During Diabetes Awareness Month, I’m reflecting on something my good
friend and colleague Maziar Mike Doustdar said, “it’s the patient that
understands the patient.” Recently, Mike and I engaged in an open
dialogue session with a few Novo
Nordisk colleagues from across the globe as they shared what it’s
like to live and work with diabetes - the discussion really prompted
me to think a bit and relate to Mike’s sentiment.
With
honesty and vulnerability, my colleagues spoke about finding a
community at work through their shared diagnosis. It made me proud
that employees are seeking each other for counsel and support. But
they also opened up about feeling isolated and misunderstood at times
for living with a chronic condition. All expressed a desire to be
valued, respected, and ultimately, included, for the perspectives and
experiences they can bring to help truly tackle the escalating global
threat of diabetes.
We are a company that makes
medicines, but when it comes to our purpose of driving change, that
also means tackling the stigmas faced by people with chronic
conditions, including our employees. With these open dialogues I’m
committed to doing my part to listen, learn, do more and do better.