Certificate Course on Diabetology (CCD)
The Certificate Course on Diabetology (CCD) is run by the Distance Learning Program (DLP), which is an enterprise of the Diabetic Association of Bangladesh.
Core Admin Body
- Chairperson of the Program: Prof AK Azad Khan
- Chairperson of the Course: Prof Hajera Mahtab
- Chief Adviser: Prof Md Faruque Pathan
- Chief Executive Officer (CEO): Dr Tareen Ahmed
- Assistant Co-ordinators: Prof SM Ashrafuzzaman, Dr Faria Afsana, Prof Bishwajit Bhowmik
- Joint Director: Mohammad Arifur Rahman Khan (Masoom)
Background
The number of people with diabetes mellitus is rising rapidly and enormously across the globe, posing a great threat for a future health tsunami. Diabetes care is suboptimal throughout the world. The Diabetic Association of Bangladesh has been fighting against this disease since 1956, which was initiated by the Late National Professor M. Ibrahim. This organization has been involved in creating appropriately trained manpower for the management and prevention of diabetes through academic courses, training programs/workshops, etc.
Diabetic Association of Bangladesh has organized this Certificate Course on Diabetology through Distance Learning Program (DLP) to provide appropriate education and training to the physicians to acquire skill in treatment and prevention of diabetes mellitus.
The course was designed in collaboration with two experts from the Open University of UK, Prof. Janet Grant, Director of Medical Education and Prof. Michael G Stewart, Professor of Neuroscience. The curriculum was developed with the contributions of endocrinologists and diabetologists of the Diabetic Association of Bangladesh. Following this, CCD under DLP was inaugurated in June 2003. A workshop of Training of Tutors (TOT) was arranged. The first batch of students (doctors) completed the course in 2004.
Current Status
CCD was initially started to develop diabetes management skills of doctors of the Diabetic Association of Bangladesh, and afterwards, due to overwhelming popularity and demand, it was opened for all. Nearly 20,000 doctors have successfully completed the course. We are now going to start the 41st Batch (as in December 2025).
Initially, it was conducted face-to-face in Dhaka and 7 outside districts up to 2020. During the COVID-19 pandemic, an online interactive mode was adopted. Since then, the course has been conducted online together with offline/face-to-face modes.
There are two sessions each year: January-June and July-December. Registration for admission is initiated through advertisements in leading newspapers and the DLP website, and completed through proper verification. The tutorials are conducted by a highly skilled faculty comprising 60 tutors from the field of endocrinology, diabetology, medicine, and allied disciplines. Tutorials are held both physically and online depending on students’ preference. One workshop is conducted by course coordinators face-to-face in each session. The course is supported by a printed textbook and online learning materials.
There are 3 exams within each session named as Phase Completion Assessments (PCAs). At the end of a session, the final exam - End Course Examination (ECE) is conducted centrally; it consists of theoretical (MCQ) and practical (objective structured clinical exam- OSCE and objective structured practical exam- OSPE) components.
Gold Medal
Gold medals are awarded to the best performer of each session. The medal is named the 'Ibrahim DLP Gold Medal', in honor of the Late National Professor M. Ibrahim, the pioneer in the field of diabetes care in this country.