Anne Sophie Arbet Nussbaumer – President
With a background as a mathematical engineer and more than twenty years of experience in teaching, Anne-Sophie has always been dedicated to sharing knowledge and supporting others. As President of Scuba Diabetes Switzerland, she fulfilled a long-held dream by gaining access to scuba diving thanks to a protocol adapted for people with diabetes, made possible thanks to the invaluable support of Elena Gamarra. Today, she uses her experience and commitment to help make this passion accessible to as many people as possible.
Elena Gamarra – Vice-President
Endocrinologist-diabetologist and researcher at EOC in Lugano, alongside my clinical and scientific work, I have always had a strong interest in therapeutic education, including beyond traditional settings. In 2015, I discovered scuba diving through Diabete Sommerso… and it was love at first dive. Since 2020, I have been living in Switzerland, where meeting Anne-Sophie proved to be a turning point. From this synergy, Scuba Diabetes Svizzera was born, with the aim of making diving accessible and safe for people with diabetes, showing that limits are often meant to be redefined and building bridges between medicine and real life.
Carlo Salamone – Secretary
Carlo has years of experience in the field of sustainability, a value he translates every day into environmental awareness, inclusion, and care for people. Alongside Elena, he developed his passion for scuba diving, eventually earning the PADI Divemaster certification, reflecting his vocation to serve divers. Since 2017, he has been involved in the Diabete Sommerso experience in Italy, enthusiastically supporting its growth. Having moved to Switzerland in 2024, he is committed to promoting and developing this initiative across Switzerland as well.
Valentina Visconti – Board Member
Valentina has been working as a volunteer since 1995, when she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. She firmly believes that diabetes should adapt to people’s lives, not the other way around, and that this is only possible through knowledge of the disease and of oneself. In 2004, she took part in the first scuba diving course for people with diabetes as part of a scientific project. Scuba diving quickly became a passion, and in 2011 she was among the founding members of Diabete Sommerso in Italy, a non-profit association of which she is now the president.
