Below is the agenda for the November 2026 Diabetes Wellness Expo to be held on Thursday, Nov. 12 at the Delaware State Fairgrounds – Memorial Hall in Harrington, DE.
9:00 AM – 3:00 PM: Vendors & Health Screeners Open (Bayhealth Blue Hen Conference Center)
9:15 – 9:25 AM: Welcome & Housekeeping (Bayhealth Blue Hen Conference Center)
9:30 – 10:30 AM Breakout Sessions: Choose one breakout session
- (Conference Room): Resetting Your Body Clock: Sleep Health and Meal Timing as Primary Prevention Tools for Metabolic Health presented by Dr. Freda Patterson, University of Delaware: Pre-diabetes affects more than one-third of Delawareans, yet traditional prevention approaches leave most people behind—nationally, just ~35% of those who participate achieve protective weight loss goals. This session will present evidence-based strategies to enhance diabetes prevention by addressing two critical but often overlooked factors: sleep health and meal timing and demonstrate how optimizing these circadian behaviors can reverse pre-diabetes and improve response to traditional lifestyle interventions.
- Learning Objectives:
- Describe the state of metabolic health in Delaware and how poor sleep health and meal timing contributes to poor metabolic health.
- Understand the evidence for how improved sleep health and time-restricted eating can improve metabolic health.
- Learning Objectives:
- (Boardroom): Diabetes Goes High Tech: VR, Wearables and AI You Can Use Today presented by Linda Ciavarelli, DPM, HouseCall VR and John Patton, National Association of Chronic Disease Directors: Emerging technologies are reshaping diabetes prevention and self-management. Join an interactive panel featuring a live virtual reality demo that helps people experience what’s happening inside their bodies and why it matters for their health, plus practical insights on wearables, AI coaching, and flexible, self-paced programs based on proven diabetes prevention and self-management education models. We will separate what is available now from what is coming soon, discuss when and for whom these tools work best, and cover access, language options, and safety considerations for older adults. Expect an engaging mix of show-and-tell, Q&A, and take-home resources you can start using immediately.
- Learning Objectives:
- Name three categories of diabetes tech (VR education, wearables, AI or app-based programs) and explain one concrete benefit of each.
- Identify at least two steps to evaluate and access a tool for personal or patient use, including safety screening and how to discuss options with a clinician or program.
- Create a simple action plan to try or recommend one tool within the next 30 days and locate at least one credible resource to support ongoing use.
- Learning Objectives:
10:30 – 10:45 AM Break
10:45 – 11:45 AM Breakout Sessions: Choose one breakout session
- (Conference Room): Resetting Your Body Clock: Sleep Health and Meal Timing as Primary Prevention Tools for Metabolic Health presented by Dr. Freda Patterson, University of Delaware: Pre-diabetes affects more than one-third of Delawareans, yet traditional prevention approaches leave most people behind—nationally, just ~35% of those who participate achieve protective weight loss goals. This session will present evidence-based strategies to enhance diabetes prevention by addressing two critical but often overlooked factors: sleep health and meal timing and demonstrate how optimizing these circadian behaviors can reverse pre-diabetes and improve response to traditional lifestyle interventions.
- Learning Objectives:
- Describe the state of metabolic health in Delaware and how poor sleep health and meal timing contributes to poor metabolic health.
- Understand the evidence for how improved sleep health and time-restricted eating can improve metabolic health.
- Learning Objectives:
- (Boardroom): Diabetes Goes High Tech: VR, Wearables and AI You Can Use Today presented by Linda Ciavarelli, DPM, HouseCall VR and John Patton, National Association of Chronic Disease Directors: Emerging technologies are reshaping diabetes prevention and self-management. Join an interactive panel featuring a live virtual reality demo that helps people experience what’s happening inside their bodies and why it matters for their health, plus practical insights on wearables, AI coaching, and flexible, self-paced programs based on proven diabetes prevention and self-management education models. We will separate what is available now from what is coming soon, discuss when and for whom these tools work best, and cover access, language options, and safety considerations for older adults. Expect an engaging mix of show-and-tell, Q&A, and take-home resources you can start using immediately.
- Learning Objectives:
- Name three categories of diabetes tech (VR education, wearables, AI or app-based programs) and explain one concrete benefit of each.
- Identify at least two steps to evaluate and access a tool for personal or patient use, including safety screening and how to discuss options with a clinician or program.
- Create a simple action plan to try or recommend one tool within the next 30 days and locate at least one credible resource to support ongoing use.
- Learning Objectives:
12:00 – 1:30 PM Lunch (Bayhealth Blue Hen Conference Center): box lunch from the Food Bank of Delaware with treats provided by River Kitchen Company and She Rices. Proceeds benefit the FBD Culinary School.
12:00 – 12:15 PM TBD (Bayhealth Blue Hen Conference Center)
12:15 – 12:30 PM An Overview of the Delaware Diabetes Coalition presented by Kimi Moore, MS, RD, President, Delaware Diabetes Coalition (Bayhealth Blue Hen Conference Center)
12:30 – 1:00 PM Keynote: Grief, Mourning, Change and a Diagnosis of Diabetes presented by Nancy Gugerty, Nemours (Bayhealth Blue Hen Conference Center)
1:30 – 2:30 PM Breakout Sessions: Choose one breakout session
- (Conference Room): Exercise is Medicine presented by Brian Foster: Exercise is Medicine teaches participants how to safely incorporate physical activity into their lives, highlighting the benefits of exercise, current recommendations, safety tips, and when to modify or stop activity. Participants will leave with practical strategies and resources to support a lifetime of healthy movement.
- Learning Objectives:
- Understand the role of exercise in promoting overall health and well-being, including the types and recommended amounts for different populations.
- Identify safe and effective strategies for starting and maintaining an exercise routine, including assessing readiness and recognizing when to pause or stop activity.
- Access credible resources and supports to sustain long-term physical activity and prevent injury.
- Learning Objectives:
- (Boardroom): CPR for Foot Care: Community-Based Prevention for Delaware Neighborhoods presented by Bet Wong, Nurses & Neighbors: Foot care is often overlooked in diabetes management, yet it is central to preventing infections, hospitalizations, and amputations. This session introduces the CPR for Foot Care model (Check–Protect–Refer), an international best practice from the Scottish Diabetes Foot Action Group, and shares how the Neighborhood Foot Care Patrol™, is adapting it for Delaware neighborhoods, shelters, and mobile health units. Participants will learn how trained neighbors can serve as a second set of eyes to identify problems early and connect individuals to podiatry, primary care, and specialists before problems become serious. This work is made possible by the Highmark Delaware Fund at the Delaware Community Foundation.
- Learning Objectives:
- Describe the role of preventive foot care in reducing complications among people with diabetes.
- Apply the CPR for Foot Care framework (Check, Protect, Refer) as a simple, scalable prevention model.
- Identify ways to integrate community-based screening and referral pathways into existing diabetes care and education programs
- Learning Objectives:
2:30 – 3:00 PM Expo Close