About the Artist
Anna Ferrannini is a visual artist and graduate student, with a double master’s degree in fine arts, dually based in Italy and Spain. Anna explores an array of artistic mediums, from sculpture to photography and performance. Her creative focus pivots around the themes of memory and archaeology, exploring the complex interaction between the past and the present.
In her artistic practice, Anna incorporates found objects and archival materials to construct narratives that delve into contemporaneity. Her works of art manifest as delicate sculptures and evocative environments, where the makeup of the materials becomes intimately intertwined with the tales they convey.
Anna’s artistic portfolio has been showcased in collective exhibitions in Italy, Spain, and the Czech Republic, and she currently holds a membership with the Seville-based collective Niplataniforma.
Anna’s familiarity with diabetes is rooted in her father’s very active involvement in diabetes research and education, including participation on the Diabetes Care Editorial Board. As an undergraduate student, Anna engaged in data collection for the EGIR-RISC (European Group for the Study of Insulin Resistance: Relationship Between Insulin Sensitivity and Cardiovascular Disease Risk) study as part of a summer job.
In 2023, Anna designed the cover for her sister’s PhD thesis at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, titled “Dysglycaemia and Cardiovascular Disease: Aspects on Screening, Management, and Prognosis.” For this project, Anna drew inspiration from the complex interconnection between diabetes and heart disease, which she also tapped into for the creation of the image on this month’s cover of Diabetes Care.
On the Cover: “The Sweet Heart”
Anna describes “The Sweet Heart” as a digital collage of all the tissues affected by insulin resistance, including muscle, adipose tissue, and liver, and of islets of Langerhans. In this image, she visualizes the interplay between hyperglycemia, oxidative stress, and insulin resistance that causes the high cardiovascular risk of diabetes. The heart as a symbol has universal significance as a representation of love and vitality. It is often referred to as a person’s emotional center and is commonly associated with health and well-being but also with vulnerability.
In recent years, novel glucose-lowering medications have been shown to reduce cardiovascular risk in type 2 diabetes, primarily by addressing the underlying pathways. These and other therapeutic advancements hold the promise of averting a significant number of serious complications from diabetes, instilling renewed optimism for long and healthy lives for all people living with diabetes.
