The Diabetes Student Symposium, organized with the collaboration of Istanbul Medeniyet University Nutrition and Dietetics Department and Faculty of Medicine, was held for the fourth time this year. In accordance with the pandemic conditions, the symposium was held online on January 23, 2021. This year, as every year, the chairman of the symposium was Prof. Dr. Aytekin OĞUZ of our Faculty of Medicine. The theme of the symposium this year was “Pandemic and Diabetes” within the scope of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The opening speeches were made by the Dean of our Faculty of Medicine Prof. Dr. Mahmut Tayyar KALCIOĞLU and the Dean of our Faculty of Health Sciences Prof. Dr. Ayşe OKANLI. At the symposium, faculty members of our university’s Medicine Faculty and Nutrition and Dietetics Department discussed topics such as the use of tele-medicine, nutrition, immunity, and physical activity during the Covid-19 pandemic at the sessions chaired by Asst. Prof. Havvanur YOLDAŞ İLKTAÇ of IMU Department of Nutrition and Dietetics.
The aim of the symposium this year, as it is every year, was to increase public health by increasing the awareness and knowledge level of the society and health professionals about diabetes. In the “Open Chair” session, which was held for the first time this year, physicians, dietitians, and nurse health professionals shared their knowledge and experience gained in diabetes follow-up during the pandemic days. In the “Students Competing” session, which has become a tradition, students competed online and the first-placed student was presented as a gift the book Human Physiology edited by Prof. Dr. Erdal AĞAR.
In the last session of the symposium, “Our students have the say!”, our students presented various pandemic-themed titles. Approximately 300 students from medical faculties, nursing, nutrition, and dietetics departments of many universities and especially students of Istanbul Medeniyet University, attended the symposium. The importance of patients’ ease of access to healthcare professionals was emphasized by establishing the treatment of diabetes with a multidisciplinary approach. It was underlined that patients with access to healthcare professionals can receive support to achieve a healthy lifestyle. The symposium ended with the wishes of meeting face to face at the 5th Diabetes Student Symposium next year.
