Members of the Board
Speaker of the Advisory Board
Karin Seyffarth

- Type 1 Diabetes since 2001
- Age 40+
- Purchaser
- Living in Bernau, Brandenburg
Motivation:
„With my work as a patient advisory board member, I would like to contribute to mutual understanding with diabetes research and, at best, also drive it forward - for a world without (type 1) diabetes.“
Deputy Speaker of the Advisory Board
Hansgünter Bischoff

- Typ 2 Diabetes since 2004
- Deputy State Chairman of the “German Diabetes Aid - People with Diabetes, State Association NRW e.V.”
- Self-help for people with diabetes is very important to me.
Motivation:
„The opportunity and task of working on the Patient Advisory Board is to reconcile the perspectives of patients and researchers. This has worked extremely well so far.“
Members of the Advisory Board
Maya Curman

- Typ 2 Diabetes since 2018
- 3x Gestational diabetes
- Entrepreneur
- Board member of diabetesDE - German Diabetes Aid
Motivation:
„Diabetes - a danger that can affect anyone.
With parents who both have or have had type 2 diabetes, prevention is a task close to my heart. Education must be visible, constructive and loving - for my family and for all of us.“
Marian Meinhardt-Schönfeld

- Typ 2 Diabetes since 2017
- Born 1970
- Illustrator and graphic designer
- East German hip hop pioneer of the 80s
Motivation:
"For me, diabetes is also an artistic challenge. The patient advisory board draws the rough contours, which the researchers then fill in with different colors."
Erika Pozsar

- Citizen
- Commercial employee
- Munich
Motivation:
“I grew up with diabetes, which is why I developed a deep understanding of the disease and its challenges early on. With my experience as a family member, I want to strengthen the personal responsibility of those affected and make the perspective of family members visible.”
Marcel Reategui

- Typ 2 Diabetes
- Berlin
Motivation:
„I think it is important that research not only reaches experts, but is understandable for everyone. My aim is to create a link that brings science and society closer together. By interacting with researchers, I not only want to better understand their work, but also contribute to bringing in the perspective of those affected."
Anita Römgens

- Citizen
- Age 50+
- Living in Brüggen (Dutch border)
Motivation:
„There is a high incidence of diabetes in my family. This has sharpened my awareness of the topic. Prevention and strengthening personal responsibility in dealing with this 'widespread disease' are very important to me.“
Andreas Urich

- Prediabetes since 2023
- Age 40+
- Orthopaedic shoemaker since 2006 and independent master orthopaedic shoemaker since 2012, specializing in diabetic feet
Motivation:
,,Diabetes as a disease should be taken seriously and not lightly.“
Scientific Advice
Prof. Dr. Andreas Birkenfeld

- Medical Director of the Department of Internal Medicine IV at the University of Tübingen
- Scientific Director of the Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases (IDM) of Helmholtz Munich at the Eberhard-Karls-University of Tübingen
- Member of the DZD Board of Directors
Prof. Dr. Dr. Andrea Icks

- Head of the Institute for Health Services Research and Health Economics at the German Diabetes Center in Düsseldorf
- Head of the Institute for Health Services Research and Health Economics at the Center for Health and Society of the Medical Faculty of Henrich Heine University Düsseldorf
- Vice-Rector for Research and Transfer at the Henrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf
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