Project Description

Cherise Shockley was diagnosed with LADA (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults) in her early ’20s and felt completely isolated before discovering the power of social media to connect to the diabetes community, and exchange with and support peers.
She is the Corporate Digital-Social Media Manager and has 12 years of digital communications expertise in the healthcare industry. She was also the first community manager for the diaTribeFoundation whose mission is to improve the lives of people with diabetes and prediabetes, and to advocate for action.
Cherise describes herself as a Citizen Scientist, diabetes Change Agent, and Storyteller. She wants to make sure that no one else living with diabetes (directly or indirectly) feels like they are alone. As such she founded the #DSMA (Diabetes Social Media Advocacy) weekly Twitter chat, and is a frequently invited participant, panelist, and speaker for the government, professional organizations, and the industry. She founded #WOCDiabetes which is a visual collection of stories of Women of Color living with diabetes from around the world. Keenly aware of the disparities in access to the healthcare system, she places an emphasis on inclusion.