Interview with the founder of The Diabetes Care Network (TDCN), Margaret Wonah—

World Diabetes Day

FIP YPG
5 min readOct 11, 2021

By Joshua Boms (published 11/10/21)

Thank you, Pharm. Margaret Wonah for joining us for this interview. We are very curious to know you and your background.

Margaret: My name is Margaret Wonah. I am from Nigeria. I graduated from the University of Port Harcourt in 2018 where I obtained my Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy. I am a public speaker, a diabetes care expert, and the founder of The Diabetes Care Network (TDCN). Furthermore, I am the fourth child of five siblings.

As founder of The Diabetes Care Network (TDCN), can you briefly share what your motivation is?

Margaret: According to the WHO, people living with diabetes globally increased from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014, with over-weight and obesity being major risk factors. This statistic had always troubled me, and although I had a deep-seated desire to teach people about diabetes as a way of bridging the knowledge gap, I didn’t know how to go about this until my mum was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. That was when it dawned on me that there was so much ignorance around managing type 2 diabetes that ultimately leads to reversing the disease, coupled with the cost of good anti-diabetic medications. So, I decided to create an online platform where I can teach people facts about type 2 diabetes from the comfort of my home, and they can as well learn about it from the convenience of their homes.

More so, my adventure with my mum made me realize that to effectively manage diabetes, there is a need for an accountability partner or support group. You know the saying is true “if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go with people.” And so, TDCN was created to be a support system for people with type 2 diabetes, and this all started because of my mum.

Briefly, what is TDCN all about, and what are the impacts so far?

Margaret: The Diabetes Care Network (TDCN) is an initiative that leverages technology and social media to equip people with type 2 diabetes, their caregivers, healthcare practitioners, and all lovers of knowledge with the right information and management techniques aimed at fostering health literacy in the community in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 4. The journey has been mind-blowing. The visible transformation in the lives of our clients is simply extraordinary. I have had clients who were on multiple oral hypoglycaemic agents get their doses reduced by simply following a low-carb diet. They lose weight easily and know how best to track their sugar levels. It’s remarkable the difference the right knowledge can bring about in the life of an individual. Through our books and courses, we continue to teach people how to be involved in managing diabetes. The mantra, “lifestyle changes and not more drugs” holds true for most chronic diseases, especially diabetes.

From your experience so far, what can you say are the major challenges/issues with diabetes management, and how did you surmount them?

Margaret: The major challenge with diabetes management, especially type 2, is knowing what lifestyle modifications entail. The guidelines recommends starting with lifestyle modification and then drugs, but most people are given drugs first. The truth is we cannot rule out the importance of lifestyle changes in managing diabetes. Knowing the kind of food to eat is vital, adopting a low-carb diet is essential but knowing how to eat to your meter is life-changing. A patient once told me that until he met TDCN, he never knew what glycaemic index meant.

Knowledge is key in managing diabetes.

Another challenge is that most diabetic patients don’t realize the importance of having a glucometer and a sugar logbook at home. Checking your sugar levels regularly and logging it down, helps you identify what you did the previous day that could have spiked your sugar level, assuming that was the case and this information empowers you in recognizing your triggers and staying away from them. At TDCN, we have created a 52-week downloadable sugar logbook so our client can track their sugar levels, a four-week meal plan that takes away the stress of not knowing what to eat, when to eat and how to eat from our clients, and another book that explains the disease condition in a simple and relatable manner. With these tools, we have been able to empower our patients with the needed knowledge, and with our accountability platform, we get them motivated and involved in the management of diabetes.

We understand that diabetes management requires some careful monitoring to track results. Can you share an experience of when you thought out of the box to develop efficient diabetic care interventions that suits your patients while also yielding the desired result?

Margaret: Regular plasma glucose monitoring is important, however, patients can easily be discouraged when they don’t see a corresponding result for their efforts. I once had a client who felt discouraged whenever she checked her sugar levels. So, I asked her what time she checks and she said around 5–6 am. Simply explaining what Dawn Phenomenon was and enlightening her on what to do about it made all the difference. Furthermore, I noticed that most Nigerian foods are high in carbs and many people can eat carbs throughout the day without realizing it. So, I thoughtfully developed a meal plan that featured our local delicacies while imbibing the principles of intermittent fasting. Then there is food-drug interaction.

For example, the edible plant “Abelmoschus esculentus” which is locally known as okra and metformin should not be taken together. There is a need to study how the local foods we have here affect medications and consequently, sugar control.

You’ve had some commendable results through TDCN. Can you share what keeps you going and inspires you to continue with what you are doing?

Margaret: The results are my greatest motivation. I get inspired to show up daily when I remember how my mum and many other clients wake up to normal blood sugar levels daily without having to swallow too many pills. Being able to reduce their pill burden while achieving consistent glycaemic control is no small feat and the joy I see in them keeps me going. The mere thought of impacting positively in the lives of people and improving their quality of life is fulfilling.

In what other ways do you think other young pharmacists can help advance the management and care of diabetic patients?

Margaret: Young Pharmacists can advance the care of diabetic patients if they are willing to care more for their patients than just dispensing hypoglycaemic agents. Beyond just giving drugs, we can teach people how to lower their risks of coming down with the disease. Let’s not wait for them to come to our pharmacies when we can leverage social media to bring the message to them. Young pharmacists can also set up accountability programs for their diabetic patients. This will accelerate the rate at which agreed goals are reached. Then there’s a need for specialization and continuous pharmacy education on diabetes.

We hope you learned something from this interview and you are also steered to be a “unique pharmacist” in your area of practice.

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FIP YPG
FIP YPG

Written by FIP YPG

The Young Pharmacists Group of FIP (International Pharmaceutical Federation)

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