The Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF), in association with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) will conduct a three-day postgraduate course from 24th of September in Chennai to train and update the diabetology practitioners in India.

Eminent US scientists and 40 odd senior Indian diabetologists will head the programme which includes panel discussions, live demonstration of new techniques in the field etc. About 1200 doctors from different parts of the country have enrolled for participating in the course.

Anbumani Ramadoss, union health minister will formally inaugurate the course and Alan D Cherrington, ADA president will launch a project to create awareness, counselling, prevention and evaluation of the disease covering one million Chennai residents, according to V Mohan, chairman of the M.V. Diabetes Specialties Centre.

At present there is no formal postgraduate degree course for diabetologists in the country. The ADA-MDRF combine had done a similar postgraduate course in 2002, and over 850 doctors had received training in the programme, said Mohan.

Apart from the three-day course, a one-day workshop to train educators in the field of diabetology would be held on 23rd of September. This programme will be held by MDRF with the collaboration of the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE).