MDPI World Diabetes Day 2026 Session #1 | Early Action on Diabetes

Discipline of Women's Health, School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, Australia;Professor Amanda Henry is a researcher, educator and obstetric clinician. Her current professional roles are Program Head, Women’s Health at The George Institute for Global Health; Professor of Obstetrics in the Discipline of Women’s Health, School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine and Health; Clinical Academic Obstetrician at St George Public Hospital, Sydney; and Board Director of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Dr. Henry has wide-ranging research and teaching interests and expertise regarding both high-risk pregnancy care and broader whole-of-life women’s health. She is particularly interested in the impact of medical pregnancy complications, especially gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders, on ongoing maternal health. She runs a research program focused on early intervention, including improving postpartum systems of care, to reduce long-term maternal health issues after gestational diabetes and hypertensive pregnancy.

Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Padua, Italy;Dr. Annunziata Lapolla earned her medical degree with first-class honors from the University of Padua in 1978, followed by specializations in endocrinology (1981) and internal medicine (1991), together with a qualification as Chief of Diabetology in 1987. She has served as Associate Professor at the University of Padua since October 2006 and obtained the national qualification for Full Professor at Padova University in July 2014; from October 2011 to September 2024, she headed the Diabetology, Dietology and Nutrition Unit at ULSS 6 Euganea, Padua. Her main research interests cover advanced glycation‑glyco‑oxidation mechanisms and macrovascular complications in diabetes, as well as diabetes‑ and obesity‑complicated pregnancy. She has coordinated national and international working groups and guideline initiatives on diabetes during pregnancy (including IADPSG and European Society of Endocrinology guidelines), collaborated with the Italian Ministry of Health on clinical guidelines for gestational diabetes and obesity‑diabetes management, and participated in EU‑funded multicenter projects. Additionally, Dr. Lapolla received post‑graduate training on non‑enzymatic glycation in Monaco and Cleveland (USA); teaches endocrinology‑related post‑graduate programmes for physicians, nurses and dietitians; has around 400 scholarly outputs; and serves as peer‑reviewer for numerous national and international scientific journals.

Institute of Biomedicine, Department of Medical Sciences (iBiMED), University of Aveiro, Portugal;Dr. Marco G. Alves is Principal Investigator and Assistant Professor at the Institute of Biomedicine and Department of Medical Sciences in the University of Aveiro. His research focuses on endocrinology, metabolism, and metabolomics, with a particular emphasis on male reproduction. Currently, he investigates the role of sperm biomarkers and their transgenerational impact on offspring health. He has so far led more than a dozen national, international, and industry-sponsored projects as Principal Investigator. Dr. Alves is the author of over 250 scientific papers (scopus h-index 52) and holds two patents. Additionally, he is involved in several international networks and serves on the editorial board of 15 international scientific journals.

UR-UPJV 4666, HEMATIM, CURS, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, France;Dr. Laurent Metzinger completed his PhD in Biological Sciences and Pharmaceutical Studies in Strasbourg, France and formerly served as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Oxford in a leading lab on Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Pr. Kay Davies). Currently, he works on microRNA regulation within the HEMATIM team in Amiens, and focuses on anemia and related vascular disorders associated with chronic kidney disease. Dr. Metzinger’s interests and discipline span genetics, molecular biology, cell biology, and biochemistry. Additionally, he has authored pioneering papers demonstrating the role of microRNAs in CKD.