently an Academic Clinical Lecturer at the University of Birmingham combining her area of research interest in pituitary medicine (namely acromegaly) with clinical training.

David Williams

Clinical Research Fellow – Swansea

david.williams4@wales.nhs.uk

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David graduated from St George’s, University of London in 2014 and commenced specialist training in Diabetes & Endocrinology in the Wales deanery in 2019. He is currently out of programme working as a clinical research fellow investigating the prevalence and screening of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in people with type 2 diabetes at Swansea University. As part of the committee, he is currently organising the YDEF day and YDEF obesity courses

Muhammad Tahir Chohan

ST7 D&E - North East

muhammad.chohan@nhs.net

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Tahir graduated from Dow University, Pakistan, in 2012 & then did post-graduate training in GIM in Pakistan till 2017, followed by another 2 years in GIM in the Republic of Ireland and joined speciality training in D&E in 2019, giving a unique experience of working in 3 different countries and health systems.

He passed his UK and Irish membership exams in 2018 and 2019, respectively, and his SCE in D&E in 2021. He also holds an Advanced Certificate in Clinical Education from RCPSG.

He is actively involved in organising PACES, undergraduate teaching, and regional teachings for D&E trainees as MERIT lead.

Within YDEF, his roles include YDEF Technology Course, EASD Scholarships, International Medical Graduates Representative, BMA Representative, YDEF Support Fund, YDEF website, and communication roles.

Medha Agrawal

IMT trainee in the Wales deanery

medhaagrawal@doctors.org.uk

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Medha graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2018 and is currently an IMT trainee in the Wales deanery. She is developing her interest in Diabetes & Endocrine and has worked with the Thyroid Research Group, Cardiff University, exploring thyroid disease in pregnancy. She is also passionate about maternal health and has co-founded a local forum, “Welsh Obstetric Medicine Society” and has experience organising academic events.

Alexandros Liarakos

ST5 Trainee – Oxford

alexandros.liarakos1@nhs.net

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Alex is a specialist registrar in Diabetes and endocrinology at the Oxford Deanery. He has secured a 3-year research fellowship from the Association of British Clinical Diabetologists (ABCD) to support the delivery of the ABCD national audit program and undertake a PhD in diabetes technology. His other research interests include database work and epidemiological studies with real-world data. He has experience in organising conferences and academic activities with important previous leading roles including chair of the Scientific Society of Medical Students and Virtual Wards Clinical Ambassador collaborating with the NHS England. Within the committee, organising the YDEF Northern Europe Young Diabetologists (NEYD) course and the Diabetes Technology course are some of his main activities.

Alice Hughes

IMT1 doctor - South West Peninsula

alice.elizabeth.hughes@googlemail.com

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Alice is currently an IMT doctor in the South West. She enjoys all aspects of diabetes and endocrinology and has a particular interest in diabetes in pregnancy and obstetric medicine. She completed a PhD in the genetics of fetal insulin-mediated growth in 2022 and is continuing postdoctoral research at the University of Exeter. As a pre-specialty representative she hopes to promote the variety of exciting career pathways in diabetes and endocrinology, as well as encourage budding clinical academics to consider the speciality and share their work at courses and conferences.

Aaran Patel

NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow, Imperial College London and an IMT in North West London

aaran.patel1@nhs.net

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Aaran completed MBBS at Imperial College in 2020 with distinctions and an intercalated BSc in Medical Sciences with Endocrinology, achieving 1st class honours. Received several awards, including the SfE Undergraduate Achievement Award for a project investigating recombinant FSH dosing in IVF treatment, the SfE Highly Commended Clinical Poster Prize and the YDEF Marjoie Prize for reflections and work addressing inequalities in diabetes care. Aaran held an Academic Foundation Programme post in Endocrinology at the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. Currently, an IMT trainee at Hammersmith Hospital and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, along with an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship, is investigating the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of kisspeptin.

Rama Lakshman

Clinical research fellow - Cambridge

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Rama graduated from Cambridge University in 2020 and did an academic foundation programme with the Diabetes Research Group at King’s in London. She is currently doing an FY3 year as a clinical research fellow with the Artificial Pancreas group in Cambridge before starting IMT 1 in Belfast from August. She is keen to promote exposure to Diabetes and Endocrinology for more junior trainees.

Simon Berry

ST5 Diabetes and Endocrinology, South Yorkshire

simon.berry6@nhs.net

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More Information

Simon graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2016. He is an ST5 specialist registrar in Diabetes and Endocrinology in South Yorkshire. Simon is currently out of the programme, working as a Clinical Research Fellow in Diabetes to complete a PhD. The research is focused on trialling new treatments aimed at restoring awareness of hypoglycaemia. He is keenly interested in using technology in diabetes, representing YDEF on the DTN-UK committee. He hopes to develop ways to improve specialist training and reduce burnout in trainees.

Matt North

ST7 Trainee - North West London

matthew.north@nhs.net

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More Information

Matt graduated from Imperial College London in 2015 and began specialist training in Diabetes and Endocrinology in the North West Thames Deanery in 2019.

Matt came to medicine from academia having previously completed a PhD in Molecular Biology at the University of Sheffield, followed by postdoctoral studies in Molecular Toxicology at the University of California, Berkeley.

He is currently co-organiser of the YDEF-DTN Technology Course and co-founder of the new YDEF Maternal Medicine Course. 

Kate Lazarus

ST6 Trainee - North West London

kate.lazarus@doctors.org.uk

Close Tab Here
More Information

Kate graduated from the University of Bristol in 2015. She is an ST6 specialist trainee and DUK Sir George Alberti research fellow based in NW London. She is currently out of the programme undertaking a PhD at Imperial College London investigating the use of GLP-1 analogues to prevent steroid-induced diabetes.

 

Her other research interests include glucocorticoid-induced adrenal insufficiency and optimising glucocorticoid replacement therapy.  She is passionate about training the next generation of diabetes and endocrine specialists and is eager to ensure trainees get the most out of their training programme.

Florence Lee

IMT 2 Trainee – South West London

florencening.lee@nhs.net

Close Tab Here
More Information

Florence graduated from Newcastle University in 2018 and is an IMT trainee in the London Deanery. Prior to working in the UK, she completed a two-year postgraduate internship in Malaysia, which gave her experience working in two different countries and health systems. 
She has been working closely with consultants and King’s College London to deliver bedside/small group teaching for medical students. Since obtaining her MRCP diploma, she has joined the PACES teaching committee at King’s College Hospital to help facilitate teaching. 
She is keen to pursue a career in Diabetes and Endocrinology, and as a pre-specialty representative, she hopes to improve junior doctors’ accessibility to the speciality by organising training days and spreading awareness about YDEF courses/ research opportunities.

Who we are…

Young Diabetologists & Endocrinologists’ Forum is the trainee and young consultants’ wing of Diabetes UK and is supported by the Association of British Clinical Diabetologists and Society for Endocrinology. We serve three core functions for our members – Education, Advocacy, and Support.

Our mission is to enable high-quality care for people with diabetes and endocrine conditions by delivering excellence in specialist education and providing an effective voice for our members. We organise a wide variety of national training events each year, the details of which are enclosed in this brochure. These courses are unique and held in high regard; they continue to attract some of the most influential figures in UK Diabetes. several

The YDEF also represents the interests of specialist trainees at a number of national organisations including the Specialty Advisory Committee (SAC) of the Royal Colleges.

Our key link to our members is through our website calendar www.youngdiabetologists.org (this site) which highlights all of our events along with, information and useful links and is currently generating over 1.5 million hits per year.

We are very happy to share information that is relevant to a country wide trainee audience. We can advertise locum and substantive consultant jobs as well as research or teaching fellowships. We aim to keep trainees updated with a newsletter sent on a monthly basis. Reasonable requests for inclusion in the newsletter must be emailed to us (info@youngdiabetologists.org.uk) before the 1st of the month to be guaranteed inclusion.

Current Committee Members:

  • Current chair – Becky Sagar
  • Deputy chair – Alex Liarakos
  • Current treasurer – Gordon Sloan
  • Current secretary – Anna Thomsen/ Kate Lazarus
  • Web and Communication team – Angelica Sharma, Anna Thomsen, Kate Lazarus, Lauren Quinn, Rama Lakshman
  • YDEF Wales representative: David Williams
  • YDEF Northern Ireland representative: Rama Lakshman
  • IMG representative: Tahir Chohan
  • Other Committee Members: Anne DeBray, Layla Thurston, Alex Liarakos, Alice Hughes, Amy Coulden, Matt North, Medha Agrawal, Simon Berry, Florence Lee, Aaran Patel

Past Committee Members:

  • Previous chairs – Anne DeBray, Tom Crabtree, Giulia Argentesi, Najaf Haider, Clare Whicher, Myuri, Moorthy, Amar Puttanna, Muna Nwokolo, Ali Chakera, Hermione Price, Emma Wilmot, Partha Kar, Milan Piya, Stuart Little, Pratik Choudhary, Jyothis George, Marc Atkin, Dipesh Patel, Peter Senior and Liz McIntyre

 

  • Previous Committee Members – Harriet Esdaile, Abid Khan, Fahad Arshad, Aaisha Saqib, Peter Jacob, Tim Ribbon, Meera Ladwa

Anne DeBray

ST7 Trainee - West Midlands

anne.debray @ nhs.net

Close Tab Here
More Information

Annie graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2012 and is currently a Diabetes and Endocrine SpR in the West Midlands and DPhil candidate at the University of Oxford.  Her first 3 years of specialty training involved research as part of an Academic Clinical Fellowship where she has explored beta cell function and maturity and her DPhil project centres around GIP and GLP1 activity in islets.  She is passionate about teaching, regularly teaching undergraduates and postgraduates (whilst trying to persuade them to choose Diabetes and Endocrinology as their specialty!).  She is currently YDEF Chair.

Becky Sagar

Clinical Research Fellow - West Yorkshire

rebeccaclaire.sagar @ nhs.net

Close Tab Here
More Information

Becky graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2015 and came to Leeds for an academic foundation programme job. She then completed core medical training in Leeds and further developed her interest in Diabetes & Endocrinology. She is currently Out of Programme to complete a Ph.D and also enjoys teaching undergraduate medical students, particularly on their final year D&E rotation.

Gordon Sloan

NIHR Clinical Lecturer at the University of Sheffield

gordon.sloan@nhs.net

Close Tab Here
More Information
Gordon is an NIHR Clinical Lecturer at the University of Sheffield. His specialist interest is in Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy, particularly when associated with neuropathic pain, and also the Diabetic Foot.
Within the YDEF his roles include being the YDEF treasurer, leading organisation of the Diabetic Foot Course, and the Diabetes Masterclass series in concert with the ABCD and Lilly.

Anna Thomsen

Specialty Trainee- South London

anna.thomsen1@nhs.net

 

Close Tab Here
More Information

Anna graduated from Newcastle University in 2015. She is a specialist registrar in diabetes and endocrinology at the South London Deanery. She has a keen interest in medical education, having completed a year as a teaching fellow before core training, an avenue in her career she wishes to pursue further. She is also passionate about advocating for speciality registrar training needs and well-being. She is the current society secretary within YDEF.

Angelica Sharma

Academic Clinical Fellow in Endocrinology (East of England)

angelica.sharma@nhs.net

Close Tab Here
More Information
Angelica graduated from Cardiff University in 2020. She developed an interest in Diabetes & Endocrinology during medical school and was awarded a Welcome Trust INSPIRE scholarship to undertake research on care provision for individuals with type 1 diabetes. She completed an intercalated BSc in Endocrinology at King’s College London with research focusing on diabetes related foot disease for which she was awarded first class honours. As an academic foundation doctor at Imperial College London, she produced work on using cardio-metabolic risk factors to predict dementia diagnosis in individuals with type 2 diabetes and prednisolone replacement in adrenal insufficiency. Currently, she is an Academic Clinical Fellow in Endocrinology in East of England and is continuing work on diabetes related foot disease and diabetic ketoacidosis. She is keen on teaching, organising academic events, widening access to research opportunities, and promoting collaboration in academia amongst junior doctors.

Layla Thurston

Clinical Research Fellow- North West London

layla.thurston @ nhs.net 

Close Tab Here
More Information

Layla graduated from the University of Manchester in 2013 in Medicine with European Studies. She commenced her specialist training in Diabetes and Endocrinology in the North West Thames deanery in 2017. Layla is currently out of programme, researching the melanocortin-4 receptor, as part of her PhD in neuroendocrinology at Imperial College London. She is passionate about teaching and is a PACES tutor. Within the committee, she organises the YDEF Day

Lauren M Quinn

Clinical Research Fellow, ELSA study University of Birmingham

lauren.quinn6@nhs.net

Close Tab Here
More Information
Lauren is currently undertaking a clinical research fellowship to explore paediatric type 1 diabetes screening for DKA prevention and to facilitate access to immunoprevention trials. She was formerly an Academic Clinical Fellow in D&E in the West midlands and currently IMT stage 2 trainee. In YDEF committee, her roles include contributing to DUK’s Update magazine for health care professionals and as a pre-specialty trainee liaison and representative to support trainees to explore a career in endocrinology and diabetes. 

Amy Coulden

Clinical research fellow, West Midlands

amy.coulden@nhs.net

Close Tab Here
More Information

Amy graduated from Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry in 2015. She is a Diabetes and Endocrinology registrar in the West Midlands. She is currently an Academic Clinical Lecturer at the University of Birmingham combining her area of research interest in pituitary medicine (namely acromegaly) with clinical training.

Medha Agrawal

IMT trainee in the Wales deanery

medhaagrawal@doctors.org.uk

Close Tab Here
More Information
Medha graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2018 and is currently an IMT trainee in the Wales deanery. She is developing her interest in Diabetes & Endocrine and has worked with the Thyroid Research Group, Cardiff University, exploring thyroid disease in pregnancy. She is also passionate about maternal health and has co-founded a local forum, “Welsh Obstetric Medicine Society” and has experience organising academic events.

Muhammad Tahir Chohan

ST7 D&E - North East England

muhammad.chohan@nhs.net

Close Tab Here
More Information

Tahir graduated from Dow University, Pakistan, in 2012 & then did post-graduate training in GIM in Pakistan till 2017, followed by another 2 years in GIM in the Republic of Ireland and joined speciality training in D&E in 2019, giving a unique experience of working in 3 different countries and health systems.

He passed his UK and Irish membership exams in 2018 and 2019, respectively, and his SCE in D&E in 2021. He also holds an Advanced Certificate in Clinical Education from RCPSG.

He is actively involved in organising PACES, undergraduate teaching, and regional teachings for D&E trainees as MERIT lead.

Within YDEF, his roles include YDEF Technology Course, EASD Scholarships, International Medical Graduates Representative, BMA Representative, YDEF Support Fund, YDEF website, and communication roles.

David Williams

Clinical Research Fellow – Swansea

david.williams4@wales.nhs.uk

Close Tab Here
More Information

David graduated from St George’s, University of London in 2014 and commenced specialist training in Diabetes & Endocrinology in the Wales deanery in 2019. He is currently out of programme working as a clinical research fellow investigating the prevalence and screening of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in people with type 2 diabetes at Swansea University. As part of the committee, he is currently organising the YDEF day and YDEF obesity courses

Alexandros Liarakos

ST5 Trainee – Oxford

alexandros.liarakos1@nhs.net

Close tab here
More Information

Alex is a specialist registrar in Diabetes and endocrinology at the Oxford Deanery. He has secured a 3-year research fellowship from the Association of British Clinical Diabetologists (ABCD) to support the delivery of the ABCD national audit programme and undertake a PhD in diabetes technology. His other research interests include database work and epidemiological studies with real-world data. He has experience in organising conferences and academic activities with important previous leading roles including chair of the Scientific Society of Medical Students and Virtual Wards Clinical Ambassador collaborating with the NHS England. Within the committee, organising the YDEF Northern Europe Young Diabetologists (NEYD) course and the Diabetes Technology course are some of his main activities.

Simon Berry

ST5 Diabetes and Endocrinology, South Yorkshire

simon.berry6@nhs.net

Close Tab Here
More Information

Simon graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2016. He is an ST5 specialist registrar in Diabetes and Endocrinology in South Yorkshire. Simon is currently out of the programme, working as a Clinical Research Fellow in Diabetes to complete a PhD. The research is focused on trialling new treatments aimed at restoring awareness of hypoglycaemia. He is keenly interested in using technology in diabetes, representing YDEF on the DTN-UK committee. He hopes to develop ways to improve specialist training and reduce burnout in trainees.

Aaran Patel

NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow, Imperial College London and an IMT in North West London

aaran.patel1@nhs.net

Close Tab Here
More Information

Aaran completed MBBS at Imperial College in 2020 with distinctions and an intercalated BSc in Medical Sciences with Endocrinology, achieving 1st class honours. Received several awards, including the SfE Undergraduate Achievement Award for a project investigating recombinant FSH dosing in IVF treatment, the SfE Highly Commended Clinical Poster Prize and the YDEF Marjoie Prize for reflections and work addressing inequalities in diabetes care. Aaran held an Academic Foundation Programme post in Endocrinology at the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. Currently, an IMT trainee at Hammersmith Hospital and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, along with an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship, is investigating the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of kisspeptin.

Alice Hughes

IMT1 doctor - South West Peninsula

alice.elizabeth.hughes@googlemail.com

Close Tab Here
More Information
Alice is currently an IMT doctor in the South West. She enjoys all aspects of diabetes and endocrinology and has a particular interest in diabetes in pregnancy and obstetric medicine. She completed a PhD in the genetics of fetal insulin-mediated growth in 2022 and is continuing postdoctoral research at the University of Exeter. As a pre-specialty representative she hopes to promote the variety of exciting career pathways in diabetes and endocrinology, as well as encourage budding clinical academics to consider the speciality and share their work at courses and conferences.

Rama Lakshman

Clinical research fellow - Cambridge

Close Tab Here
More Information
Rama graduated from Cambridge University in 2020 and did an academic foundation programme with the Diabetes Research Group at King’s in London. She is currently doing an FY3 year as a clinical research fellow with the Artificial Pancreas group in Cambridge before starting IMT 1 in Belfast from August. She is keen to promote exposure to Diabetes and Endocrinology for more junior trainees.

Matt North

ST7 Trainee - North West London

matthew.north@nhs.net

Close Tab Here
More Information

Matt graduated from Imperial College London in 2015 and began specialist training in Diabetes and Endocrinology in the North West Thames Deanery in 2019.

Matt came to medicine from academia having previously completed a PhD in Molecular Biology at the University of Sheffield, followed by postdoctoral studies in Molecular Toxicology at the University of California, Berkeley.

He is currently co-organiser of the YDEF-DTN Technology Course and co-founder of the new YDEF Maternal Medicine Course. 

Kate Lazarus

ST6 Trainee - North West London

kate.lazarus@doctors.org.uk

Close Tab Here
More Information

Kate graduated from the University of Bristol in 2015. She is an ST6 specialist trainee and DUK Sir George Alberti research fellow based in NW London. She is currently out of the programme undertaking a PhD at Imperial College London investigating the use of GLP-1 analogues to prevent steroid-induced diabetes.

 

Her other research interests include glucocorticoid-induced adrenal insufficiency and optimising glucocorticoid replacement therapy.  She is passionate about training the next generation of diabetes and endocrine specialists and is eager to ensure trainees get the most out of their training programme.

Florence Lee

IMT 2 Trainee – South West London

florencening.lee@nhs.net

Close Tab Here
More Information

Florence graduated from Newcastle University in 2018 and is an IMT trainee in the London Deanery. Prior to working in the UK, she completed a two-year postgraduate internship in Malaysia, which gave her experience working in two different countries and health systems. 
She has been working closely with consultants and King’s College London to deliver bedside/small group teaching for medical students. Since obtaining her MRCP diploma, she has joined the PACES teaching committee at King’s College Hospital to help facilitate teaching. 
She is keen to pursue a career in Diabetes and Endocrinology, and as a pre-specialty representative, she hopes to improve junior doctors’ accessibility to the speciality by organising training days and spreading awareness about YDEF courses/ research opportunities.

Ready to Help Change the Way you Learn.

We organise a wide variety of national training events each year, details of which are available on the ‘Courses’ page of this website. These courses are unique and held in high regard; they continue to attract some of the most influential figures in UK Diabetes. 

Link to Section

Who we are…

Young Diabetologists & Endocrinologists’ Forum is the trainee and young consultants’ wing of Diabetes UK and is supported by the Association of British Clinical Diabetologists and Society for Endocrinology. We serve three core functions for our members – Education, Advocacy and Support.

Our mission is to enable high quality care for people with diabetes and endocrine conditions by delivering excellence in specialist education and providing an effective voice for our members. We organise a wide variety of national training events each year, the details of which are enclosed in this brochure. These courses are unique and held in high regard; they continue to attract some of the most influential figures in UK Diabetes.

The YDEF also represents the interests of specialist trainees at a number of national organisations including the Specialty Advisory Committee (SAC) of the Royal Colleges.

Our key link to our members is through our website www.youngdiabetologists.org (this site) which highlights all of our events along wit, information and useful links and is currently generating over 1.5 million hits per year.

 

We are very happy to share information that is relevant to a country wide trainee audience. We can advertise locum and substantive consultant jobs as well as research or teaching fellowships. We aim to keep trainees updated with a newsletter sent ona monthly basis Reasonable requests for inclusion in the newsletter must be emailed to us (info@youngdiabetologists.org.uk) before the 1st of the month to be guaranteed inclusion.

Current Committee Members:

  • Current chair – Becky Sagar
  • Deputy chair – Alex Liarakos
  • Current treasurer – Gordon Sloan
  • Current secretary – Anna Thomsen/ Kate Lazarus
  • Web and Communication team – Angelica Sharma, Anna Thomsen, Lauren Quinn, Rama Lakshman, Kate Lazarus
  • YDEF Wales representative: David Williams
  • YDEF Northern Ireland representative: Rama Lakshman
  • IMG representative: Tahir Chohan
  • Other Committee Members: Anne DeBray, Layla Thurston, Alice Hughes, Amy Coulden, Matt North, Medha Agrawal, Simon Berry, Florence Lee, Aaran Patel

Past Committee Members:

  • Previous chairs – Anne DeBray, Tom Crabtree, Giulia Argentesi, Najaf Haider, Clare Whicher, Myuri Moorthy, Amar Puttanna, Muna Nwokolo, Ali Chakera, Hermione Price, Emma Wilmot, Partha Kar, Milan Piya, Stuart Little, Pratik Choudhary, Jyothis George, Marc Atkin, Dipesh Patel, Peter Senior and Liz McIntyre

 

  • Previous Committee Members – Harriet Esdaile, Abid Khan, Fahad Arshad, Aaisha Saqib, Peter Jacob, Tim Ribbon, Meera Ladwa

Anne DeBray

ST6 Trainee - West Midlands

anne.debray @ nhs.net

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Annie graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2012 and is currently a Diabetes and Endocrine SpR in the West Midlands and DPhil candidate at the University of Oxford.  Her first 3 years of specialty training involved research as part of an Academic Clinical Fellowship where she has explored beta cell function and maturity and her DPhil project centres around GIP and GLP1 activity in islets.  She is passionate about teaching, regularly teaching undergraduates and postgraduates (whilst trying to persuade them to choose Diabetes and Endocrinology as their specialty!).  She is currently YDEF Chair.

Becky Sagar

Clinical Research Fellow - West Yorkshire

rebeccaclaire.sagar @ nhs.net

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Becky graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2015 and came to Leeds for an academic foundation programme job. She then completed core medical training in Leeds and further developed her interest in Diabetes & Endocrinology. She is currently Out of Programme to complete a Ph.D and also enjoys teaching undergraduate medical students, particularly on their final year D&E rotation.

Anna Thomsen

Specialty Trainee- South London

anna.thomsen1@nhs.net

 

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Anna graduated from Newcastle University in 2015. She is a specialist registrar in diabetes and endocrinology at the South London Deanery. She has a keen interest in medical education, having completed a year as a teaching fellow before core training, an avenue in her career she wishes to pursue further. She is also passionate about advocating for speciality registrar training needs and well-being. She is the current society secretary within YDEF.

Angelica Sharma

Academic Clinical Fellow in Endocrinology (East of England)

angelica.sharma@nhs.net

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Angelica graduated from Cardiff University in 2020. She developed an interest in Diabetes & Endocrinology during medical school and was awarded a Welcome Trust INSPIRE scholarship to undertake research on care provision for individuals with type 1 diabetes. She completed an intercalated BSc in Endocrinology at King’s College London with research focusing on diabetes related foot disease for which she was awarded first class honours. As an academic foundation doctor at Imperial College London, she produced work on using cardio-metabolic risk factors to predict dementia diagnosis in individuals with type 2 diabetes and prednisolone replacement in adrenal insufficiency. Currently, she is an Academic Clinical Fellow in Endocrinology in East of England and is continuing work on diabetes related foot disease and diabetic ketoacidosis. She is keen on teaching, organising academic events, widening access to research opportunities, and promoting collaboration in academia amongst junior doctors.

Layla Thurston

Clinical Research Fellow- North West London

layla.thurston @ nhs.net 

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Layla graduated from the University of Manchester in 2013 in Medicine with European Studies. She commenced her specialist training in Diabetes and Endocrinology in the North West Thames deanery in 2017. Layla is currently out of programme, researching the melanocortin-4 receptor, as part of her PhD in neuroendocrinology at Imperial College London. She is passionate about teaching and is a PACES tutor. Within the committee, she organises the YDEF Day

Alexandros Liarakos

ST5 Trainee – Oxford

alexandros.liarakos1@nhs.net

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Alex is a specialist registrar in Diabetes and endocrinology at the Oxford Deanery. He has secured a 3-year research fellowship from the Association of British Clinical Diabetologists (ABCD) to support the delivery of the ABCD national audit programme and undertake a PhD in diabetes technology. His other research interests include database work and epidemiological studies with real-world data. He has experience in organising conferences and academic activities with important previous leading roles including chair of the Scientific Society of Medical Students and Virtual Wards Clinical Ambassador collaborating with the NHS England. Within the committee, organising the YDEF Northern Europe Young Diabetologists (NEYD) course and the Diabetes Technology course are some of his main activities.

Matt North

ST7 Trainee - North West London

matthew.north@nhs.net

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Matt graduated from Imperial College London in 2015 and began specialist training in Diabetes and Endocrinology in the North West Thames Deanery in 2019.

Matt came to medicine from academia having previously completed a PhD in Molecular Biology at the University of Sheffield, followed by postdoctoral studies in Molecular Toxicology at the University of California, Berkeley.

He is currently co-organiser of the YDEF-DTN Technology Course and co-founder of the new YDEF Maternal Medicine Course. 

Gordon Sloan

NIHR Clinical Lecturer at the University of Sheffield

gordon.sloan@nhs.net

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Gordon is an NIHR Clinical Lecturer at the University of Sheffield. His specialist interest is in Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy, particularly when associated with neuropathic pain, and also the Diabetic Foot.
Within the YDEF his roles include being the YDEF treasurer, leading organisation of the Diabetic Foot Course, and the Diabetes Masterclass series in concert with the ABCD and Lilly.

David Williams

Clinical Research Fellow – Swansea

david.williams4@wales.nhs.uk

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David graduated from St George’s, University of London in 2014 and commenced specialist training in Diabetes & Endocrinology in the Wales deanery in 2019. He is currently out of programme working as a clinical research fellow investigating the prevalence and screening of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in people with type 2 diabetes at Swansea University. As part of the committee, he is currently organising the YDEF day and YDEF obesity courses

Amy Coulden

Clinical research fellow, West Midlands

amy.coulden@nhs.net

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Amy graduated from Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry in 2015. She is a Diabetes and Endocrinology registrar in the West Midlands. She is currently an Academic Clinical Lecturer at the University of Birmingham combining her area of research interest in pituitary medicine (namely acromegaly) with clinical training.

Lauren M Quinn

Clinical Research Fellow, ELSA study University of Birmingham

lauren.quinn6@nhs.net

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Lauren is currently undertaking a clinical research fellowship to explore paediatric type 1 diabetes screening for DKA prevention and to facilitate access to immunoprevention trials. She was formerly an Academic Clinical Fellow in D&E in the West midlands and currently IMT stage 2 trainee. In YDEF committee, her roles include contributing to DUK’s Update magazine for health care professionals and as a pre-specialty trainee liaison and representative to support trainees to explore a career in endocrinology and diabetes. 

Abid Khan

ST6 Trainee - North West

dr.abidullahk@gmail.com

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Dr Abid Khan graduated from KMC Peshawar in 2011. He is currently working as a Physician in Medicine, Endocrine and Diabetes in the Northwest deanery.  His qualifications include FCPS Medicine, MRCP UK and DipUKMP.  He has completed Diabetes UK Discovering Leadership Program and is working towards completion of his studies from Edge Hill Uni in Medical Education and Medical Leadership. He is Honorary Teaching Fellow  and an Academic Advisor to clinical years at the University of Liverpool Medical School. He is also working towards being a PLAB examiner at GMC UK. He is an author of more than 50 publications including original articles, case series and research/audit abstracts in peer reviewed medical journals and professional conference proceedings.

Alice Hughes

IMT1 doctor - South West Peninsula

alice.elizabeth.hughes@googlemail.com

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Alice is currently an IMT doctor in the South West. She enjoys all aspects of diabetes and endocrinology and has a particular interest in diabetes in pregnancy and obstetric medicine. She completed a PhD in the genetics of fetal insulin-mediated growth in 2022 and is continuing postdoctoral research at the University of Exeter. As a pre-specialty representative she hopes to promote the variety of exciting career pathways in diabetes and endocrinology, as well as encourage budding clinical academics to consider the speciality and share their work at courses and conferences.

Rama Lakshman

Clinical research fellow - Cambridge

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Rama graduated from Cambridge University in 2020 and did an academic foundation programme with the Diabetes Research Group at King’s in London. She is currently doing an FY3 year as a clinical research fellow with the Artificial Pancreas group in Cambridge before starting IMT 1 in Belfast from August. She is keen to promote exposure to Diabetes and Endocrinology for more junior trainees.

Medha Agrawal

IMT trainee in the Wales deanery

medhaagrawal@doctors.org.uk

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Medha graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2018 and is currently an IMT trainee in the Wales deanery. She is developing her interest in Diabetes & Endocrine and has worked with the Thyroid Research Group, Cardiff University, exploring thyroid disease in pregnancy. She is also passionate about maternal health and has co-founded a local forum, “Welsh Obstetric Medicine Society” and has experience organising academic events.

Muhammad Tahir Chohan

ST7 D&E - North East

muhammad.chohan@nhs.net

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Tahir graduated from Dow University, Pakistan, in 2012 & then did post-graduate training in GIM in Pakistan till 2017, followed by another 2 years in GIM in the Republic of Ireland and joined speciality training in D&E in 2019, giving a unique experience of working in 3 different countries and health systems.

He passed his UK and Irish membership exams in 2018 and 2019, respectively, and his SCE in D&E in 2021. He also holds an Advanced Certificate in Clinical Education from RCPSG.

He is actively involved in organising PACES, undergraduate teaching, and regional teachings for D&E trainees as MERIT lead.

Within YDEF, his roles include YDEF Technology Course, EASD Scholarships, International Medical Graduates Representative, BMA Representative, YDEF Support Fund, YDEF website, and communication roles.

Kate Lazarus

ST6 Trainee - North West London

kate.lazarus@doctors.org.uk

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Kate graduated from the University of Bristol in 2015. She is an ST6 specialist trainee and DUK Sir George Alberti research fellow based in NW London. She is currently out of the programme undertaking a PhD at Imperial College London investigating the use of GLP-1 analogues to prevent steroid-induced diabetes.

 

Her other research interests include glucocorticoid-induced adrenal insufficiency and optimising glucocorticoid replacement therapy.  She is passionate about training the next generation of diabetes and endocrine specialists and is eager to ensure trainees get the most out of their training programme.

Florence Lee

IMT 2 Trainee – South West London

florencening.lee@nhs.net

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Florence graduated from Newcastle University in 2018 and is an IMT trainee in the London Deanery. Prior to working in the UK, she completed a two-year postgraduate internship in Malaysia, which gave her experience working in two different countries and health systems. 
She has been working closely with consultants and King’s College London to deliver bedside/small group teaching for medical students. Since obtaining her MRCP diploma, she has joined the PACES teaching committee at King’s College Hospital to help facilitate teaching. 
She is keen to pursue a career in Diabetes and Endocrinology, and as a pre-specialty representative, she hopes to improve junior doctors’ accessibility to the speciality by organising training days and spreading awareness about YDEF courses/ research opportunities.

Aaran Patel

NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow, Imperial College London and an IMT in North West London

aaran.patel1@nhs.net

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Aaran completed MBBS at Imperial College in 2020 with distinctions and an intercalated BSc in Medical Sciences with Endocrinology, achieving 1st class honours. Received several awards, including the SfE Undergraduate Achievement Award for a project investigating recombinant FSH dosing in IVF treatment, the SfE Highly Commended Clinical Poster Prize and the YDEF Marjoie Prize for reflections and work addressing inequalities in diabetes care. Aaran held an Academic Foundation Programme post in Endocrinology at the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. Currently, an IMT trainee at Hammersmith Hospital and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, along with an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship, is investigating the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of kisspeptin.

Simon Berry

ST5 Diabetes and Endocrinology, South Yorkshire

simon.berry6@nhs.net

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Simon graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2016. He is an ST5 specialist registrar in Diabetes and Endocrinology in South Yorkshire. Simon is currently out of the programme, working as a Clinical Research Fellow in Diabetes to complete a PhD. The research is focused on trialling new treatments aimed at restoring awareness of hypoglycaemia. He is keenly interested in using technology in diabetes, representing YDEF on the DTN-UK committee. He hopes to develop ways to improve specialist training and reduce burnout in trainees.

FAQ’s About YDEF

Below are the most common questions answered in advance. We hope it helps you.

How can I contact YDEF?

You can contact us at:

General enquiries: info @ youngdiabetologists.org.uk or twitter @youngdiab

How old is YDEF?
YDEF has been supporting D&E registrars for more than 20 years.
Can I attend these meetings with or on behalf of a YDEF representative?
Yes absolutely, we are always looking for more people to get involved! Please get in touch.
Is YDEF free to join?
Yes, completely free as are many of the courses that we organise. You do need to be a member of Diabetes UK to join though.
How can I get more involved with YDEF?
We would love to hear from you so please just drop any of the committee members an email! We advertise for new committee members each January and interviews take place at the DUK conference which is normally in March.
Do we support trainees going to international conferences?
Yes! There is a EASD-Lilly scholarship each year to support 20 trainees to go to the European Association for the Study of Diabetes conference. There is also an annual North European Young Diabetologists (which takes rotates between Denmark, Holland and the UK) which is a conference for trainees doing research which YDEF supports 10 trainees to attend each year.
How is YDEF funded?
Being part of the YDEF committee is voluntary and not paid. YDEF gets free administrative support from Diabetes UK which we are very grateful for! Pharmaceutical companies financially support our courses and conferences but do not have any involvement in setting the agendas of these meetings – we are also very grateful for their support as the courses would not be possible without them.
What meetings or committees do YDEF sit on to represent D&E trainees?
Speciality advisory committee for D&E at the Royal college of Physicians, Diabetes UK, Diabetes UK Professional conference organising committee, Society for Endocrinology, BMA, Association of British Clinical Diabetologists

FAQ’s About YDEF

Below are the most common questions answered in advance. We hope it helps you.

How old is YDEF?

YDEF has been supporting D&E registrars for more than 20 years.

Can I attend these meetings with or on behalf of a YDEF representative?
Yes absolutely, we are always looking for more people to get involved! Please get in touch.
Is YDEF free to join?
Yes, completely free as are many of the courses that we organise. You do need to be a member of Diabetes UK to join though.
How can I get more involved with YDEF?
We would love to hear from you so please just drop any of the committee members an email! We advertise for new committee members each January and interviews take place at the DUK conference which is normally in March.
Do we support trainees going to international conferences?
Yes! There is a EASD-Lilly scholarship each year to support 20 trainees to go to the European Association for the Study of Diabetes conference. There is also an annual North European Young Diabetologists (which takes rotates between Denmark, Holland and the UK) which is a conference for trainees doing research which YDEF supports 10 trainees to attend each year.
How is YDEF funded?
Being part of the YDEF committee is voluntary and not paid. YDEF gets free administrative support from Diabetes UK which we are very grateful for! Pharmaceutical companies financially support our courses and conferences but do not have any involvement in setting the agendas of these meetings – we are also very grateful for their support as the courses would not be possible without them.
What meetings or committees do YDEF sit on to represent D&E trainees?
Speciality advisory committee for D&E at the Royal college of Physicians, Diabetes UK, Diabetes UK Professional conference organising committee, Society for Endocrinology, BMA, Association of British Clinical Diabetologists
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“The YDEF is an impressive organisation that fills a vital gap for trainees in diabetes by offering them high-quality training opportunities. The YDEF also provides a central voice for specialist trainees that is a powerful source of advocacy for their career interests.”

Prof. Rury Holman,

Professor of Diabetic Medicine, Oxford and Principal Investigator, UKPDS

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“The YDEF is an impressive organisation that fills a vital gap for trainees in diabetes by offering them high-quality training opportunities. The YDEF also provides a central voice for specialist trainees that is a powerful source of advocacy for their career interests.”

Prof. Rury Holman,

Professor of Diabetic Medicine, Oxford and Principal Investigator, UKPDS

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“The YDEF is an impressive organisation that fills a vital gap for trainees in diabetes by offering them high-quality training opportunities. The YDEF also provides a central voice for specialist trainees that is a powerful source of advocacy for their career interests.”

Prof. Rury Holman,

Professor of Diabetic Medicine, Oxford and Principal Investigator, UKPDS

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