Michael Roden is chairman/professor of endocrinology and metabolic disorders at Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, head of the Department of Medical Clinics and director of its Division of Endocrinology and Diabetology at University Hospital Düsseldorf, Germany. He is also CEO of the German Diabetes Center (DDZ), the Leibniz Center for Diabetes Research and one speaker of the German Centers of Diabetes Research (DZD). He was trained at University of Vienna, Austria, and Yale University, New Haven, CT. His translational research addresses energy metabolism in obesity, diabetes and comorbidities, with one focus on steatotic liver disease, as well as diabetes subtyping. Roden has made major contributions to our understanding of the mechanisms of nutrient-induced insulin resistance, the role of mitochondria adaptation in MASLD/MASH and to diabetes subtype-specific risk of complications, thereby facilitating precision diabetology. He is author of 700+ peer-reviewed publications (e. g. in Nature, Lancet, Cell Metab…) and highly cited researcher (Clarivate 2022, 2023). He received several awards (e. g. Oskar-Minkowski Prize by EASD, G. B. Morgagni Gold Medal by University of Pisa, Paul-Langerhans Medal by the German Diabetes Association, DDG), holds honorary doctorates of the Universities of Athens and Belgrade and is honorary member of the Hungarian Diabetes Association. Roden was chairman of EFSD, honorary treasurer of EASD and EFSD and president of the Central European and Austrian Diabetes Associations. From 2016-2021, he served as head of the Committee Medicine of the German Council of Science and Humanities, appointed by the President of Germany. Recently, he has been elected as collaborative professor of Kanasawa University, Japan, and member of the Academia Europea and the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina.

Bjornstad is a pediatric endocrinologist who originally trained in Ireland, receiving his medical degree from the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin. He completed an initial residency in internal medicine and pediatrics in Dublin before moving to Colorado for additional training in pediatrics and pediatric endocrinology at the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, where he is currently an associate professor in pediatrics and medicine. He leads an exceptional bench to bedside research program with an international reputation for innovation exploring the pathophysiologic underpinnings of diabetic kidney disease and optimal treatment strategies to prevent the complications of diabetes across the lifespan. He also brings a large clinical research program to the Diabetes Institute, including clinical studies in adults, adolescents and children with diabetes. He serves on multiple steering committees for large collaborative, industry sponsored studies aimed to advance clinical treatment and prevention of diabetic kidney diseases. He has received multiple honors recognizing his pivotal contributions including the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Diabetes Care Distinguished Reviewer and Presidents' Select Abstract awards, American Society of Clinical Investigation Young Physician Scientist Award, and the JDRF Dr. Robert Goldstein Award. He has mentored over 40 trainees, and is already collaborating with investigators at the University of Washington.

Prof Josephine Forbes is a translational researcher performing bench to bedside studies on novel therapies to prevent type 1 diabetes and a major complication, kidney disease. Currently she based at Mater Research - The University of Queensland in Australia. Josephine is the Australian Diabetes Society President-Elect, the previous chair of the Diabetes Australia Research Program and an editor board member for journals including Kidney International and Diabetologia. She is also continually in the top 2% of scientists globally as published annually by Stanford University, with an H index of 61. Josephine has published ~200 research articles with >15000 citations and three patents. She has received numerous prizes for her research including the Commonwealth Health Minister’s Award for Excellence in Health and Medical Research in Australia.