Stefanie Gerlach

Since 2010, Dr. Stefanie Gerlach currently works as Director of Health Policy at diabetesDE – German Diabetes Aid (www.diabetesde.org), a non-for-profit organisation with three member organisations (German Diabetes Association, Association of Diabetes counselling and educating professions and German Diabetes Aid – People with Diabetes). diabetesDE is advocating and lobbying for a national diabetes plan in Germany and runs the political campaign “Stop diabetes – act now!” (www.diabetes-stoppen.de). diabetesDE is a founding member (2010) of the German NCD Alliance (www.dank-allianz.de), now comprising twenty health focused organisations in Germany. Since 2011 Ms. Gerlach is the German Delegate at the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). Ms. Gerlach received a postgraduate grant of the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation for her PhD (2007) in nutritional medicine and also specialized in public relations and communications. Coming from the obesity perspective as Head of Obesity Competence Center at General Hospital Hagen for twelve years, since 2008 Dr. Gerlach also serves as media spokeswoman on the Board of the German Association for the Study of Obesity (www.adipositas-gesellschaft.de). After her Diploma in Nutritional Science and Home Economics at Giessen University in 1989, Ms. Gerlach was a researcher in the Department of Gastroenterology at Würzburg University, Germany. She also worked as Nutrition Counsellor, Educator and Therapist, Coach and Project Manager in health promoting cooperations with health insurers, schools, communities, companies, foundations, professional schools for dietitians and nurses and in further education for nutritionists, for study institutes and professional associations in Germany.