About
The EXercise for Type 1 Diabetes (EXTOD) program aims to provide evidence-based support for people with type 1 diabetes to undertake safe and effective exercise, and to enjoy its associated health benefits.
EXTOD was set up by Rob Andrews and Parth Narendran in 2011 and is now recognised and active both in the UK and abroad. EXTOD has contributed to the development of national and international guidelines around managing diabetes for exercise. It has also undertaken research and clinical trials exploring the barriers and benefits of exercise in type 1 diabetes to learn more about this click here.
EXTOD also advocates on behalf people with type 1 diabetes and successfully lobbied the British Boxing Board of Certification in 2018 to allow people with type 1 diabetes to box professionally.
Each year we run a National EXTOD conference for Healthcare professionals (HCPs). At this conference we provide practical, up to date advice on how HCPs can advice their patient on managing glucose around exercise. To learn what will be covered in this years conference click here.
In addition we are able to provide face to face or online training for HCPs on request see here for more information.
We also run a yearly National EXTOD conference for patients At this conference we teach patients with type 1 diabetes how to manage their glucose around exercise. To see feedback from our most recent conference click here.
Recently we have developed a Structured Education Self‐management Programme that provides patients with the skills to manage their glucose around exercise. If you would like to learn more about this please follow this link EXTOD education patient course.
Finally we are always looking for patients and HCPs to help us with research studies. If you are interested in doing research with us please follow this link.
The EXTOD Team
Rob Andrews
Co-founder
Rob Andrews is a clinical academic based in Exeter and in Taunton in the South West of England. He qualified from Birmingham and undertook his post-graduate clinical training in Edinburgh and Bristol. He took up his current post in 2003. Rob leads a large specialist multidisciplinary diabetes research team. His clinical services include support for internationally competitive athletes with type 1 diabetes as well as large flagship obesity service for people with type 2 diabetes. He has recently won a visiting Professorship from the Danish Diabetes Academy to work at the Steno Diabetes Center in Copenhagen, Denmark. As part of this he will help to set up a UK/Danish collaboration on Exercise and Type 1 diabetes.
Parth Narendran
Co-founder
Parth Narendran is a clinical academic in Birmingham, in the West Midlands region of England. He qualified from Kings College London and undertook his post-graduate clinical training in Manchester, Bristol, London and Melbourne. He took up his current post at the University of Birmingham in 2005. He leads a large specialist type 1 diabetes service for adults at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham. These include a structured education programme called Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating (DAFNE), the adolescent transition, insulin pump, continuous glucose monitoring and islet transplant services.
Catherine Thompson
Lead Diabetes Research Nurse
Catherine Thompson is the Lead Diabetes Research Nurse and manager of the Diabetes Specialist Nurse team at Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton. Catherine commenced her research career in 2007 and has gained research experience through a wide variety of commercial and academic research studies covering diabetes, metabolic studies and weight management. She has a specialist interest in exercise and diabetes and has worked on several Exercise and Type One Diabetes (EXTOD) studies including EXTOD and EXTOD 101. Research for her dissertation (MSc Diabetes Advanced practice, 2013, King’s College London) focussed on exercise and type 1 diabetes in relation to the experience, knowledge and attitudes of health care professionals. More recently , as lead nurse, she has been focussing on the EXTOD Education randomised controlled trial, which piloted and developed a new education programme to help adults with type 1 diabetes exercise safely.
Alistair Lumb
EXTOD faculty member
Dr Lumb is a Consultant in Diabetes/Acute and General Medicine in Oxford and Vice-chair of the DTN. He co-leads the Insulin pump and technology service in Oxford. His other clinical interests include islet/pancreas transplantation, inpatient diabetes (he is the clinical lead for the NaDIA Harms audit), cystic fibrosis related diabetes and the management of type 1 diabetes for sport and exercise. Alistair has taught on the EXTOD HCP conference and has also taught on the EXTOD education patient conference.
Anne Marie Frohock
EXTOD faculty member
Anne Marie Frohock BSc (Hons)RD is Lead Paediatric Diabetes Dietitian with the Oxfordshire Children’s Diabetes team. She has a special interest in sports nutrition and has established the Oxford Specialist Sports Clinic for youngsters with Type 1 Diabetes with Dr Alistair Lumb and Dr Taffy Makaya. She organises an annual T1D Sports Day which aims to educate and motivate youngsters and families across Thames Valley to participate in sports. Often seen cycling to home visits in her home town of Oxford, she is a keen exerciser and qualified yoga teacher (200YTT). Anne Marie has taught on the EXTOD HCP conference and has also taught on the EXTOD education patient conference.
Claire Foster
EXTOD faculty member
Claire is a Diabetes Dietitian working in a busy DGH in Somerset. She is a DAFNE educator, trained in managing insulin pumps and has an interest in helping manage exercise and diabetes. Claire was involved in the initial EXTOD education pilot, has taught on the EXTOD HCP conference and has also taught on the EXTOD education patient conference.
Manyee Li
EXTOD faculty member
Manyee is employed as a Specialist Diabetes/Sport & Exercise Medicine Dietitian at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham (QEHB). Having spent a number of years working in intensive care/cardiothoracic surgery, she joined the Diabetes Team at QEHB in 2009. Her current job encompasses all aspects of diabetes care however she has a particular interest in supporting people with type 1 diabetes including DAFNE, pump therapy and sport & exercise management. Manyee’s interest in supporting people with diabetes to be active led to her completing an MSc in Sport Nutrition. From elite athletes who choose to use the NHS, to recreational athletes and weekend warriors Manyee is also a part of the Sport & Exercise Medicine Service (SEMS) multi-disciplinary team. The team work to manage injury and illness in sport and exercise at QEHB. Manyee was involved in the initial EXTOD education pilot, has taught on the EXTOD HCP conference and has also taught on the EXTOD education patient conference.
Barbara Hudson
EXTOD faculty member
Barbara has been a Diabetes Specialist Nurse since 1996. Her role includes delivering specialist diabetes care at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust) and Birmingham Women’s Hospital Trust. Her particular interests including the complex type 1 diabetes service; continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion / pump service in addition to being the lead educator for the DAFNE (Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating) structured education program. She plays an active part in diabetes research and has a special interest in Type 1 diabetes and exercise. She has been involved in previous Extod Trial studies and has engaged in collaborative working with clinicians, other members of the multi-disciplinary team and service users to provide education and support in this specialist area. She is currently part of the Extod Education Research Group developing an innovative structured education programme for people with type 1 diabetes and exercise
Giorgio Carrieri
EXTOD faculty member
Giorgio Carrieri is the Lead Nurse of The Children’s Diabetes Team, working at Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton. He has worked as an adult diabetes nurse in the past, leading the Antenatal Service and being involved mostly with insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring. He has also particular interest in exercise and diabetes and was one of the facilitators at the EXTOD Conference – Patient day in Glasgow 2019
Matthew Cocks
EXTOD faculty member
Matthew Cocks is a lecturer in Exercise Physiology at Liverpool John Moores University. He completed his PhD at the University of Birmingham before taking up his current post at Liverpool John Moores in 2012. Matt is interested in how exercise mode and nutrition before, during and after exercise can be manipulated to reduce the risk of hypoglycaemia in people with type 1 diabetes. He is also interested in how mobile healthy technology can be used to increase uptake of exercise
Emma Waite
EXTOD patient advocate
Emma is a medical student at the University of Birmingham. Having had Type 1 Diabetes since the age of 2, she is passionate about the importance of living an active life with diabetes. She is a strong believer that diabetes shouldn’t hold anyone back and her own interests include running, gym, hiking and climbing. She has been involved in developing articles for the EXTOD website so people with Type 1 Diabetes can learn how to manage exercise.