Stacey Simms

Broadcaster, Author, Producer; Mom of Son Living with T1D since December 2006

Keynote: Press Your Luck: Diabetes Edition - Living Well and Avoiding Whammies | Breakout: From Tiny Steps to Big Leaps: Fostering Independence in Kids with Type 1 from Toddler to Teen

Stacey Simms is the host of the long-running and award-winning podcast “Diabetes Connections” and the author of “The World's Worst Diabetes Mom” book series. Her son was diagnosed with T1D in 2006. Stacey launched a second podcast, “Diabetes Connections TYPE 2,” in November 2023. Her podcasts have been awarded the WEGO Health Top Ten Best in Show – Podcasts; The Podcast Awards – People’s Choice - Top Ten Health; and Diabetes Forecast Magazine: Top Diabetes Podcasts. In 2023, “Diabetes Connections” surpassed 2.3 million downloads.

“The World’s Worst Diabetes Mom” won Best New Non-Fiction at the American Book Fest, a 2020 Communicator Award, and was named to BookAuthority’s 100 Best Parenting Books. Its sequel, “Still the World’s Worst Diabetes Mom” received a 2023 Mom’s Choice Gold Award.

Stacey is the organizer of “Diabetes Connections presents: Moms’ Night Out,” a new overnight conference for mothers of children with diabetes. She has been named to Diabetes Forecast Magazine's "12 People to Know,” the Charlotte Business Journal’s “Forty under 40,” and as one of the “50 Most Influential Women in Mecklenburg County” by the Mecklenburg Times. For more than a decade, Stacey hosted Charlotte’s Morning News on WBT-AM, the city’s top-rated morning radio news show.

Kerri Sparling

Writer and Author; Living with T1D since 1986

Keynote: Press Your Luck: Diabetes Edition - Living Well and Avoiding Whammies | Breakout: T1D All Grown Up

Kerri Sparling is a writer, poet, and speaker who has dedicated her life to the power of patient narratives. Since 2005, she has been a leading voice in the patient advocacy space, sharing her personal story of over 37 years with type 1 diabetes and helping share stories from others in the patient community. Kerri has worked to bolster the influence of patient stories in the healthcare space, from academic journals to keynote presentations around the world.

She is best known for her work as a patient storyteller at SixUntilMe.com, and as author of Balancing Diabetes (2014), the poetry anthology, Rage Bolus (2021), and Six Until Me: Essays from a life with diabetes (2022). You can subscribe to Kerri’s newsletter at LifeWithType1Diabetes.com.

Sarah Auletta

Student at Simmons University; Living with T1D since 2017

Session: Taking T1D to College

Sarah Auletta is a student at Simmons University (‘24) in Boston, Massachusetts double majoring in Public Health and Spanish with a minor in Healthcare Management. She has lived with type 1 diabetes since March 2017. As an undergrad, she completed a research project on reducing the cost of care in next-generation genetic sequencing and presented her work at the nation's only undergraduate peer-reviewed research conference on health and society. Her many jobs include being the practice biller and grant administrator for her hometown, managing operations for an arts festival and coordinating logistics for Simmons’ orientation program. Her love for public health was born from a passion to make as many people feel better as possible, and she’s excited to pursue a Master of Public Health degree next year!

Shelby Auletta

Volunteer; Mother of child living with T1D

Session: Taking T1D to College

Shelby Auletta is the mom of a 21-year-old college student with type 1 diabetes, Sarah, who was diagnosed as a freshman in high school and will be graduating from Simmons University this May. With three other children, she balances being a mom, educator, and volunteer.

Alessandra Caruso, Ph.D.

Pediatric Psychologist, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children

Session: Building Resilience: Preventing Burnout

Alessandra Caruso, PhD, (she/her) is a licensed pediatric psychologist in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital for Children (MGHfC) and an Instructor at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Caruso’s clinical and research interests center on pediatric chronic illness management, including pediatric endocrine disorders such as T1D. Dr. Caruso is particularly interested in parent-child interactions around pediatric chronic illness and children’s motivation to engage in treatment behaviors. Dr. Caruso is a co-investigator on the T1D Parent Check-in, a research intervention funded by Breakthrough T1D for parents of children newly diagnosed with T1D. Prior to her transition to faculty at MGH, Dr. Caruso completed two fellowships at Massachusetts General Hospital—one in pediatric psychology and a research-focused fellowship in diabetes psychology funded by Breakthrough T1D.

Barron Clancy

Student, Brown University; Living with T1D for 10 years

Session: Taking T1D to College

Barron Clancy is a sophomore at Brown University, majoring in neuroscience and music, who has lived with type 1 diabetes for 10 years. He co-founded The Diabetes Link chapter at Brown, where he has focused on campus-wide type 1 diabetes education and preventative care. His journey with diabetes has given him a love for the body and health and he anticipates a career in medicine. Currently, he is involved in both bench and clinical research and hopes to soon start a project investigating correlations between A1Cs and spine surgical outcomes. He also loves to play violin, write music, and plays in the orchestra at Brown.

Katharine Garvey, M.D., MPH

Director, Diabetes Program; Clinical Chief for Diabetes, Division of Endocrinology, Boston Children's Hospital; Mother of a Child with T1D

Session: Ask the Diabetes Specialists

Dr. Garvey serves as Director of the Diabetes Program and Clinical Chief for Diabetes at Boston Children's Hospital and is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Garvey completed fellowships in pediatric endocrinology and pediatric health services research at Boston Children’s Hospital. She received an MPH from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Garvey has conducted health services research focused on easing the transition from pediatric to adult care for youth with T1D. Clinically, Dr. Garvey practices pediatric endocrinology with a special focus on children, adolescents and young adults with T1D. In her role as Director of the Diabetes Program, she leads innovations in pediatric type 1 diabetes care delivery in collaboration with team members across disciplines.

Amanda Gilchrist

Clinical Trial Education Volunteer, Breakthrough T1D Greater New England Chapter; Living with T1D since 2021; Mom of a Daughter Living with T1D since 2020

Session: The Quest for a T1D Cure: Why Clinical Trials and Screening Matter

Amanda first became involved with Breakthrough T1D in 2020 when her then 4-year-old daughter was diagnosed with T1D. Following her daughter’s diagnosis, Amanda and her family were grateful for the community, education, and resources they received from Breakthrough T1D. This support became even more important when Amanda was diagnosed with T1D the following year.

After learning that many clinical trials are slowed down due to low participation, Amanda’s family became involved in this important step to move research forward. In her new role, as one of Breakthrough T1D’s Clinical Trial Education Volunteers, Amanda is excited to share the importance of clinical trials in T1D research and to encourage others to learn about the many different clinical trial options available to them, both locally and virtually.

Now with two T1Ds in the family, the Gilchrists have a lot of clinical trial experience to share!

Sofia Pansini

Student, Boston College; Living with T1D for five years

Session: Taking T1D to College

Sofia Pansini is a sophomore at Boston College (BC), majoring in Public Health and the Common Good and English. She has lived with type 1 diabetes for a little over five years and is president of the Diabetes Link Chapter at BC. At BC, Sofia is a member of the MedLife club and helps conduct microbiology research on diabetes within the Altindis Lab. She loves dogs, trying new foods, and going on walks around the Reservoir on campus. She looks forward to sharing how she has found peace and pockets of joy with her diabetes in college

Sarah Petti

Co-Founder of DiabetesSangha, Full Spectrum Doula and Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Living with T1D for 18 Years

Session: Living Mindfully with T1D

Diagnosed as a teenager, Sarah Petti has been living with T1D for 18 years. She has been sharing yoga and meditation with the diabetes community for almost a decade and is one of the co-founders of DiabetesSangha, a nonprofit that brings contemplative practices to the T1D community. As a full spectrum doula and integrative nutrition health coach focusing on people with diabetes, Sarah offers non-clinical evidence-based support to those navigating all aspects of diabetes and reproductive health. To learn more about Sarah and her offerings, including Grace & Growth, her free virtual peer support group for women with diabetes, visit www.thediabetesdoula.com or find her on Instagram: @sarah__petti and @thediabetesdoula.

Anna Sabino, MSW, CDCES

Founder of Finding Smiles Coaching, LLC; Living with T1D since Kindergarten

Session: Taking T1D to College

Anna has been living with T1D for over 30 years. She is a graduate of Syracuse University and earned her Master's in Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis. Her areas of expertise include family dynamics, crisis management, anxiety, depression, burnout and post-traumatic stress. Through her private practice, Finding Smiles Coaching, Anna has fulfilled her mission of serving the diabetes community both nationally and internationally. In addition to providing individual counseling, she has nearly 20 years of experience creating and overseeing youth and family programs with organizations such as the College Diabetes Network (now Diabetes Link), International Diabetes Federation, American Diabetes Association, and the T1D Exchange.

Jacqueline Shahar, MEd, CDCES, RCEP

Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist, Joslin Diabetes Center

Session: Navigating T1D and Exercise

Jacqueline I. Shahar, MEd, CDCES, is a Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist at Joslin Diabetes Center. For over 20 years, she has supported people with diabetes and provided private exercise and telehealth consultation to people around the world. She specializes in exercise science, sports performance and weight loss. Jacqueline has designed an innovative exercise program for Joslin’s medically based diabetes and obesity program, Why WAIT; provides group exercise classes; and works with children, college students and adults at all fitness levels. She is passionate about making a difference in her patients’ quality of life through exercise and physical activity. She started her career as a Fitness Combat Trainer in the Defense Forces and received her bachelor's degree in physical education and master's degree in applied exercise science. During her free time, she concentrates on her own exercise program that includes functional and resistance training, cycling, hiking, and Vinyasa flow yoga, as well as preparing nutritious meals to fuel her body.