Global Steering Committee

The IDF World Diabetes Congress 2025 Global Steering Committee is composed of international experts who are engaged to promote the congress within their country and region, as well as at national and international events, and leverage relationships with industry partners and key opinion leaders to secure participation and sponsorship at the event.

A.K. Azad Khan

Prof A.K. Azad Khan is Chair of the IDF South-East Asia (SEA) Region. He has over 50 years of experience in internal medicine specialising in gastroenterology. In the late 70s, Prof Khan anticipated the potential of a NCD movement in his home country, Bangladesh, recognising the impact of lifestyle changes on a rapidly urbanised population’s health. He began his work in diabetes advocacy with the Diabetic Association of Bangladesh (BADAS). As President of BADAS, he has piloted programmes to implement direct diabetes treatment services and advocated for NCDs to be at the heart of Bangladesh’s health system.

Balduino Tschiedel

Dr Balduino Tschiedel graduated in Medicine in 1976, achieved his specialisation in Endocrinology in Brazil and holds a Master’s Degree in Genetics from UFRGS. For the last 20 years, Dr Balduino has been Chair of the Instituto da Criança com Diabetes, a non-governmental organisation linked to the Ministry of Health in Brazil and recognised by IDF as a Centre of Excellence in Diabetes Care. He has contributed to over 50 scientific articles, publised two books on insulin and several chapters on diabetes. Dr Tschiedel formerly President of the Brazilian Diabetes Society (2012-2013) and Chair of the IDF South and Central America region (2018-2019).  

Banshi Saboo

Dr Banshi Saboo is Chief Diabetologist and Chairman of the Diabetes Care & Hormone Clinic, Ahmedabad, India. He is also the Chair-Elect for the IDF South-East Asia (SEA) Region, Honorary Secretary of Diabetes India, an Honorary Vice President of the Diabetes in Asia Study Group (DASG) and previously served as President of the Indian Obesity Society (AIAARO) and the Research Society for Study of Diabetes in India (RSSDI). Dr Saboo has been responsible for several diabetes education and awareness projects in India and has authored more than 50 publications in indexed journals.

Jean Claude Mbanya

Jean Claude Mbanya is Professor of Medicine and Endocrinology at the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Director of Biotechnology Centre and Postgraduate Dean Doctoral School of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (London) and the World Academy of Sciences (Trieste, Italy), and received a Doctor philosophae honoris causa from the University of Oslo in 2011 for his outstanding international leadership in the field of diabetes. He is also the recipient of the American Diabetes Association 2004 Harold Rifkin award for Distinguished International Service in the Cause of Diabetes. Professor Mbanya served as Preisdent of IDF (2009-2012) and was later appointed an Honorary President of the Federation. He has authored several books and book chapters and published over 240 papers in peer-reviewed journals.

Kaushik Ramaiya

Dr Kaushik Ramaiya is the CEO & Consultant Physician at Shree Hindu Mandal Hospital, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He is a Member of the Board of World Diabetes Foundation and Honorary General Secretary of Tanzania Diabetes Association (TDA) and Tanzania NCD Alliance (TANCDA), President Elect for East African NCD Alliance (EANCDA) and member of the Board of Global NCD Alliance. He was appointed Honorary Professor of Medicine & Global Health at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) in 2018. In March 2023, he was appointed Honorary Professor of University College of London (UCL) in the Institute for Global Health.

Linong Ji

Linong Ji is Professor of Medicine, Director of Peking University Diabetes Center and Director of the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Peking University People’s Hospital in Beijing, China. His research interests include the genetics of diabetes, translational research and diabetes management.

Nadima Shegem

Dr Nadima Shegem is specialist in endocrinology, diabetes, and internal medicine. She is President of the Jordanian Society for the Care of Diabetes, Joint Secretary of Diabetes in Asia Study Group, Vice President of the Jordanian Society for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism and Chair of the Knowledge Exchange Committee of the IDF MENA Region.

Pablo Arias

Prof Pablo Arias is Chair of the Physiology Department and Director of Postgraduate Studies at the National University of Rosario Medical School, Argentina. He is also the Chair-Elect of the IDF South and Central America (SACA) Region. Prof Arias graduated in medicine at the University of Buenos Aires and received postgraduate and doctoral degrees from the Universities of Ulm and Göttingen (Germany). He served as President of the Argentine Diabetes Association (2013-2014) and as Honorary Consultant of the Diabetology Council of the Province Santa Fe (2018-2023). His current field of interest is focused on the impact of chronic parasitic infections and environmental factors on the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

Shashank Joshi

Prof Shashank Joshi is an Indian endocrinologist, diabetologist and medical researcher. He secured his graduate degree in medicine, MBBS, from the Grant Medical College and Sir Jamshedjee Jeejeebhoy Group of Hospitals, Mumbai which was followed with an MD in internal medicine and senior residency from the Seth GS Medical College and KEM Hospital. He is a Fellow of the American College of Endocrinology(USA), the American College of Physicians (USA), the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (Glasgow) and the Royal College of Physicians (Edinburgh). Prof Joshi is involved in evidence-based research on endocrinology with special emphasis on diabetes, obesity, thyroid, osteoporosis and growth. He has held several positions within academic societies in India and served as Chair of the IDF South-East Asia Region (2020-22).

Wannee Nitiyanant

Professor Wannee Nitiyanant is a Consultant at the Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Thailand. She has served the Diabetes Association of Thailand for approximately 20 years and is currently President of the association. Her work has contributed to achieving affordable and sustainable diabetes care in Thailand.