Living with type 2 diabetes: a researcher's perspective

By Dr Shabana Cassambai, Research Associate

When you live with a condition and research it, the boundaries between personal experience and professional practice overlap in meaningful ways. 

As a South Asian researcher with type 2 diabetes, I have come to understand how this dual perspective shapes not just how I work, but how I connect with the communities I serve.

Shared understanding opens doors 

One of the most striking aspects of my research journey has been witnessing how openly participants discuss their challenges when they know they are speaking to someone who shares their condition.

There is a different quality to the conversation – a trust that comes from genuine understanding.

When participants see that I am navigating the same health management struggles they face, the research becomes less of a clinical exercise and more of a meaningful dialogue. 

This authenticity creates space for more honest, nuanced conversations about what it really takes to manage type 2 diabetes day-to-day.

The role of community knowledge

Working with South Asian communities on diabetes research has shown me something that clinical approaches sometimes miss: the vital role that alternative therapies and community-based management strategies play in how people approach their health.

In my own family, I see this daily – the sharing of remedies, dietary advice and wellness practices that have been passed down through generations. These approaches are important to how many South Asian communities make decisions about their wellbeing.

Through my work on the South Asian Women and Medication Alternative Support (SAMA) project, I have seen first-hand how essential it is to understand and respect these approaches alongside conventional treatment.

Living with diabetes in the workplace

Managing type 2 diabetes as a researcher brings its own challenges. I am acutely aware of how my research practice, health management and lived experience inform each other. The workplace is not separate from my diabetes – it is part of my journey with it.

Whether it is navigating healthcare conversations with colleagues and healthcare professionals, or being fully present in participant interactions, diabetes shapes how I show up at work.

Yet I am aware of my privilege in this space. As a researcher with professional credentials and access to healthcare systems, I am able to have conversations with healthcare professionals about managing my own diabetes – conversations that are not always easily available to other South Asian women.

This recognition shapes my approach to research, and I am committed to ensuring that my work accurately represents the voices and experiences of the wider South Asian community, not just my own perspective.

Why this matters

Lived experience makes research more honest and more grounded in what communities actually need. 

As we mark World Diabetes Day, I am reminded that the most valuable research happens when we bring our whole selves to the work – including our vulnerabilities – while remaining grounded in the needs of the communities we serve.