ADA 2025: Technology, Treatment, and Transformation in Diabetes Management

Susan Cornell, PharmD, CDCES, FAPhA, FADCES, director of experiential education, professor in the department of pharmacy practice at Midwestern University College of Pharmacy in Downers Grove, Illinois, clinical pharmacist, and certified diabetes care and education specialist with the Bolingbrook Christian Health Center and the Will-Grundy Medical Clinic, highlights the emerging trend of diabetes treatments addressing multiple health aspects beyond glucose control, including weight management, cardiovascular health, and cognitive function, in an interview with Pharmacy Times®. Sharing insights from the American Diabetes Association 85th Scientific Sessions, she emphasizes the potential of new technologies like continuous glucose monitoring sensors for early diabetes detection and prevention, sharing a personal example of a student who discovered his diabetes through such technology. Cornell stresses the challenges of keeping up with rapidly evolving diabetes care, recommending continuous education programs, podcasts, and webinars as solutions for staying current. She also underscores the importance of instilling a mindset of lifelong learning in pharmacy students, encouraging them to recognize that their education continues well beyond graduation.

Pharmacy Times: Can you introduce yourself?

Susan Cornell, PharmD, CDCES, FAPhA, FADCES: Hi, my name is Susan Cornell, and I am the director of experiential education and a professor of pharmacy practice at Midwestern University, College of Pharmacy in Downers Grove, Illinois. I also practice as a diabetes care and education specialist at the Bolingbrook Christian Health Clinic in Bolingbrook, Illinois, and the Will-Grundy Medical Clinic in Joliet, Illinois.

Pharmacy Times: How do you anticipate data presented at ADA 2025 will inform your teaching or clinical practice?

Cornell: I'm very excited about the upcoming American Diabetes Association meeting. Looking forward to what new things they might be sharing, but the rumor mill, or the gossip mill, however we might call it, is leaning towards looking at treatment options that treat more than just diabetes. I think the wave of the future in terms of diabetes is looking again, beyond just sugar. We're noting many of the drug therapies that are made available today are helping with weight management, cardiovascular health, kidney and liver function, cognitive function, depression, and alcohol or substance use disorder. I can go on and on, but the other thing too is the technology that's coming out. We're looking again; rather than waiting until a problem happens, what can we do to prevent it? In terms of a lot of the continuous glucose monitoring therapies that are out there, or sensors—technology, I should say. One of the things I think we're looking forward to is, again, maybe in a preventative fashion, because imagine if a person who doesn't know they have diabetes wears a sensor and they find out they do, or they find out their sugar is starting to elevate, and they can make lifestyle changes ahead of time to prevent it. If I can share just a very quick story, I was just talking to a colleague, and in pharmacy school, we have students where we make them wear sensors as part of our diabetes elective. I had a student wearing this sensor who has many family members that have diabetes, but he himself was never diagnosed. After wearing the sensor for 2 weeks, he went to see his doctor, and sure enough, he found out he had diabetes. Again, we can use this to catch diabetes sooner and hopefully make some intervention quicker so that we can, again, let people have good quality lives.

Pharmacy Times: What do you believe are the most significant opportunities/challenges for pharmacy education in preparing students for the evolving diabetes landscape?

Cornell: Diabetes, like many diseases, is something that is changing so fast. I'll be honest, I've been practicing in the field of diabetes for decades, and I have trouble keeping up, especially with technology these days. Staying on top of this is becoming one of the biggest challenges for those of us in the field, let alone a general pharmacist, practitioner, or even students. One of the biggest challenges is, how do we stay on top? I think a solution, if I can offer a solution, is programs that are offered, continuous education programs, podcasts, and webinars. Those are something that everybody can attend. They don't have to go to the big annual meetings. Not that I'm saying not to, but it's another opportunity to stay in tune. It's like a living education, because it's happening in real time. Why wait a year to find out the changes when you can find them out as they're happening? In terms of students, I think students struggle with the fact they think they learn something in pharmacy school, and they think they're done, when we always tell them their learning starts the day they graduate, because that's when they have to now stay on top of it on their own. For them to get into the habit early on of experiencing what it's like to keep current. Something that they learned in their first year might not be the same by the time they get to their fourth year. Getting them into that lifelong learning and making sure they're in touch with the guidelines.