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.