This year, the Certification Board for Diabetes Care and Education (CBDCE) turns 40, an anniversary that invites a time to reflect on how much has changed, and how much has stayed the same.
In 1986, diabetes education was being delivered by nurses, dietitians, and pharmacists, but there was no shared way to identify who had the specific expertise the role required. A group of leaders changed that, forming the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators. Nearly 1,250 clinicians sat for the first exam that October. For Anne Daly, MS, RDN, BC-ADM, CDCES, a Springfield, Illinois dietitian still in practice today, it was a career-defining moment. "Certification introduced a whole new level of recognition for diabetes education as a respected art and science," she recalls.
What followed was four decades of evolution. New drug classes, new technology, and expanded research continually raised the bar for practitioners. In 2020, the CDE became the CDCES, or Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, a name that better reflected the complexity of the work. Milestones along the way included computer-based testing, a mentorship program, NCCA accreditation, a scholarship program, and the 2024 launch of an Ambassador Program empowering certificants as advocates for the profession.
Most recently, CBDCE assumed ownership of the BC-ADM credential from ADCES, bringing advanced clinical diabetes management under the same roof as the CDCES. Together, the two credentials recognize a broader spectrum of expertise under consistent standards.
Four decades in, the mission hasn't changed: people with diabetes deserve care from professionals who can demonstrate real expertise. That work continues.