Dr Gary Deed

National President Diabetes Australia

July 15, 2009

"Are you at risk"

Australia is in the grip of a Diabetes epidemic.

Each year 100,000 Australians, the equivalent of a full house of the MCG, contract Type 2 Diabetes.

Diabetes is Australia’s fastest growing chronic disease and a leading cause of heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney failure and amputation. It costs Australia $6 billion annually.

Many of these type 2 cases are preventable and the result of poor lifestyle and diet choice.

The Diabetes epidemic is a key focus of the Federal Government’s preventative health taskforce which is due to report in the next 2 months.

The most recent estimates are that between 1.3 and 1.8 million Australians have Diabetes.

900,000 Australian’s are registered on the Federal Government’s $750 million National Diabetes Support Scheme (NDSS) scheme. This means that potentially several hundred thousand Australian’s have Diabetes but are unaware.

Dr Gary Deed was appointed National President of Diabetes Australia in November 2006. But his involvement with Diabetes Australia pre-dates this by over 10 years. Dr Deed became a Board member of Diabetes Australia - Queensland in 1995, becoming President in 2001. During this time he was asked to join the Diabetes Australia’s National Board, and, until his appointment, was Vice-President of Diabetes Australia.
Dr Deed has a particular interest and passion in advocating and lobbying for better health outcomes for and on behalf of people with diabetes in Australia.

Dr Deed is a general practitioner is living with type 1 diabetes and is committed to his role as President of the national peak body for diabetes in Australia.

Dr Deed has been involved in advocacy for people with diabetes since 1995 when he joined the diabetes Australia Queensland Board. He has been further involved in National Advocacy with close liaison and support for the Parliamentary Diabetes Support group, and on Commonwealth committees addressing public Health initiatives in chronic disease and diabetes.

 Dr Deed is also the Chair of the Health Research Ethics Committee and Academic Board member of the Australian College of Natural Medicine and President of the Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine. He is a member of the Complementary Medicines Evaluation Committee of the Therapeutic Goods Administration. He is a Patron of MINDD which is a not for profit in support of children with Autism and Behavioural disorders.