The Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute is a new global initiative that will be an intellectual home for healthcare professionals who deal with diabetes and a trusted place of diabetes learning that becomes a catalyst for diabetes innovation, improved care and better outcomes worldwide. Through this Institute, Johnson & Johnson will open and operate state-of-the-art instructional facilities around the world – four Institutes have already opened since October 2007. Thousands of diabetes specialists will receive customized training including the latest information about innovative practice models and ways to use existing diabetes tools and technologies to meet the needs of patients and providers in their region.

Diabetes is a global pandemic, affecting more than 240 million people worldwide. The human and economic burden of this disease is staggering. While the public health community is focusing on a range of efforts to improve diabetes outcomes, there is wide agreement that these efforts will only be successful if all members of the health team work together and follow a clear integrated strategy to manage and master diabetes. Our goal is to establish the Institute as a trusted place of diabetes learning that becomes a catalyst for diabetes innovation, improved care and better outcomes worldwide. The Institute provides health care professionals with access to the latest information and skills training to deliver quality care at the community level, and do so in a care model that facilitates early glucose control and appropriate follow-up.

Former Acting U.S. Surgeon General and public health expert, Dr. Kenneth P. Moritsugu, has joined the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies to oversee the Institute and develop other innovative programs and strategies that will help Johnson & Johnson companies and the health care community better address the delivery of diabetes care around the world. Dr. Moritsugu has Type 1 diabetes, so he appreciates the many challenges facing patients today. Moreover, he has nearly four decades of experience in addressing international health challenges and working with international health care agencies.

The curricula vary by location and are tailored to the needs of the health care professionals in each region. In general, courses emphasize ways to use existing diabetes tools and technologies in real time and cover innovative practice models to solve common patient problems.

In each country, Johnson & Johnson companies work with the leading diabetes organizations and public health institutes to identify the topic areas. Institute Faculty, which includes recognized diabetes experts in the respective region, also participate in the design of the curricula.

In each Institute, faculty that include nationally recognized diabetes experts teach the curriculum.

The curricula vary by region. However, in general, the training is conducted over a two- or three-day period and involves both classroom instruction and training in using new and existing technologies.

While the decision about which professionals to train differs from country to country, the Institute focuses on those professionals who are the most likely to work directly with the patient——with the goal of making the entire health care team more effective and efficient across a greater number of patients.

By joining our online community, one of the many ways you can expand your education and knowledge about diabetes care includes access to online CME. The education health care professionals receive at the Institute in the U.S. focuses primarily on the use of technology and Animas® and LifeScan product training. As a result, the Silicon Valley Institute curriculum is not eligible for credit under the current ACCME guidelines, which specifically exclude product training. Outside the U.S., the Institute provides CE credits, where allowed under local policies.

Our goal is to augment and complement existing efforts by reaching those health professionals on the front lines of diabetes care, such as physicians, diabetes educators, nurses, and physician assistants. Combined with the courses offered by academic centers and the leading diabetes organizations, the goal of the Institute is to provide training that increases the effectiveness of the entire health care team in meeting the needs of patients.

The diabetes products that Johnson & Johnson companies market—such as insulin pumps and blood glucose monitoring systems and software programs—are an integral part of effective diabetes therapy. Training on Animas insulin pumps and software and LifeScan blood glucose monitoring systems and diabetes management software is an important part of the Institute’s curricula in the United States. The goal is to provide the latest information and practical skills to enable health professionals to help their patients live healthier, longer lives.

The mission of the Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute is to transform diabetes care from management to mastery. The quality and value of our curricula must stand on its own. We have enlisted leaders in diabetes care in each country to participate in developing and delivering training based on science, data, and evidence-based medicine. Our courses are intended to address the unmet needs for information and skills training of health professionals working at the community level. Johnson & Johnson companies have a strong track record and commitment to educating and training health care professionals on the use of our products. Some examples include The Vision Care Institute™, LLC. and the Ethicon Endo-Surgery Institute.

Ultimately our goal is to help members of the Institute Community, including Institute Alumni, improve patient outcomes by translating the skills and information they acquire at the Institute into their practices and their communities. Our hope is that members of the Institute will think and act differently to manage their patients more effectively. This may include re-thinking how their practices are organized, using technology more effectively, and applying new insights into patient treatment.

There are currently institutes in Tokyo, Japan, Paris, France, Beijing, China, and the United States, located in Milpitas, California, a short drive from San Francisco. Learn more about the Institute locations

Our online community is one example of our effort to reach beyond the boundaries of our Institute facilities and we continue to think of ways to maximize the positive impact we strive to have.

Depending on the location, there is no or minimal cost to the health care professional. The Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute underwrites program costs for health care professionals to attend the Institute, including travel and accommodations.

Each region has a process for recruiting and selecting attendees. In the United States, the Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute, LLC provides health care professionals with education and training on the safe and effective use of LifeScan's blood glucose monitoring products and software and Animas insulin pumps. The courses emphasize ways to use diabetes tools and technologies in real time and innovative practice models to help solve patient problems. As a medical device training program, the Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute complies with the medical device industry's ethical standards, which are set forth in the AdvaMed Code of Ethics on Interactions with Health Care Professionals. The AdvaMed Code permits companies to provide travel and lodging for health care professionals attending training and education programs on their medical devices. In other countries, programs are designed to meet both local requirements and the Johnson and Johnson healthcare compliance requirements.