About

Weronika Burkot

Artist & Illustrator | Content Creator | Diabetes Advocate

My name is Weronika, I am a Polish artist and content creator based in Belgium. My professional background is in Exhibition Design & Visual Communication, Pedagogy in Art Education, and Internet Marketing. I have been living with type 1 diabetes since 1995.

I experienced diabetes burnout in 2013 when my diabetes officially became an “adult”. I was overwhelmed to be so young, and already living with type 1 for 18 years. I was sad that diabetes would stay with me for the rest of my life. I wanted to do something about this situation. My diabetologist noticed that I was acting differently and that my blood sugars were worse. He was the one to suggest psychotherapy and helped me get back on my feet. I had professional support, but I wanted to do something more. I tried to change my perspective on diabetes and that’s how I started my blog. Sharing my problems, hopes and dreams helped me understand that I am not alone. I began to be active within my local diabetes community, and that’s how my journey began…

For the past decade, I have been involved in various health- or diabetes-focused programmes, campaigns, and actions:

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As a speaker or a project/campaign leader

• Workshops "Diabetes well-being workshop through Art" at the Thriveabetes 2024
• Diabtober 2023 Instagram Art Challenge
• Presentation "Diabetes Art + Advocacy" at the DiabetesMine Innovation Days 2022
• Workshops "Expressing Diabetes Through Art" at the IDF Europe Hackathon 2022
• Presentation "Man-made humanitarian crises - The conflict in Ukraine" (with Iryna Vlasenko, Elisabeth Dupont, and Anna Śliwińska) at the IDF Europe Youth Leadership Camp 2022 Poland
• Presentation "What are personas and how to use them?" at the IDF Europe Youth Leadership Camp 2022 Poland
• Diabetes supplies for Ukraine collection action with the Polish Diabetes Association
• "If not now, when?" Panel at the mojacukrzyca.org WDD Virtual Conference
• How Patients Dispose of Diabetes Waste Panel at the Virtual Green Diabetes Summit 2021
• Insulina 100 social media campaign for Poland
• Type1EU - Insulin 100 social media campaign
• Presentation "Diabetes camps in Poland" at the Global Youth Meet 2021
• Presentation "Online advocacy - how to raise awareness through social media" (with Andy Rodríguez) at the Global Youth Meet 2021
• Presentation "Diabetes & Mental Health" at the Global Youth Meet 2021
• Lecture during the workshop for youth organized by the Zagreb Diabetes Association
• Lecture during the 10th session of IDF Europe Youth Leadership Lab 2020
• Type1EU - Diabetes & COVID-19 social media campaign
• Type1EU - Diabetes Community UNITED social media campaign
• Type1EU - Reduce Diabetes Technology Waste social media campaign
• Presentation of Type1EU initiative at the ATTD #docday° 2020 Madrid
• Presentation „A Year in Life with Diabetes” - YLD Prize Programme winning project (2nd place) at the YLD Training Summit at the IDF Congress 2019 Busan
• Presentation "How to Take the YLD Programme to the Next Level" - YLD Social Media (with Dimitris Kaperdanakis) at the YLD Training Summit at the IDF Congress 2019 Busan
• IDF Europe eUrMOVE Challenge 2019
• Presentation of eUrMOVE Challenge at the EASD #docday° 2019 Barcelona
• European Health Parliament Committee on Health Literacy & Self-care social media campaign
• IDF Europe eUrMOVE Challenge, International Diabetes Federation Road to WDD 2018
• ConnecT1on campaign on Instagram (2018-2019)
• Presentation of the ConnecT1on campaign at the EASD #docday° 2018 Berlin
• "A Year in Life with Diabetes" video project (2018-2019)
• Lecture "A Year in Life with Diabetes" at the XIII National Conference New Dimension of Self-control in Diabetes 2018 organized by the Polish Federation of Education in Diabetology
• Lecture at the Diabetes without Mysteries Conference at the Medical University of Warsaw
• IDF Europe eUrMOVE Challenge 2017
• Workshops "Communication and Social Media for Campaigning" at the IDF Europe Youth Leadership Camp 2017 Romania
• 70 World Health Assembly in Geneva - NCD Child event panel speaker
• Workshops for people with diabetes in the Polish Diabetes Association (2016-2017)
• Lecture about diabetes in Jan Śniadecki High School in Warsaw on World Health Day 2017
• IDF Europe eUrMOVE Challenge 2016
• Lecture as a part of action Lectures by young - "Sweet Epidemic of XXI century, or everything we wanted to know about diabetes"
• Lecture as a part of action Lectures by young - "Willpower, or about the mechanisms of self-control and habits"
• Lecture about diabetes at the seminar Dissipate the Darkness in the Association Retina AMD Polska

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As a participant in training, programs, or workshops

• #TogetherAs1 international workshops 2023 Berlin
• IDF Europe Hackathon 2022
• IDF Europe Youth Leadership Camp 2022 Poland (mentor)
• International workshops for bloggers Diabetes Exchange dXVirtual 2021
• #TogetherAs1 international workshops 2020 Madrid
• International workshops for bloggers Diabetes Exchange dXVirtual 2020
• IDF YLD Training Summit 2019 Busan
• International workshops for bloggers Diabetes Exchange dXLisbon 2019
• Final MooDFOOD Project - Preventing Depression Through Food
• The IDF School of Diabetes - IDF Online Short Course on Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes
• European Health Parliament 2018-2019, Committee on Health Literacy & Self-care
• DR Barometer European Advocacy Workshops 2018
• International workshops for bloggers Diabetes Exchange dXDublin 2018
• European Patients’ Forum Summer Training Course for Young Patients’ Advocates 2018
• IDF YLD Training Summit 2017 Abu Dhabi
• IDF Europe Youth Leadership Camp 2017 Romania (staff)
• IDF Europe Staff Exchange Programme 2017
• IDF Europe Youth Leadership Camp 2016 Cyprus
• International workshops for bloggers Diabetes Exchange DX2 2016 Lisbon
• Anti-discrimination training organized by the Federation of the Help Organisation for Children and Adolescent Patients with Diabetes
• Course for Diabetes Educator organized by the Federation of the Help Organisation for Children and Adolescent Patients with Diabetes

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As a participant in a campaign, project, or an event

• Hack Healthcare 2024 - Hack Belgium Labs
• Diabetes Life in Art - DData ExChange June 2024
• Diabetes Life in Art - Fall 2023 DiabetesMine Innovation Days
• Diabetes art exhibition for Diabetes Awareness Month 2023 at Landhuis de Viron
• Diabetes Life in Art - DData ExChange June 2023
• Hack Healthcare 2023 - Hack Belgium Labs
• ATTD 2023 Berlin
• DiabetesMine Innovation Days 2022 San Francisco
• Hack Healthcare 2022 - Hack Belgium Labs
• WHO Informal Consultation with People Living with Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health Conditions in the European Region 2022
• This is Diabetes - Photo and Art Competition for World Diabetes Day 2021
• Virtual Green Diabetes Summit 2021
• Myabetic Diabetes Art Show 2021 - The Art of Living with Diabetes
• DiabetesMine D-Data ExChange Summer 2021
• Virtual ATTD 2021
• Cukrzyca Tech Fest 2021
• Warsaw Press Diabetes Under Control campaign (2020, 2021)
• IDF x HRIDAY Global Youth Meet Group
• Care Beyond Borders, Together Summit
• Beyond Type 1 #DiabetesAnd project
• Virtual ISPAD 2020
• Virtual EASD 2020
• ATTD 2020 Madrid
• IDF Congress 2019 Busan
• Improving health outcomes for people with diabetes in Europe: The role of data, access to innovation and integrated care event at the European Parliament in Brussels
• IDF Europe Symposium at the European Parliament 2019
• EASD 2019 Barcelona
• Hack Belgium 2019 - DIAgotchi project
• We Europeans Congress: Citizens’ meeting at the European Parliament
• Spare A Rose, Save a Child - Life for a Child Campaign
• Diabetes and Chronic Diseases, the challenge of EU Nutrition legislation. A case on carbohydrate quality and prevention - Roundtable discussion at the European Parliament in Brussels
• EU Health 2024: What’s next for the future of health?
• EU Health Summit 2018 Brussels
• IDF Europe World Diabetes Day 2018 Blood Sugar Testing at the European Commission in Brussels
• Free internal market vs. National protectionism - What is Europe’s role in eHealth for the Future?
• EASD 2018 Berlin
• IDF UN HLM on NCDs 2018 Campaign
• Support in the online fundraising for the purchase of a 3D printer for the bionic pancreas project of the Foundation for Research and Science Development
• IDF Congress 2017 Abu Dhabi
• IDF Europe World Diabetes Day 2017 Diabetes Awareness Exhibition and Blood Sugar Testing at the European Committee of the Regions and the European Commission in Brussels
• IDF Europe "Integrating Diabetes Evidence Into Practice: Challenges and Opportunities to Bridge the Gaps" (Social Media Analytics)
• IDF Advocacy Toolkit CVD in Diabetes (Graphic Designs)
• T1International Global Diabetes Map - information about Poland (update)
• IDF "Take Diabetes To Heart" international survey on CVD and diabetes (Polish language translation and promotion on social media)
• "Life with Diabetes" Campaign for World Diabetes Day 2017 in Poland
• The „Get your sugar together” Campaign organized by the Polish Foundation for Research and Science Development
• European Public Health Alliance 2017 Annual Conference
• European Public Health Alliance Game Changers Conference: "For better and affordable medicines for Europe"
• "The Great Personalized Medicine" debate
• "The Patient Journey: Improving the quality of life of people living with chronic diseases"
• Warsaw Campaign "See Diabetes" to celebrate World Diabetes Day 2016 organized by the Foundation for Children with Diabetes and Polish Diabetes Association
• "How to live with Diabetes" Polish campaign for World Diabetes Day (2014, 2015, 2017)
• Social action "Menu for the diabetic" organized by the Polish Coalition to Fight Diabetes
• International Educational Project Human Library in Artes Liberales College of Warsaw University
• International Educational Project Human Library in Zygmunt Jan Rumel Public Library in Warsaw
• Congress Education of Equal Opportunities (II Congress of Psychological and Pedagogical Help) organized by PCG Education in Warsaw
• 1st Training Conference: "Don’t give up! Call diabetes by its name!"
• Hypo & Hyper Accu-Chek Calendar 2014