Highlights of the 37th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), 10–13 September 2001, Glasgow, UK

The concurrent horror in the USA added a sombre note to what was, otherwise, a highly successful conference, which, as Phillipe Halban — the new President of the EASD — intimates in an accompanying editorial, gave more than usually optimistic pointers to initiatives in the fight against the rapid expansion in diabetes. The US deaths were marked by a one minute silence at sessions the next morning and a statement by the EASD and hosts Diabetes UK expressing their great distress at the news but their belief that the conference should continue, as “we do not think it right to allow an act of terrorism to cause the cancellation of an international meeting designed to help alleviate suffering”. The pharmaceutical industry also rose to the occasion with many company initiatives; for example, Lilly sent all their UK staff home so that their hotel rooms could be used by grounded transatlantic delegates. The EASD set up a helpdesk to assist with information and accommodation — the latter at a premium in Glasgow. With over 800 of the 10,000+ delegates coming from North America — many from the New York and Washington areas — such initiatives and many individual acts of kindness were much appreciated.