Kerry Murphy
Founder, President & Executive Director
Kerry is a passionate global advocate for all people living with diabetes with a particular focus on ensuring students with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) have the medical safety, support, and educational access they need to succeed. Through her advocacy, she highlights the obligation of schools to embrace current technology and FOLLOW T1D CGMs, FOLLOW parent input, and FOLLOW federal laws to ensure the safety of students with T1D.
In the Media
The Familial Web of T1D
Ten years into her marriage, Kerry’s husband was diagnosed with T1D at 37, after initially being misdiagnosed with Type 2, despite his sister's T1D diagnosis at age 12. The pattern of T1D diagnoses continued with their niece at age 2, who is now 15, and their daughter, diagnosed at age 3 and now 12. Both of their adult sons have tested positive for T1D antibodies and one is followed by TrialNet, which offers free screening for diabetes-related autoantibodies in first-degree relatives and access to clinical trials to prevent diagnosis.
Advocacy Begins at Home
Kerry's advocacy journey began while securing accommodations for her daughter as she entered kindergarten, which the school district begrudgingly provided. For many years, she heard of other families in her district and nationwide being refused the same non-negotiable medically necessary accommodations. This inequity fueled her passion for equal access to care for all students with T1D. Many parents, exhausted from managing their child's T1D needs and overwhelmed by the emotional toll of the diagnosis, lack the energy and knowledge of the laws that support them, to advocate effectively. Kerry aims to support and empower these families by ensuring schools comply with federal laws and provide necessary accommodations so every child with T1D receives the care they deserve. She wants to prevent parents from fighting the same battle repeatedly, ensuring that victories benefit all children with T1D, not just their own.
FOLLOWT1Ds
Recognizing the challenges faced by families across the country, Kerry began collecting stories from parents and rallying families to unite in their efforts to keep their kids safe at school. In July 2023, she founded FOLLOWT1Ds with the vision of creating a powerful network of parent-led advocates for students with T1D. What began as a grassroots advocacy effort has since grown into a national 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization. The organization aims to educate and empower parents to hold their schools accountable and ensure compliance with federal laws safeguarding students with T1D, while also educating and engaging stakeholders, including diabetes healthcare providers, school district administrations, school boards, state education departments, nursing professionals, and others involved in a child's educational journey to support medical safety, educational access, and implementation of federal law.
Through FOLLOWT1Ds, Kerry has worked with families, educators, healthcare professionals, attorneys, lawmakers, and policymakers to identify barriers to care, influence school district policies and practices, and help draft and advocate for Virginia legislation affecting students with diabetes that was enacted into law.
Through her advocacy, she has become deeply involved in the T1D community as an active DIY Looper, T1D patient advocate, and congressional lobbyist.
Advocacy and Volunteer Roles
DPAC Hill Day Advocate 2025 & 2026
Attended DPAC’s Hill Day where FOLLOWT1Ds was recognized as a partner in advocacy. Met with Virginia congressional staff members to advocate for legislative issues and bills affecting the diabetes community on behalf of DPAC and all people living with diabetes.
Prince William County Public Schools, VA
2025-2026 School Health Advisory Board (SHAB) Member
Represent and advise the board on the parent and student perspectives on policies affecting student wellness, mental health, and chronic condition management, including diabetes care in schools. Focuses on ensuring that school health programs and policies reflect the real needs of students and families. within the community.
#dedoc° Diabetes Online Community
ISPAD 2024 & 2025 - VIRTUAL SCHOLARSHIP
Selected as a 2024 & 2025 dedoc° Patient Voices Scholar for the ISPAD Annual Conference, recognizing commitment to amplifying the voices of people living with diabetes in education, research, and policy.
Breakthrough T1D
Participant Advisory Council
2024-Present
PAC members are available to researchers/investigators in the early stages of clinical trial design and help to identify barriers to participating trials, and thus alleviate those barriers to increase participation.
International Diabetes Federation
Blue Circle Voices Network: Patient Voices Advocate
2024-Present
Launched in 2016, Blue Circle Voices (BCV) is an IDF initiative that aims to represent the interests of people living with, or affected by, diabetes, through a global network of members and other stakeholders.
Our BCV advocates include people with diabetes and caregivers of people with diabetes, who all share a common goal: to improve the lives of people living with diabetes and prevent the condition in those at risk.
Diabetes Patient Advocacy
Coalition Champion Corps: Patient Voices Advocate
2023-Present
Elevating the voices of diabetes patients across the country, locally, and in my personal connections with Type 1 Diabetes, about issues and legislation impacting the diabetes community on both state and federal levels.
DiabetesMine, D-Data Exchange
Selected as a scholarship winner to: “help express the community’s needs and desires to decision-makers in pharma, medtech design, software and app development, medical device regulation, national advocacy groups and more.”
Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition
Patient Voices Advocate
2023-Present
Attended Virtual Hill Day 2023 and met with Virginia congressional staff members to advocate for legislative issues and bills affecting the diabetes community on behalf of DPAC.
